India adds 11 more wetlands to the list of Ramsar Sites

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

India adds 11 more wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites to make total 75 Ramsar sites covering an area of 13,26,677 ha in the country in the 75th year of Independence.  

The 11 new sites include:  

• Four (4) sites in Tamil Nadu
• Three (3) in Odisha 
• Two (2) in Jammu & Kashmir 
• One (1) each in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. 

Designation of these sites would help in conservation and management of wetlands and wise use of their resources.  

• India is one of the Contracting Parties to Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. India signed it on 1st Feb 1982. During 1982 to 2013, a total of 26 sites were added to the list of Ramsar sites, however, during 2014 to 2022, the country has added 49 new wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites.
• During this year itself (2022) a total of 28 sites have been declared as Ramsar sites. Based on the date of designation mentioned on Ramsar Certificate, the number is 19 for this year (2022) and 14 for previous year (2021). 
• Tamil Nadu has maximum no. of Ramsar sites (14 nos), followed by UP which has 10 nos. of Ramsar sites.  

Brief of 11 wetlands designated as Ramsar Sites