Ramsar Sites in India - List of Ramsar Sites [UPSC GS-I]

Two new Ramsar sites (Wetlands of International Importance) were announced by Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav on World Wetlands Day 2022. Thus increasing the total number of Ramsar sites to 49. The two new Ramsar sites are Khijadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat and Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh. 

The term was coined when the International Treaty for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Wetlands was signed at a city in Iran called Ramsar in 1971. The topic, ‘Ramsar Sites of India’ is important for the upcoming IAS Exam.

Hence, candidates should read about Ramsar Sites and the Ramsar Convention for UPSC preparation. Read on to get the relevant facts about Ramsar Sites and the list of Ramsar Sites.

Click the links below to get information on wetlands in India:

1. Facts about Ramsar Sites in India for UPSC
2. List of Ramsar Sites in India
3. UPSC Questions on Indian Ramsar Sites

Latest Updates about Indian Ramsar Sites

1. Khijadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat and Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh were announced as Ramsar sites (Wetlands of International Importance) on the occasion of World Wetland day 2022 (2nd January 2022) held at Sultanpur National Park, a Ramsar site in Haryana.
2. Haiderpur Wetland in Uttar Pradesh has been added as the 47th Ramsar Site in December 2021. It is a human-made wetland formed in 1984 and is located within the boundaries of Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary.
3. Four new sites have been added to the list of Ramsar Sites in India in August 2021. These are:
   • Sultanpur National Park – Gurugram, Haryana
   • Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary – Jhajjar, Haryana
   • Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary – Near Ahmedabad, Gujarat
   • Wadhvana Wetland – Vadodara, Gujarat
4. In 2020, the following sites were added to the Ramsar Sites of India List:
   • December 2020 – The Tso Kar Wetland Complex was added to the list of Ramsar sites in India. This includes the high-altitude wetland complex of two connected lakes, Startsapuk Tso and Tso Kar, in Ladakh.
   • November 2020 – Maharashtra – Lonar Lake
   • November 2020 – Agra (Uttar Pradesh) – Sur Sarovar also called, Keetham Lake
   • November 2020 – Uttarakhand – Asan Barrage
   • July 2020 – Bihar – Kanwar Lake or Kabal Taal
   • February 2020 – Kolkata – Sunderban Reserve Forest (Sunderban Wetlands)
5. 2nd February 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention, the day which is also celebrated as World Wetlands Day. India on this occasion established the Centre for Wetland Conservation & Management which is the first in the country. It is set up under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), at the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) in Chennai.
6. Sambhar Lake had been in the news for its deterioration over salt mining. Sambhar Lake is a Ramsar Site in India.

Read about Ramsar Convention, 1971 in the linked article.

The table below provides relevant facts in brief useful for UPSC Exam:

Other Interesting Facts about the Ramsar sites that as an IAS aspirant, you must know about:

1. Ramsar sites are one of the major protected areas in the world.
2. There are currently over 2400 Ramsar sites in the world covering an area of 2.5 million sq. kilometres.
3. World’s First Ramsar site was identified in 1974, which was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia.
4. The United Kingdom has the world’s largest number of Ramsar Sites i.e. 175.
5. February 2 is celebrated as International Wetlands Day, as the Ramsar Convention was signed on February 2, 1971.
6. The Ramsar Convention works with the collaboration of the following organizations:
   1. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
   2. Birdlife International.
   3. International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
   4. Wetlands International.
   5. Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)
   6. WWF International
7. To research any of the Ramsar sites, one can check the Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS)
8. The number of contracting parties for the Ramsar Convention as of October 2019 is 171.

Objective type questions based on the Ramsar Sites can be included in the prelims question paper for the civil services exam.

Aspirants preparing for UPSC 2022, should refer to the topics similar to the ‘Ramsar Wetlands in India List’ in the table below:

The Ramsar Convention was signed in 1971 with the aim of “conservation and wise use of wetlands with local, national and international cooperation for overall sustainable development of the world”.

The Ramsar sites are maintained in the Montreux Record to track any major ecological changes that might affect any of the wetland sites positively or in a reverse way.

The Ramsar convention entered into force in India on 1 February 1982.

India currently has 49 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites). This is the highest in South Asia.

List of Ramsar sites in India [Updated – February 2022]

List of Ramsar Sites in India [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here

The topic, ‘Ramsar Sites’ has a good chance to be asked in the prelims examination, and the information of the same can also be used while answering questions on environmental concerns, actions, issues etc covered in the UPSC CSE Syllabus of GS Paper-III.

UPSC aspirants must learn from the experience and preparation strategy of previous years’ IAS Toppers while preparing for the prelims exam.

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