New Ramsar Sites

1. Ramsar Convention
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 The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as
Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use
of Ramsar sites (wetlands) established by UNESCO. It is also known as the
Convention on Wetlands. The convention was held in the city of Ramsar, Iran, in
February 1971 and was originally contracted by seven countries when it came into
force on 21 December 1975. As of March 2022, there are 172 contracting parties and
2,437 designated sites covering 254,691,993 hectares (629,357,620 acres).
 The convention was co-founded by Eskandar Firouz (former environment minister of
Iran), Luc Hoffmann of Tour du Valat research station in the Camargue in France, and
Geoffrey Matthews of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge in the late 1960s.
 Every three years, representatives of the contracting parties meet as the Conference
of the Contracting Parties (COP), the policy-making organ of the convention which
adopts decisions (resolutions and recommendations) to administer the work of the
convention and improve the way in which the parties are able to implement its
objectives. COP12 was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 2015. COP13 was held in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in October 2018.
 They include mangroves, marshes, rivers, lakes, deltas, floodplains and flooded
forests, rice-fields, coral reefs, marine areas no deeper than 6 metres at low tide, as
well as human-made wetlands such as waste-water treatment ponds and reservoirs.
 The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands defines wetlands as “areas of marsh, fen, peat
land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that
is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth
of which at low tide does not exceed six meters”.
 However, the Indian government’s definition of wetland excludes river channels,
paddy fields and other areas where commercial activity takes place. The Wetlands
(Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 notified by the Union Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change define wetlands as “area of marsh, fen,
peatland or water; whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water
that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the
depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters, but does not include river
channels, paddy fields, human-made water bodies/tanks specifically constructed for
drinking water purposes and structures specifically constructed for aquaculture, salt
production, recreation and irrigation purposes”.
 Ramsar Tag contributes to the development and preservation of an international
network of wetlands that are critical for the conservation of global biological variety
and the survival of human existence by preserving their ecological components,
processes, and benefits.
 Ramsar sites are recorded on the List of Ramsar Wetlands of International
Importance.
 The non-profit organisation Wetlands International provides access to the Ramsar
database via the Ramsar Sites Information Service.
2. A wetland can be considered internationally important if


any of the following nine criteria apply
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Criterion 1: "it contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or
near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region."
 Criterion 2: "it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or
threatened ecological communities."
 Criterion 3: "it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for
maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region."
 Criterion 4: "it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life
cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions."
 Criterion 5: "it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds."
 Criterion 6: "it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species
or subspecies of waterbird."
 Criterion 7: "it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species
or families, life-history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are
representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contributes to global
biological diversity."
 Criterion 8: "it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery
and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere,
depend."
 Criterion 9: "it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species
or subspecies of wetland-dependent non-avian animal species."

3. Wetlands In India
 Globally, wetlands cover 6.4 per cent of the geographical area of the world. In India,
according to the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment compiled by the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO), wetlands are spread over 1,52,600 square
kilometres (sq km) which is 4.63 per cent of the total geographical area of the
country. Of the 1,52,600 sq km, inland-natural wetlands account for 43.4% and
coastal-natural wetlands 24.3%.
 Rivers/streams occupy 52,600 sq km, reservoirs/barrages 24,800 sq km, inter-tidal
mudflats 24,100 sq km, tanks/ponds 13,100 sq km and lake/ponds 7300 sq km. India
has 19 types of wetlands. In state-wise distribution of wetlands, Gujarat is at the top
with 34,700 sq km (17.56% of total geographical area of the state), or 22.7% of total
wetlands areas of the country thanks to a long coastline. It is followed by Andhra
Pradesh (14,500 sq km), Uttar Pradesh (12,400 sq km) and West Bengal (11,100 sq
km).

4. Ramsar Sites in India

 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.
 There are 75 Ramsar sites in India. These are wetlands deemed to be of "international
importance" under the Ramsar Convention.
 During this year itself (2022) a total of 28 sites have been declared as Ramsar sites.


for this year (2022) and 14 for previous year (2021). :10
Based on the date of designation mentioned on Ramsar Certificate, the number is 19

The latest addition to the Ramsar Sites was made on 13th August 2022. The 11 new
sites include: Four (4) sites in Tamil Nadu, Three (3) in Odisha, Two (2) in Jammu &
Kashmir and 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. Tamil Nadu has maximum no. of Ramsar sites (14 nos), followed by UP
which has 10 nos. of Ramsar sites.
 Sundarbans in West Bengal is the largest Ramsar site in India.
 Chilika Lake (Orissa) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) were recognized as the
first Ramsar Sites of India.
 Renuka Wetland (Area – 20 ha) in Himachal Pradesh is the smallest wetland of India.

