RAMSAR- Wetland Sites in India

RAMSAR- Wetland Sites in India

RAMSAR Wetland Site

Ramsar site is a wetland site designated for international importance by the Ramsar convention.

Ramsar Convention

Ramsar Convention (established in 1971 by UNESCO, came in force in 1975) is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands that recognizes the fundamental ecological functions and economic, cultural, recreational, and scientific values of these sites.

• The name Ramsar was given after the name of the city Ramsar in Iran, the treaty signed there in 1971.
• Every year 2nd February is celebrated as world wetland Day, which was celebrated for the first time in 1997.
• There are currently over 2,400 Ramsar Sites around the world. They cover over 2.5 million square kilometers
• The number of sites in the United Kingdom i.e. 175 and Mexico is 142. 
• The world’s first Ramsar Site was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia, designated in 1974.
• The largest Sites are Rio Negro in Brazil (120,000 square kilometers), Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Queen Maud Gulf in Canada; these Sites each cover over 60,000 square km. Others are as small as one hectare.

It entered into force in India on 1 February 1982. India currently has 49 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 10,93,636 hectares. India is the country with the highest number of Wetlands in South Asia.

What is Wetland?

Wetland is a distinct ecosystem flooded by water permanently or seasonally. These include flooded forests, floodplains, marshes, rivers and lakes, coral reefs, etc. The hydrophytes, hydric soil, and water-saturated land are the main characteristics of this land.

Importance of Wetland

Wetland plays an important role in the ecosystem, they improve natural water quality, protects from flood, control shoreline erosion. It helps in recreation and aesthetic appreciation and natural products without any cost.

World’s first wetland site

The world’s first site was the Coburg Peninsula in Australia, in 1974. 

latest updates about Indian Ramsar sites

• 50th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on 2nd February 2021, this day is also celebrated as World Wetland Day. India established the Centre for Wetland Conservation & Management under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in Chennai at National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM).

• One of the Ramsar sites in India Sambhar lake is in news because of the deterioration of salt mining.
• Uttar Pradesh has the most number of Ramsar sites, it has 8 Ramsar wetland sites.
• Four new Wetland sites of India are added to the list.

first Ramsar site in India

The Chilka Lake in Orissa and Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan are recognized as the first Ramsar site in India.

The smallest and largest wetland in India

Sunderbans is the largest and Renuka wetland in Himachal Pradesh is the smallest Ramsar wetland in India.

RAMSAR -Wetland Sites in India

List of 49 Ramsar Wetland sites in India

The 49 Ramsar wetland sites are listed in table below:

RAMSAR- Wetland Sites in India

References – http://moef.gov.in/en/ 

https://www.ramsar.org/sites-countries/ramsar-sites-around-the-world

(Source:  Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India)

You can also Read:

• List of Environmental laws
• Pyramids In Ecosystem
• World Heritage Site of India

Thank you 🙂