INDIA’S RAMSAR SITES RISE TO 54 AS 5 WETLANDS GET ‘INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE’ TAG

The five new wetlands that have been added to the list are the

1. Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest and Pichavaram Mangrove in Tamil Nadu,

2. The Sakhya Sagar in Madhya Pradesh

3. Pala Wetland in Mizoram.

India’s tally of 54 designated wetlands is the largest network of Ramsar Sites in South Asia.

Global leaders

The countries with the most Ramsar Sites are the United Kingdom (175) and Mexico (142), as per the Ramsar List. 

Bolivia has the largest area with 148,000 sq km under the Convention protection.

Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention, which came into existence in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

Wetlands in India

Globally, wetlands cover 6.4 per cent of the geographical area of the world. 

In India, according to the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment compiled by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), wetlands are spread over 1,52,600 square kilometres (sq km) which is 4.63 per cent of the total geographical area of the country.

State-wise distribution of wetlands

In state-wise distribution of wetlands, Gujarat is at the top with 34,700 sq km (17.56% of total geographical area of the state), or 22.7% of total wetlands areas of the country thanks to a long coastline. 

It is followed by Andhra Pradesh (14,500 sq km), Uttar Pradesh (12,400 sq km) and West Bengal (11,100 sq km).

Of the 54 sites, 10 are in UP, 6 in Punjab, 4 each in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Jammu and Kashmir, 3 each in Himachal Pradesh and Kerala, 2 each in Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Ladakh, Manipur, Tripura, Uttarakhand, among others.