5. Global Statistics
 World's First Ramsar site was identified in 1974, which was the Cobourg Peninsula in
Australia.
 The countries with the most Ramsar Sites are the United Kingdom (175) and Mexico
(142), as per the Ramsar List. Bolivia has the largest area with 148,000 sq km under
the Convention protection. Canada, Chad, Congo and the Russian Federation have
also each designated over 100,000 sq km.

6. Montreux Record
 Established in 1990.
 The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Ramsar wetlands of
international importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are
occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution
or other human interference. It is a voluntary mechanism to highlight specific
 wetlands of international importance that are facing immediate challenges. It is

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maintained as part of the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance.
As in August 2021, 48 sites are listed in the Montreux Record. The Montreux Record
was established by Recommendation 4.8 at the COP-4 in 1990 held at Montreux,
Switzerland. It was adopted by the Conference of Contracting parties in Brisbane in
1996.

7. Montreux Record and India

 Because to siltation, Chilika Lake in Orissa was the first to be placed on the Montreux
Record in 1993. Following the government's rehabilitation efforts, it was removed
from the Record in 2002.
 Loktak Lake in Manipur was added to the Montreux Record in 1993
 Montreux Record was put on the Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan in 1990.
 The Montreux Record includes Indian places such as Rajasthan's Keoladeo National
Park and Manipur's Loktak Lake.

8. World Wetlands Day

 World Wetlands Day is an environmentally related celebration which dates back to
the year of 1971 when several environmentalists gathered to reaffirm the protection
and love for wetlands, which are the small environments of plant life and organisms
found within water bodies that bring about ecological health in abundance to not only
water bodies but environments as a whole.
 The World Wetlands Secretary Department is originally from Gland, Switzerland and
in accordance to the beginning of World Wetlands Day, the Ramsar convention first
attributed this recognition in "the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian
Sea".
 World Wetlands Day is celebrated on the second day of February every year, though
it was not originally celebrated until 1997.
 Since 1998, the Ramsar Secretariat have partnered with Danone Group Evian Fund
for Water (based out of Paris and founded in Barcelona, Spain) for financial support.
 The theme for World Wetlands Day in 2022 was Wetlands action for people and
nature.
 The theme for World Wetlands Day in 2023 is expected to be "Wetlands Restoration"
and it will based on the restoration of wetlands.
Practice Questions:
Passage 1: :10
India has added [X] more wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites to make total 75 Ramsar sites
covering an area of 13 lakh 26 thousand 677 Hectare in the country in the 75th year of
Independence. Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change said, the [X] new sites
include, four in Tamil Nadu, three in Odisha, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one 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 February 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, 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 2022 and 14 for
2021.
Tamil Nadu has maximum number of Ramsar sites which is 14, followed by Uttar Pradesh
which has 10 numbers of Ramsar sites.
Source: NewsOnAir (https://newsonair.com/2022/08/14/india-adds-11-more-
wetlands-to-its-list-of-ramsar-sites/)
1. India has recently added how many more wetlands to the list of Ramsar Sites?
(redacted by X in the passage)
A. 5
B. 11
C. 7
D. 10
2. Consider the following statements:
i. The theme for World Wetlands Day in 2022 was Wetlands action for people and
nature.
ii. Loktak Lake in Manipur was the first to be placed on the Montreux Record in 1993.
iii. World's First Ramsar site was identified in 1974, which was the Cobourg Peninsula
in Australia
A. Only i and ii are true
B. Only ii and iii are true
C. Only i is true
D. Only i and iii are true
3. The World Wetlands Day is celebrated annually on which date?
A. 5th February
B. 4th February
C. 2nd February
D. 1st February
4. Which is the largest Ramsar site in India?
A. Chilika Lake
B. Renuka Wetland
C. Sundarbans
 D. None of the above
5. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was co-founded by?
A. Eskandar Firouz
B. Luc Hoffmann
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C. Geoffrey Matthews
D. All of the above

Answers:
1. B
2. D
3. C
4. C
5. D