India with 89 Sites has the largest number of Ramsar sites in Asia

The government of India has added four new wetland sites - Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary and Therthangal Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, Khecheopalri Wetland in Sikkim, and Udhwa Lake in Jharkhand- to the Ramsar Wetlands Site. The number of Ramsar sites in the country is now 89 and India has the highest number of Ramsar sites in Asia ahead of China (82 sites).

After the United Kingdom(175 sites) and Mexico (142), India has the third-largest number of Ramsar sites in the world.

Within India, Tamil Nadu has a maximum - 20 wetlands under the Ramsar site list.

For the first time, wetland sites of Jharkhand and Sikkim have been included in the Ramsar site list.

The addition of four new Ramasar sites was announced by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav in a social media post. 

About the Recently Added Ramsar Sites 

Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu 

Location - Spread over parts of Sakkarakottai, Rajasuriyamadai, and Achadipirambu villages of Ramanathapuram Taluk, Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. 

Area -230.49  Hectares

Features- 

• It is a man-made tank dug in 1321 A.D.
• Declared a Bird Sanctuary in 2012. 
• It is close to the Gulf of Mannar and is on the Central Asian bird's fly-away route. 
• Important nesting and feeding area for resident and migratory birds from Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Species found 

• 116 species of birds of which about 5 are near threatened species. 
• Breeding ground for several Resident/ Migrant species of waterfowl.

Therthangal Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu

Location - Situated in the Therthangal Village of Ramanathapuram Taluk, in Ramanathapuram District.

Area - 29.5 hectares

Features

• It is a man-made tank 

• Notified as a bird sanctuary in 2010
• Close to the Gulf of Mannar and is on the Central Asian bird's migration route.

Species 

• Home to 48 species of birds of which about 5 are near threatened species. 
• Breeding ground for several Resident/Migrant species of waterfowl.

Khecheopalri Wetland, Sikkim 

Location -Khecheopalri village in the West Sikkim district. 

Area-11.56 hectares

Features

• Locally known as Kha-Chot-Palri or Sho Dzo Sho
• It is a Cirque lake formed due to glaciers.
• Located at a height of  1700 m. 
• It is surrounded by a pristine lush forest.

Species

• Trans-Himalayan migratory birds like the Great Barbet, Long-tailed Shrike, Green-backed Tit, Rufous Sibia, etc found here.

Udhwa Lake in Jharkhand

Location -Sahebganj district 

Area - 565 Hectares

Features

Lake consists of two water bodies - Patauran (155 hectares) and Berhale (410 hectares).

They are interconnected by a water channel. 

The Sanctuary is connected to the Ganga River through a 25 km long Udhuwa Nala water channel known at Farraka.

Species 

•  83 species of both aquatic and terrestrial birds have been spotted here
• These include, Nordmann’s greenshank or Spotted greenshank, near threatened Black-necked stork, critically endangered Oriental white-backed vulture, etc.

Wetlands and Their Protections 

Wetlands also called marshes, swamps are land areas that are covered with water or covered with water for at least some part of the year. 

They are home to diverse ecosystems and also play a major role in mitigating floods, protecting coastal areas from storms, recharging groundwater aquifers, improving water quality, carbon sinks, and sources of food and goods for humans.

Ramsar Convention

To protect these ecologically important areas, an international conference was held in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971. The countries agreed on a set of measures to conserve these wetlands. This convention is known as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

The member countries can declare wetlands as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention following a set of guidelines and criteria.

Ramsar Convention and India

• on 1 February 1982, India ratified the Ramsar Convention.
• First Indian wetland sites- Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Chilika Lake (Odisha) in 1981.
• Tamil Nadu has a maximum of 20 sites.
• Largest Ramsar site: Sunderban of West Bengal.
• Smallest Ramsar: Renuka in Himachal Pradesh.

Also Read: Udaipur and Indore Included in Wetland Accredited Cities List