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Wetland Conservation

3 more Ramsar Wetland sites now in India, taking total to 85

Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

Why in the News?

  • The Environment Ministry announced the designation of three more wetlands: Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary (TN), Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary (TN) and Tawa Reservoir (MP) as Ramsar Sites.
    • This makes the total Ramsar sites count in India to 85.

About the newly designated Ramsar Sites:

Location Geographical Features Key Species Ecosystem
Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu Located on the banks of Nanjarayan Tank;

~125 hectares

 Herons, egrets, pelicans Wetland habitats, surrounded by agricultural lands
Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu Brackish water wetland near Bay of Bengal;

~5,000 hectares

 Flamingos, pelicans, storks, waterfowl Mix of freshwater and saltwater habitats, includes mangroves
Tawa Reservoir Hoshangabad District, Madhya Pradesh Part of Narmada River Basin, foothills of Satpura Range;

~225 sq. km

 Mahseer fish, surrounded by Satpura forests Aquatic life, forested surroundings

 

Important Facts:

  • India became a signatory to the Ramsar Convention in 1982.
    • India is one of the contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention, which was signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.
  • With the inclusion of these 3 new sites, India now has 85 Ramsar sites, covering a total area of 13,58,068 hectares.
  • Tamil Nadu currently has the highest number of Ramsar sites in India, with 18 sites, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 10 sites.
  • India’s Ramsar wetlands constitute about 10% of the total wetland area in the country, spread across 18 states.
  • UK leads globally with 175 sites, followed by Mexico with 142 sites.
    • Bolivia, however, has the largest area under Ramsar protection, spanning 148,000 sq. km.
  • According to the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment by ISRO, India’s wetlands cover approximately 1,52,600 sq. km., which is 4.63% of total geographical area.
  • India has 19 types of wetlands, with Gujarat having the largest area, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

PYQ:

[2019] Consider the following statements:

  1. Under Ramsar Convention, it is mandatory on the part of the Government of India to protect and conserve all the wetlands in the territory of India.
  2. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 were framed by the Government of India based on the recommendations of the Ramsar Convention.
  3. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 also encompass the drainage area or catchment regions of the wetlands as determined by the authority.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 3 and 3