India adds 11 more wetlands to Ramsar List, Overall Tally rises to 75, Get Details Here

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India adds 11 more Ramsar Sites: On the eve of India’s 75th Independence Day, the country has added 11 more wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites in the country. Ramsar is a tag which is accorded to wetlands or marshes that are considered to be of great international importance. The addition of 11 more wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites takes India’s overall tally of such sites to 75 on the occasion of the 75th year of Independence. The announcement was made on the 14th August – Saturday by the Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.

11 New Ramsar Sites: 4 in Tamil Nadu, 3 in Odisha

The announcement of 11 wetlands being accorded the status of Ramsar sites in the country includes 4 sites being added in Tamil Nadu while 3 being added to Odisha. On similar lines, 2 Ramsar sites have been identified in Jammu and Kashmir, while 1 each has been added in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The list of 11 new Ramsar sites in India covers:

Name of wetland

Area in Ha

State

Tampara Lake

300

Odisha

Hirakud Reservoir

65400

Ansupa Lake

231

Yashwant Sagar

822.9

Madhya Pradesh

Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary

260.47

Tamil Nadu

SuchindramTheroor Wetland Complex

94.23

Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary

112.64

Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary

96.89

Thane Creek

6521.08

Maharashtra

Hygam Wetland Conservation Reserve

801.82

Jammu and Kashmir

Shallbugh Wetland Conservation Reserve

1675

Total area of 11 sites

76316

  

Tamil Nadu leads in the Number of Ramsar Sites

The addition of 11 more wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites takes India’s overall tally of Ramsar sites to 75. As per the details shared by the Environment Ministry, a total of 26 sites were added to the Ramsar list from 1982 to 2013. Since 2014, the addition of 49 more sites to the coveted list of wetlands of international importance has taken the tally to 75. Of the 75, 28 Indian wetlands have been added to the Ramsar site list this year itself. In terms of state-wise comparison, Tamil Nadu leads the charge with a total of 14 Ramsar Sites followed by Uttar Pradesh which has 10. In terms of total area coverage, all 75 sites together cover about 13,26,677 hectares of area.

About Ramsar Convention and Ramsar Sites

Ramsar Sites are wetlands that are designated as sites of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,[1] also known as “The Convention on Wetlands”. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat was signed in 1971 and came into effect from 1975. The convention is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the convention was signed. The convention outlines the norms for conservation and management of wetlands and wise use of their resources. India signed the Ramsar convention on 1st February 1982.As of August 2022, there are 2,453 Ramsar sites around the world, protecting 255,792,244 hectares (632,076,400 acres), and across 171 countries.

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