Here is the Updated list of Ramsar sites in India. At present India has 49 Ramsar sites. Bakhira Bird Sanctuary, located in Uttar Pradesh is the 49th Ramsar Wetland site of India.
Table of Contents
✪ About Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
▸ The Convention on Wetlands provides the framework for international cooperation and national action for the conservation and wise use of wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.
More than 476,000 acres of wetland have been protected through this convention.
▸ February 2 is celebrated as the International Wetlands Day
❒ Why it’s called “Ramsar”
▸ As because the Convention on Wetlands named after the Iranian city “Ramsar” in which it was adopted in the year 1971.
❒ What is the three pillars of the Convention
▸ Under the three pillars of the Convention, the Contracting Parties commit to_
❖ work towards the wise use of all their wetlands through national plans, policies and legislation, management actions and public education.
❖ Designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands of International Importance (the “Ramsar List”) and ensure their effective management.
❖ Cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems, shared species, and development projects that may affect wetlands.
❒ What actually mean by “Wise use of wetlands”?
▸ The Convention defines the wise use of wetlands as “the maintenance of their ecological character, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context of sustainable development”. Wise use can thus be seen as the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and all the services they provide, for the benefit of people and nature.
✪ What is Wetlands?
▸ A wetland is a place where the land is covered by water, either salt, fresh or somewhere in between.
▸ List of places which is considered as a wetland under the Ramsar Convention.
• All lakes
• Rivers
• Underground aquifers
• Swamps and Marshes
• Wet grasslands
• Peatlands
• Oases
• Estuaries
• Deltas and tidal flats
• Mangroves and other coastal areas
• Coral reefs
• All human made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans
✪ Major Significance of Wetlands
▸ Wetlands provide a range of ecosystem services that benefit humanity, including_
• Water filtration
• Storm protection
• Flood control
▸ People use wetlands in many other ways, including_
• Fishing
• Transportation of Goods and Passengers
• Irrigation purpose
• For Industrial use
• Cultivation of Paddy, Lotus,
• To decompose jute (for extracting jute fibre)
▸ Wetland helps to grow various agricultural products, such as_
• Paddy (which is a major food of half the world’s population.)
• Flower of commercial importance like Lotus, water lilies.
• Aquatic vegetables like water chestnut.
▸ Most of the wetlands act as the most productive habitats on the planet. Which often support high concentrations of animals , including mammals, birds, fish and invertebrates, and serve as nurseries for many of these species.
✪ Ramsar sites in India, Current Status
Number of Ramsar Wetland Sites in India
● At present India has 49 Wetlands, recognized under Ramsar convention, with a surface area of 1,086827 hectares.
● Previously India has 27 wetlands.
● On January 28, 2020 Ramsar Convention has declared 10 more wetland site from India as sites of national importance. (27 +10 = 37)
● From July-November 2020 , 5 more wetland added under the Ramsar Convention. (37 + 5 = 42)
● Recently, four more sites from India have been recognized under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands bringing the total number of such designated areas in the country to 46, (42+4 = 46)
• On December 9, 2021 one more site under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands added to the list. 47 (46+1).
• On 2 February, 2022, India adds two more Ramsar sites upscaling the number from 47 to 49.
Recently added (latest 12) Wetland under The Ramsar Convention
● 38th Ramsar Site – Asan Barrage (Uttrakhand)
● 39th Ramsar Site – Kanwar Taal (Bihar)
● 40th Ramsar Site – Sur Sarovar (Uttar Pradesh, Agra)
● 41st Ramsar Site – Lonar Lake (Maharashtra, Buldana District)
● 42nd Ramsar Site – Tso Kar (Ladakh)
● 43rd Ramsar Site – Sultanpur National Park (Gurugram, Haryana)
● 44th Ramsar Site – Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary (Jhajjar, Haryana)
● 45th Ramsar Site – Thol Lake (Mehsana, Gujarat)
● 46th Ramsar Site – Wadhvana Wetland (Vadodara, Gujarat)
● 47th Ramsar Site – Haiderpur Wetland, (Uttar Pradesh)
● 48th Ramsar Site – Khijadia Bird Sanctuary (Gujarat)
● 49th Ramsar Site – Bakhira Bird Sanctuary (Uttar Pradesh)
Important info about the newly added wetlands
● Asan Barrage is the first wetland from Uttarakhand.
