India's Ramsar Sites Tally Increases To 75 As 11 More Indian Wetlands Get Recognition

India has added 11 more wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites to make total 75 such sites covering an area of 13,26,677 hectares in the country.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav took to Twitter on Saturday (13 August) to make the announcement.

"Elated to inform that 11 more Indian wetlands have got Ramsar recognition. This takes our tally to 75 sites," Yadav said in a tweet.

A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, also known as "The Convention on Wetlands", an intergovernmental environmental treaty established in 1971 by UNESCO, which came into force in 1975. It provides for national action and international cooperation regarding the conservation of wetlands, and wise sustainable use of their resources

India is one of the contracting parties to Ramsar Convention, signed in Iran's Ramsar in 1971. India signed it on 1 February 1982, according to an Environment Ministry release.

During 1982 to 2013, a total of 26 Indian sites were added to the list of Ramsar sites, However, during 2014 to 2022, the country has added 49 new wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites.

The 11 new sites designated as Ramsar sites included: four sites in Tamil Nadu, three in Odisha, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one each in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Tamil Nadu has maximum number of Ramsar sites (14), followed by UP which has 10 Ramsar sites.

The 11 Indian wetlands which have been designated as new Ramsar sites are Tampara Lake, Hirakud Reservoir and Ansupa Lake in Odisha; Yashwant Sagar in Madhya Pradesh; Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary, Suchindram Theroor Wetland Complex, Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary and Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu; Thane Creek in Maharashtra; Hygam Wetland Conservation Reserve and Shallbugh Wetland Conservation Reserve in Jammu and Kashmir.

Designation of these sites would help in conservation and management of wetlands and wise use of their resources, the Environment Ministry said.

During this year itself, a total of 28 sites have been declared as Ramsar sites.

Based on the date of designation mentioned on Ramsar certificate, the number is 19 for this year and 14 for previous year (2021), the ministry said.