The Ramsar Convention has declared 10 more wetlands in India as sites of international importance, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar announced on January 28, in a major recognition for the government’s effort towards conservation and rejuvenation of its wetlands.

With this, a total of 37 sites in the country have been recognised under the international treaty. Wetlands declared as Ramsar sites are protected under strict guidelines.

“In the past six months, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has prepared a four-pronged strategy for the restoration of wetlands, which includes preparing a baseline data, wetland health cards, enlisting wetland mitras and preparing targeted integrated management plans,” the ministry said.

What are wetlands?

Wetlands are land areas that are saturated or flooded with water either permanently or seasonally. Inland wetlands include marshes, ponds, lakes, fens, rivers, floodplains and swamps. Coastal wetlands include saltwater marshes, estuaries, mangroves, lagoons and even coral reefs. Fish ponds, rice paddies and saltpans are man-made wetlands.

Wetlands provide a wide range of important resources and ecosystem services such as food, water, fibre, groundwater recharge, water purification, flood moderation, erosion control and climate regulation.

“They are, in fact, a major source of water and our main supply of freshwater comes from an array of wetlands which help soak rainfall and recharge groundwater,” the ministry said.

Every year, February 2 is observed as World Wetlands Day to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for our planet. This day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran.

What is the Ramsar Convention?

The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty signed by 170 countries to protect wetlands. It is named after the city in Iran where it was signed, and it began with 18 countries in 1971.

The convention is one of the oldest inter-governmental accords for preserving the ecological character of wetlands. Also known as the Convention on Wetlands, it aims to develop a global network of wetlands for the conservation of biological diversity and for sustaining human life.

It is one of the largest international agreements, after the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 196 countries) and the UN climate agreement (UNFCCC, 197 countries).

These 170 countries together designated more than 2,300 Ramsar wetlands that they promise to protect and manage in a sustainable way. Together, these sites cover about 2.5 million sq km of wetlands.

The signatory countries promise to make inventories of their Ramsar sites and to develop management plans. These management plans include the sustainable use of the many other functions of wetlands, such as food production, water storage and recreation.

Which are the Ramsar sites in India?

Among the 10 new Ramsar sites is Nandur Madhameshwar, a first in Maharashtra.

Punjab, which has three Ramsar sites, added three - Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve and Nangal.

Uttar Pradesh, which had one, has added six Ramsar sites - Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and SarsaiNawar.

Other Ramsar sites in India

1. Ashtamudi Wetland (Kerala)

2. Bhitarkanika Mangroves (Odisha)

3. Bhoj Wetlands (Madhya Pradesh)

4. Chandertal Wetland (Himachal Pradesh)

5. Chilika Lake (Odisha)

6. Deepor Beel (Assam)

7. East Calcutta Wetlands (West Bengal)

8. Harike Lake (Punjab)

9. Hokera Wetland (Jammu and Kashmir)

10. Kanjli Lake (Punjab)

11. Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan)

12. Kolleru Lake (Andhra Pradesh)

13. Loktak Lake (Manipur)

14. Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary (Gujarat)

15. Point Calimere (Tamil Nadu)

16. Pong Dam Lake (Himachal Pradesh)

17. Renuka Wetland (Himachal Pradesh)

18. Ropar Lake (Punjab)

19. Rudrasagar Lake (Tripura)

20. Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan)

21. Sasthamkotta Lake (Kerala)

22. Sundarban Wetland (West Bengal)

23. Surinsar-Mansar Lakes (Jammu and Kashmir)

24. Tsomoriri Lake (Ladakh)

25. Upper Ganga River - Brijghat to Narora Stretch (Uttar Pradesh)

26. Vembanad Kol Wetland (Kerala)

27. Wular Lake (Jammu and Kashmir)

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