In the 75th year of Independence, India has added 11 more wetlands in the Ramsar Sites list. Thus, total number of Ramsar sites in India stands at 75, covering an area of 13 lakh 26 thousand 677 Hectare.
Highlights:
- Four sites have been added from Tamil Nadu, three from Odisha, two from Jammu & Kashmir and one each from Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra.
- Addition of these sites to the list will help in conservation and management of wetlands and their wise use.
- In year 2022, 28 sites have been included in the Ramsar sites list, so far.
- Tamil Nadu accounts for maximum number of Ramsar sites. Total of 14 from the state are Ramsar sites.
- Uttar Pradesh has 10 Ramsar sites.
India’s stand to Ramsar Convention:
India is a Contracting Party to Ramsar Convention, which was inked in Ramsar (Iran) in 1971. India inked the convention on February 1, 1982. Between 1982 to 2013, 26 sites were added in the Ramsar sites list. This number has increased to 75, with addition of 49 new wetlands during 2014 to 2022.
Ramsar Convention:
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance is an international treaty that deals with the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands that have been designated as Ramsar sites. It is also called as Convention on Wetlands. The treaty has been named after ‘Ramsar City’, when the convention was inked. United Kingdom is the country with maximum number of Ramsar sites, 175 in number. It is followed by Mexico with 142 Ramsar Sites.