● Sur Sarovar is also known as Khetam Lake
● Sur Sarovar is a Huaman-made reservoir.
● Lonar Lake formed by a meteorite impact onto the basalt bedrock.
● The name Tso Kar refers to the white salt.
● Tso Kar is one of the most important breeding areas in India for the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis).
● The Haiderpur wetland is located near the Bijnor Ganga Barrage within the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh, India.
● The Bakhira Bird Sanctuary (49th Ramsar sites) is the largest natural flood plain wetland of India in Sant Kabir Nagar district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
● About 300 species of migratory birds have been recorded in the Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary. (48th Ramsar sites)
✪ Ramsar sites around the world, Important Info
♦ The world’s first Site under the ramsar convention was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia, designated in 1974.
♦ The largest Sites under ramsar convention are_
• Rio Negro in Brazil (120,000 square km)
• Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo (60,000 square km)
• Queen Maud Gulf in Canada (60,000 square km)
♦ The countries with the most Sites are the ..
• United Kingdom with 175 sites and
• Mexico with 142 sites.
♦ Largest area under the Convention ..
• Bolivia (total 148,000 square km)
♦ At present there are over 2,400 Ramsar Sites across the world , covering more than 2.5 million square kilometres.
State-wise list of Ramsar sites in India (Total 49)
| Sl.No | Ramsar Site | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saman Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2 | Sur Sarovar | |
| 3 | Sarsai Nawar Jheel | |
| 4 | Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary | |
| 5 | Samaspur Bird Sanctuary | |
| 6 | Sandi Bird Sanctuary | |
| 7 | Parvati Aranga Bird Sanctuary | |
| 8 | Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora Stretch) | |
| 9 | Haiderpur Wetland | |
| 10 | Bakhira Bird Sanctuary | |
| 11 | Sasthamkotta Lake | Kerala |
| 12 | Ashtamudi Lake | |
| 13 | Vembanad-Kol Wetland | |
| 14 | Bhoj Wetland | Bhopal,Madhya Pradesh |
| 15 | Nandur Madhameshwar | Nashik, Maharashtra |
| 16 | Lonar Lake | |
| 17 | Keoladeo National Park | Rajasthan |
| 18 | Sambhar Lake | |
| 19 | Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary | Ahemedabad Gujarat |
| 20 | Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu |
| 21 | Kolleru Lake | Andhra Pradesh |
| 22 | Tsomoriri | Ladakh |
| 23 | Tso Kar | |
| 24 | Hokera Wetland | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 25 | Wular Lake | |
| 26 | Surinsar-Mansar Lakes | |
| 27 | Chilka Lake | Odisha |
| 28 | Bhitarkanika Mangroves | |
| 29 | East Kolkata Wetlands | West Bengal |
| 30 | Sundarban Wetland | |
| 31 | Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve | Punjab |
| 32 | Beas Conservation Reserve | |
| 33 | Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary | |
| 34 | Harike Wetland | |
| 35 | Kanjli Wetland | |
| 36 | Ropar Wetland | |
| 37 | Deepar Beel | Kamrup, Assam |
| 38 | Loktak Lake | Manipur |
| 39 | Rudrasagar Lake | Tripura |
| 40 | Pong Dam Lake | Himachal Pradesh |
| 41 | Chandra Lake | |
| 42 | Renuka Lake | |
| 43 | Asan Barrage | Uttarakhand |
| 44 | Kanwar Taal or Kabar Taal Lake | Bihar, Begusarai |
| 45 | Sultanpur National Park | Gurugram, Haryana |
| 46 | Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary | Jhajjar, Haryana |
| 47 | Thol Lake | Mehsana, Gujarat |
| 48 | Wadhvana Wetland | Vadodara, Gujarat |
| 49 | Khijadia Bird Sanctuary | Jamnagar, Gujarat |
Ramsar sites in India,Updated Map
Important Question answer about the Wetlands under Ramsar Convention
❖ Which is the largest wetland under Ramsar convention in India?
