About Ramsar Convention
- It is an international treaty for “the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands”.
- It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands.
- It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran.
- The Convention was signed on the 2nd of February 1971.
- The February of each year is World Wetlands Day.
- The number of parties to the convention (COP) is 172.
- This aims for wise use of wetlands i.e. maintenance of ecological character within the context of sustainable development.
- COP is the policy-making organ of the Convention which adopts decisions (Resolutions and Recommendations) to administer the work of the Convention.
- Every three years, representatives of the Contracting Parties meet at the Conference of the Contracting Parties.
Why needed?
- 64% of the world’s wetlands have already depleted in the last century.
- Wetlands are indispensable for the many benefits or“ecosystem services” that they provide ranging from freshwater supply, food and building materials, biodiversity, flood control, groundwater recharge, and climate change mitigation.
What is a Wetland?
- It includes all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fishponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans.
- The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.
- It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.
Criteria
To be a Ramsar site, however, it must meet at least one of nine criteria as defined by the Ramsar Convention, such as:
- Supporting vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or
- Threatened ecological communities or,
- If it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds or,
- Is an important source of food for fishes, spawning grounds, nurseries and/or migration paths on which fish stocks are dependent.
Ramsar Wetlands Sites in India (Total of 80 sites as of February 2024)
| S.No. | Ramsar Site | Ramsar Site |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve | Karnataka (Added in January 2024) |
| 2. | Aghanashini Estuary – | Karnataka (Added in January 2024) |
| 3. | Magadi Kere Conservation Reserve | Karnataka (Added in January 2024) |
| 4. | Longwood Shola Reserve Forest | Tamil Nadu (Added in January 2024) |
| 5. | Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary – | Tamil Nadu (Added in January 2024) |
| 6. | Chilika Lake | Odisha |
| 7. | Keoladeo National Park | Bharatpur Rajasthan |
| 8. | Harike Wetland | Harike, Punjab |
| 9. | Loktak Lake | Bishnupur, Manipur |
| 10. | Sambhar Lake | Rajasthan |
| 11. | Wular Lake | Jammu and Kashmir |
| 12. | Kanjli Wetland | Kapurthala Punjab |
| 13. | Ropar Wetland | Ropar, Punjab |
| 14. | Ashtamudi Wetland | Kollam district, Kerala |
| 15. | Bhitarkanika Mangroves | Odisha India |
| 16. | Bhoj Wetland | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh |
| 17. | Deepor Beel | Guwahati, Assam |
|
18. |
East Kolkata Wetlands |
Kolkata West Bengal |
|
19. |
Kolleru Lake |
Andhra Pradesh |
|
20. |
Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu |
|
21. |
Pong Dam Lake |
Kangra, Himachal Pradesh |
| 22. | Sasthamkotta Lake |
Kollam, Kerala |
|
23. |
Tsomoriri |
Ladakh |
|
24. |
Vembanad-Kol Wetland |
Kerala |
|
25. |
Chandra Taal |
Lahul, Himachal Pradesh |
|
26. |
Hokera Wetland |
Zainakote, Jammu and Kashmir |
|
27. |
Renuka Lake |
Simaur, Himachal Pradesh |
| 28. | Rudrasagar Lake |
Melaghar, Tripura, India |
|
29. |
Surinsar-Mansar Lakes | Jammu and Kashmir |
| 30. | Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora Stretch) |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
31. |
Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary | Ahmedabad, Gujarat |
| 32. | Sundarban Wetland |
West Bengal |
|
33. |
Nandur Madhameshwar | Nashik, Maharashtra |
| 34. | Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary |
Unnao, Uttar Pradesh |
|
35. |
Sarsai Nawar Jheel | Etawah, Uttar Pradesh |
| 36. | Beas Conservation Reserve |
Harike Punjab |
|
37. |
Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve | Punjab |
| 38. | Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary |
Nangal, Punjab |
|
39. |
Sandi Bird Sanctuary | Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh |
| 40. | Samaspur Bird Sanctuary |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
41. |
Parvati Aranga Bird Sanctuary | Gonda, Uttar Pradesh |
| 42. | Saman Bird Sanctuary |
Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh |
|
43. |
Asan Barrage |
Uttarakhand |
|
44. |
Kanwar Taal or Kabar Taal Lake |
Begusarai, Bihar |
|
45. |
Sur Sarovar |
Agra, Uttar Pradesh |
|
46. |
Lonar Lake |
Buldhana, Maharashtra |
|
47. |
Tso Kar |
Leh, Ladakh |
|
48. |
Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary |
Haryana |
|
49. |
Sultanpur National Park | Haryana |
| 50. | Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary |
Gujarat |
|
51. |
Wadhvana Wetland | Gujarat |
| 52. | Haiderpur Wetland |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
53. |
Khijadiya wildlife sanctuary | Gujarat |
| 54. | Bakhira wildlife sanctuary |
Uttar Pradesh |
|
55. |
Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest | Tamil Nadu |
| 56. | Kaikill Bird Sanctuary |
Tamil Nadu |
|
57. |
Pichavaram Mangrove | Tamil Nadu |
|
58. |
Pala wetland |
Mizoram |
| 59. | Sakhya Sagar |
Madhya Pradesh |
|
60. |
Tampara Lake | Odisha |
| 61. | Hirakud Reservoir |
Odisha |
|
62. |
Ansupa Lake | Odisha |
| 63. | Yashwant Sagar |
Madhya Pradesh |
|
64. |
Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu |
| 65. | Suchindram Theroor Wetland Complex |
Tamil Nadu |
|
66. |
Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu |
| 67. | Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary |
Tamil Nadu |
|
68. |
Thane Creek | Maharashtra |
| 69. | Hygam Wetland Conservation Reserve |
Jammu and Kashmir |
|
70. |
Shallbugh Wetland Conservation Reserve | Jammu and Kashmir |
| 71. | Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary |
Tamil Nadu |
|
72. |
Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary |
Tamil Nadu |
|
73. |
Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu |
| 74. | Vellode Bird Sanctuary |
Tamil Nadu |
|
75. |
Vembannur Wetland Complex | Tamil Nadu |
| 76. | Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve |
Tamil Nadu |
|
77. |
Sirpur wetland | Madhya Pradesh |
| 78. | Ranganathituu BS |
Karnataka |
|
79. |
Nanda Lake | Goa |
| 80. | Satkosia Gorge |
Odisha |