Asan Conservation Reserve in Uttarakhand and Kabartal Wetland in Bihar  have been named Wetlands of International Importance, bringing the total number of “Ramsar Sites” in India to 39, the highest in South Asia. The sites are particularly important to the avian diversity of their states, with each hosting hundreds of bird species of which several are critically endangered.

In January this year, 10 wetlands in India were recognised by the Ramsar Convention as sites of international importance.

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.

• 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 171 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).

• The Ramsar List is the world’s largest network of protected areas. There are over 2,400 Ramsar Sites on the territories of 171 Convention Contracting Parties across the world, covering more than 2.5 million square kilometres

• 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.

Asan Conservation Reserve

The Asan Conservation Reserve in Dehradun is the first wetland from Uttarakhand to be recognised by Ramsar.

It is a 444-hectare stretch of the Asan River running down to its confluence with the Yamuna River in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand. The damming of the river by the Asan Barrage in 1967 resulted in siltation above the dam wall, which helped to create some of the site’s bird-friendly habitats.

These habitats support 330 species of birds including the critically endangered red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) and Baer’s pochard (Aythya baeri). 

More than 1 per cent of the biogeographical populations of two waterbird species have been recorded, these being red-crested pochard (Netta rufina) and ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea). Other non-avian species present include 49 fish species, one of these being the endangered Putitor mahseer (Tor putitora). Fish use the site for feeding, migration and spawning.

Kabartal Wetland

Kabartal Wetland, also known as Kanwar Jheel, covers 2,620 hectares of the Indo-Gangetic plains in Bihar. The site is one of 18 wetlands within an extensive floodplain complex. It floods during the monsoon season to a depth of 1.5 metres. This absorption of floodwaters is a vital service in Bihar where 70 per cent of the land is vulnerable to inundation. During the dry season, areas of marshland dry out and are used for agriculture.

Significant biodiversity is present, with 165 plant species and 394 animal species recorded, including 221 bird species. The wetland is an important stopover along the Central Asian Flyway, with 58 migratory waterbirds using it to rest and refuel. It is also a valuable site for fish biodiversity with over 50 species documented. 

Five critically endangered species inhabit the site, including three vultures — the red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) and Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) — and two waterbirds, the sociable lapwing (Vanellus gregarius) and Baer’s pochard (Aythya baeri).

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