Bihar’s Nagi & Nakti Bird Sanctuaries takes India’s Ramsar site to 82

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified Nakti and Nagi bird sanctuaries in Bihar as the newest wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar convention. Both the sites are man-made and situated in the Jhajha forest range of Jamui district of Bihar. 

Bihar now has three wetland sites under the Ramsar convention, and the total number of Ramsar sites in the country has increased to 82. 

About 81st and 82nd Ramsar Site of India

Nagi Bird Sanctuary was notified as the 81st Ramsar Site of India. The Nagi wetland area, spread over 791 hectares in the Jamuai district of Bihar, is a man-made site created by constructing a dam on the Nagi River.

The lake formed after the dam's construction attracts migratory birds during winters from Eurasia, Central Asia, Russia, and Northern China.

The Nagi Bird Sanctuary was recognised locally as a Bird Sanctuary in 1984 and internationally as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.

BirdLife International declared it a Bird Sanctuary and an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) in 1984.

The Nagi bird sanctuary is home to one of the largest congregations of bar-headed geese (Anser indices) on the Indo-Gangetic plain.

Nakti Bird Sanctuary is the 82nd Ramasar site in India. It is also a man-made site created by Nakti Dam and is spread across 332 hectares. It is near the Nagi Bird Sanctuary and is also located in the Jamuai district of Bihar. The dam's lake is a habitat for over 150 species of birds, mammals, fish, aquatic plants, etc.

The Nakti wetland was declared a Bird sanctuary in 1984. The Sanctuary has one of the largest congregations of red-crested pochards (Netta rufina) on the Indo-Gangetic plain. 

Bihar now has three Ramsar sites. The first one was Kanwar Lake in Begusarai district, which was declared a Ramsar site in 2020.

India has 3rd largest number of Ramsar Sites in the world 

India and China jointly hold the third-largest number of Ramsar sites in the world, with 82 sites each. 

The United Kingdom leads the list with 175 sites, while Mexico is second with 144 sites.

In the last ten years, the number of Indian sites has increased from 26 to 82. 40 new sites have been added to the list in the past three years. The number of Indian sites on the list has increased from 26 to 82 in the last ten years, of which 40 have been added in the last three years.

What is a Ramsar Site?

Ramsar is an Iranian city where an international conference was organised in 1971 to discuss measures and steps to protect wetlands and their fragile ecosystems. An agreement was reached at the conference to protect wetlands around the world.

The Conference, which was known as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, provides a framework for conserving and protecting wetlands worldwide which came into force in 1975.

Every country that has signed the Ramsar Convention can notify a wetland as a wetland of international importance if it meets the Convention’s criteria. These wetland sites are known as ‘Ramsar Sites’.

The list is maintained by the Ramsar convention's secretariat, which is based at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) headquarters in Gland, Switzerland.

India and Ramsar Convention 

India ratified the Ramsar Convention in 1982.

• The first Indian wetland sites included in the Convention were Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) in 1981.
• Amongst the states, Tamil Nadu has 16 sites, followed by Uttar Pradesh, which has 10.

• Largest Ramsar site in India: Sunderban of West Bengal 
• Smallest Ramsar site in India: Renuka in Himachal Pradesh 

What is a Wetland?

Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil or is present either at or near the soil's surface all year or for varying periods of time during the year. The wetlands can be on lands or coastal areas.

Inland wetlands are areas on land saturated or flooded with water, seasonally or permanently. They include aquifers, lakes, rivers, streams, marshes, peatlands, ponds, flood plains, and swamps.

Coastal or tidal wetlands form in coastal areas where sea water mixes with river freshwater. They include all coastlines, saltmarshes, mangroves, estuaries, lagoons, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs.

World Wetland Day 

World Wetland Day is observed on 2nd February every year. On this date, the International Agreement on Protecting Wetlands, or the Ramsar Convention, was signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.

The theme of World Wetland Day 2024: ‘Wetlands and Human Wellbeing’.