On the eve of World Wetlands Day 2024, Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Labour and Employment, announced that India has increased its total number of Ramsar sites (Wetlands of International Importance) from 75 to 80 by designating five new wetlands as Ramsar sites. In a post, Yadav said that he met with Dr Musonda Mumba, the Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention, who gave the certificates for the five sites indicated above.
This year the Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands Mumba Musondam is celebrating World Wetlands Day in India.
Three of the sites, Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve, Aghanashini Estuary, and Magadi Kere Conservation Reserve are located in Karnataka whereas two, Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary and Longwood Shola Reserve Forest are in Tamil Nadu.
With the addition of these five wetlands to the List of Wetlands of International Importance, the total area covered under Ramsar sites is now 1.33 million ha which is an increase of 5,523.87 ha from the existing area. Tamil Nadu continues to have the maximum number of Ramsar Sites in India (16) followed by Uttar Pradesh (10).
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states, from all the world’s geographic regions, have acceded to becoming “Contracting Parties”.
When joining the Convention, each Contracting Party has to identify at least one wetland site on their territory for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance (the "Ramsar List"). These "Ramsar Sites" then achieve new national and international importance. They are acknowledged as being of enormous significance not only to the country or countries in which they are located, but to humanity as a whole.
Much like other essential ecosystems, wetlands are crucial for human and other species survival. These ecosystems provide vital functions that sustain our well-being, including water filtering, food production, biodiversity support, climate change mitigation, livelihoods. Some also have small populations around them with unique cultures. However, with a 35% loss worldwide since 1970, wetlands are considered to be the most threatened habitat, decreasing three times faster than forests. World Wetlands Day raises awareness about the importance of wetlands to humanity and the need to protect them for a sustainable future.
According to the Ramsar Covention, wetlands offer significant tourism opportunities that can be an important source of income for communities and national economies. Resolution XI.7 on ‘Tourism, recreation and wetlands’ and the joint Ramsar-UNWTO publication, Destination Wetlands: Supporting Sustainable Tourism, published in 2012, exemplify the Ramsar Convention’s commitment to sustainable tourism development.
There are currently more than 2,400 Ramsar Sites in the world. They cover nearly 2.5 million square kilometres, which is greater than Mexico. Parties continue to designate wetlands for inclusion on the list. They select potential wetlands for classification based on the Criteria for Identifying Wetlands of International Importance.
You can check the list of wetlands here.
The world’s first site was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia, designated in 1974. The largest sites are Rio Negro in Brazil (120,000 square kilometres), and Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Queen Maud Gulf in Canada. These sites each cover over 60,000 square kilometres. Some can be as small as one hectare.
The countries with the most sites are the United Kingdom (175) and Mexico (142). At 148,000 square kilometres, Bolivia has the largest area under Convention protection. Canada, Chad, Congo, and the Russian Federation have all designated more than 100,000 square kilometres.
India is home to wetlands which are also Ramsar sites. Some of the important wetlands in India include the Hokersar Wetlands Reserve in Kashmir, the Yamuna Biodiversity Park in New Delhi, the Ropar Wetland in Punjab, the Sarus Crane Conservation Reserve in Uttar Pradesh, the Keoladeo National Park, and the Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan, the Thane Creek in Maharashtra, the Chilika Lake in Odisha, the Bhitarkanika Mangroves in Odisha, the Kumarakom and Vembanad lakes in Kerala, the Kolleru Bird Sanctuary, the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, and Pulicat Lake in Andhra Pradesh, the Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
Among the unique ones is the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW). Designated as a Ramsar site in 2002, it is located on the eastern outskirts of Kolkata, with the Salt Lake township on one side and the new Rajarhat township on the other. The EKW is considered to be unique, as it is responsible for the world's largest wastewater-fed aquaculture system. Read more about it in our story here.
Some like Bhoj Wetland in Bhopal have ancient origins. King Bhoj built an earthen dam across the Kolans river in the 11th century to create the upper lake, which is the earliest of the big artificial lakes in central India. The wetland is a vital component of Bhopal's sociocultural landscape. Read more about it here.