☞ Sundarbans, West Bengal (423,000 hectare)
❖ Which is the smallest wetland under Ramsar convention in India?
☞ Renuka Wetland , Himachal Pradesh (20 hectare)
❖ Which is the first wetland under Ramsar convention in India?
☞ Chilka Lake (1981) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan)
❖ First wetland under Ramsar convention of Uttarakhand?
☞ Assan Barrage
❖ At present there are how many Ramsar sites in India ?
☞ 49
❖ 8th wetland of Uttar Pradesh under ramsar convention?
☞ Sur Sarovar
❖ Which Indian state has the most number of Ramsar sites?
☞ Uttar Pradesh (8)
❖ 42nd Ramsar site of India ?
☞ Tso Kar (Ladakh)
❖ In which plateau Tso Kar wetland located?
☞ Rupshu Plateau
❖ In which plateau Tso Moriri wetland located?
☞ Changthang Plateau
❖ What is the name of 46th Ramsar Wetland Site in India
☞ Wadhvana Wetland , Gujarat
❖ What is the name of 47th Ramsar Wetland Site in India
☞ Haiderpur Wetland, Uttar Pradesh
❖ Latest two Ramsar Wetland Site in India
☞ Khijadia Bird Sanctuary, Gujarat- 48th Ramsar sites
☞ Bakhira Bird Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh – 49th
About Haiderpur Wetland
• It is India’s 47th Ramsar Wetland Site.
• The Haiderpur Wetland located in Uttar Pradesh.
• It is one of the largest human-made wetland that was formed in 1984.
• The wetland was constructed after the construction of Madhya Ganga Barrage.
• It is fed by the Ganges and its tributary Solani river.
• Total area covered by the wetland is 6908 hectare within the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary in Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor districts.
• The wetland is home to over 320 species of birds.
About Bakhira Bird Sanctuary wetland
• It is India’s 49th Ramsar Wetland Site.
• The Bakhira Bird Sanctuary located in Sant Kabir Nagar district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
• The sanctuary was established in 1980.
• The Bakhira Bird Sanctuary is the largest natural flood plain wetland of India.
• Uttar Pradesh has now total 10wetland including Haiderpur Wetland and Bakhira Bird Sanctuary wetland, They are –
1.Saman Bird Sanctuary
2. Sur Sarovar
3. Sarsai Nawar Jheel
4. Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary
5. Samaspur Bird Sanctuary
6. Sandi Bird Sanctuary
7. Parvati Aranga Bird Sanctuary
8. Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora Stretch)
9. Haiderpur Wetland
10. Bakhira Bird Sanctuarywetland
About Khijadia Bird Sanctuary wetland
• It is India’s 48th Ramsar Wetland Site.
• The Khijadia Bird Sanctuary located in Jamnagar district of Gujarat.
• About 300 species of migratory birds have been recorded here.
• The sanctuary is unique having both fresh water lakes, salt and freshwater marshlands.
• The sanctuary is spread over an area of 6.05 km2.
• It is the biggest bird sanctuary in Gujarat
• It was declared as a Bird Sanctuary on 6 November 1982.
❖ What is the theme of World Wetland Day 2022?
☞ Wetlands Action for People and Nature is the theme in 2022 highlighting the importance of actions to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands for humans and planetary health.
❐ Partners of Ramsar Treaty▶ The Convention has five formally recognized “International Organization Partners”. ▶ List of 5 International Organization Partners |
Important Source of this Article
• Worldwildlife
• Ramsar.org
Other Related Topics on Protected areas of India
• List of National Park(Updated List)
• List of Tiger reserves in India (Updated List)
