Ramsar Convention
Context:
- Four more Indian sites - two each from Haryana and Gujarat - have been recognised as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, taking the number of such sites in the country to
- Two wetlands in Haryana - Sultanpur National Park in Gurgaon and Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary in Jhajjar and Thol and Wadhwana from Gujarat
Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary
- It is a human-made freshwater
- It is also the largest in Haryana.
- Over 250 bird species use the sanctuary throughout the year as a resting and roosting site.
- The site supports more than 10 globally threatened species including the endangered Egyptian Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, and Black-bellied Tern.
Sultanpur National Park in Haryana
- It supports more than 220 species of resident, winter migratory and local migratory waterbirds at critical stages of their life cycles.
- More than 10 of these are globally threatened, including the critically endangered sociable lapwing, and the endangered Egyptian Vulture, Saker Falcon, Pallas’s Fish Eagle and Black-bellied Tern.
Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat
- It lies on the Central Asian Flyway and more than 320 bird species can be found here.
- It supports more than 30 threatened waterbird species, such as the critically endangered White-rumped Vulture and Sociable Lapwing, and the vulnerable Sarus Crane, Common Pochard and Lesser White-fronted Goose.
Wadhvana Wetland in Gujarat
- It is internationally important for its birdlife as it provides wintering ground to migratory waterbirds, including over 80 species that migrate on the Central Asian Flyway.
- They include some threatened or near-threatened species such as the endangered Pallas’s fish-Eagle, the vulnerable Common Pochard, and the near-threatened Dalmatian Pelican, Grey-headed Fish-eagle and Ferruginous Duck.
The Ramsar Convention
- It is an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
- It is named after the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the Caspian Sea, where the treaty was signed on February 2, 1971.
- The aim of the Ramsar list is “to develop and maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and benefits”.
Ramsar sites in India:
Sl. No. |
Name of Site |
State Location |
1 |
Asan Conservation Reserve |
Uttarakhand |
2 |
Asthamudi Wetland |
Kerala |
3 |
Beas Conservation Reserve |
Punjab |
4 |
Bhitarkanika Mangroves |
Orissa |
5 |
Bhoj Wetlands |
Madhya Pradesh |
6 |
Chandertal Wetland |
Himachal Pradesh |
7 |
Chilka Lake |
Orissa |
8 |
Deepor Beel |
Assam |
9 |
East Kolkata Wetlands |
West Bengal |
10 |
Harike Lake |
Punjab |
11 |
Hokera Wetland |
Jammu and Kashmir |
12 |
Kabartal Wetland |
Bihar |
13 |
Kanjli Lake |
Punjab |
14 |
Keoladeo Ghana NP |
Rajasthan |
15 |
Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve |
Punjab |
16 |
Kolleru Lake |
Andhra Pradesh |
17 |
Loktak Lake |
Manipur |
18 |
Lonar Lake |
Maharashtra |
19 |
Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary |
Gujarat |
20 |
Nandur Madhameshwar |
Maharashtra |
21 |
Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary |
Punjab |
22 |
Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary |
Uttar Pradesh |
23 |
Parvati Agra Bird Sanctuary |
Uttar Pradesh |
24 |
Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary |
Tamil Nadu |
25 |
Pong Dam Lake |
Himachal Pradesh |
26 |
Renuka Wetland |
Himachal Pradesh |
27 |
Ropar Lake |
Punjab |
28 |
Rudrasagar Lake |
Tripura |
29 |
Saman Bird Sanctuary |
Uttar Pradesh |
30 |
Samaspur Bird Sanctuary |
Uttar Pradesh |
31 |
Sambhar Lake |
Rajasthan |
32 |
Sandi Bird Sanctuary |
Uttar Pradesh |
33 |
Sarsai Nawar Jheel |
Uttar Pradesh |
34 |
Sasthamkotta Lake |
Kerala |
35 |
Sunderbans Wetland |
West Bengal |
36 |
Surinsar-Mansar Lakes |
Jammu and Kashmir |
37 |
Sur Sarovar |
Uttar Pradesh |
38 |
Tso Kar Wetland Complex |
Ladakh |
39 |
Tsomoriri Lake |
Jammu and Kashmir |
40 |
Upper Ganga River |
Uttar Pradesh |
41 |
Vembanad Kol Wetland |
Kerala |
42 |
Wular Lake |
Jammu & Kashmir |