List of Ramsar Sites In India: In accordance with the Ramsar Convention, a Ramsar Site is a wetland site that has been recognized as being of international significance. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, often known as the Ramsar Convention, is an international environmental convention that was created in 1971 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and entered into effect in 1975. Specifically, it calls for governmental action and international effort in the protection of wetlands, as well as the smart and efficient use of the resources they contain. Ramsar wetlands are designated as being of international significance, particularly those that provide habitat for waterfowl. The Ramsar Convention presently protects 254,603,549 hectares (629,139,070 acres) in 2424 sites across the globe as of July 2021, with 171 national governments taking part as of that date. Check here for details of Ramsar Sites In India.
List of Ramsar Sites in India
S.no. | Name of the Ramsar Site | State | Classified Date |
01 | Chilika Lake | Odisha | 1st October 1981 |
02 | Keoladeo National Park | Bharatpur, Rajasthan | 1st October 1981 |
03 | Harike Wetland | Punjab | 23rd March 1990 |
04 | Loktak Lake | Bishnupur, Manipur | 23rd March 1990 |
05 | Sambhar Lake | Rajasthan | 23rd March 1990 |
06 | Wular Lake | Jammu and Kashmir | 23rd March 1990 |
07 | Ropar Wetland | Ropar, Punjab | 22nd January 2002 |
08 | Kanjli Wetland | Kapurthala District, Punjab | 22nd January 2002 |
09 | Ashtamudi Wetland | Kollam District, Kerala | 19th August 2002 |
10 | Bhitarkanika Mangroves | Odisha | 19th August 2002 |
11 | Bhoj Wetland | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh | 19th August 2002 |
12 | Deepor Beel | Guwahati, Assam | 19th August 2002 |
13 | East Kolkata Wetland | Kolkata West, Bengal | 19th August 2002 |
14 | Kolleru Lake | Andhra Pradesh | 19th August 2002 |
15 | Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | 19th August 2002 |
16 | Pong Dam Lake | Kangra, Himachal Pradesh | 19th August 2002 |
17 | Sasthamkotta Lake | Kollam, Kerala | 19th August 2002 |
18 | Tsomoriri | Ladakh | 19th August 2002 |
19 | Vembanad – Kol Wetland | Kerala | 19th August 2002 |
20 | Chandra Taal | Lahul, Himachal Pradesh | 8th November 2005 |
21 | Hokera Wetland | Zainakote, Jammu, and Kashmir | 8th November 2005 |
22 | Renuka Lake | Simaur, Himachal Pradesh | 8th November 2005 |
23 | Rudrasagar Lake | Melaghar, Tripura | 8th November 2005 |
24 | Surinsar – Manisar Lake | Jammu and Kashmir | 8th November 2005 |
25 | Upper Ganga River
(Brijghat to Narora) |
Uttar Pradesh | 8th November 2005 |
26 | Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary | Ahmedabad, Gujarat | 24th September 2012 |
27 | Sunderban Wetland | West Bengal | 1st February 2019 |
28 | Nandur Madhameshwar | Nasik, Maharashtra | 21st June 2019 |
29 | Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary | Unnao, Uttar Pradesh | 19th September 2019 |
30 | Sarsai Nawar Jheel | Etawah, Uttar Pradesh | 19th September 2019 |
31 | Sandi Bird Sanctuary | Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh | 26th September 2019 |
32 | Keshopur Miani Community Reserve | Punjab | 26th September 2019 |
33 | Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary | Nangal, Punjab | 26th September 2019 |
34 | Beas Conservation Reserve | Beas District, Punjab | 29th September 2019 |
35 | Samaspur Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | 3rd October 2019 |
36 | Parvati Arg Bird Sanctuary | Gonda Uttar Pradesh | 2nd December 2019 |
37 | Saman Bird Sanctuary | Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh | 2nd December 2019 |
38 | Asan Barrage | Uttarakhand | 21st July 2020 |
39 | Kanwar Taal or Kabar Taal Lake | Begusarai, Bihar | 21st July 2020 |
40 | Sur Sarovar | Agra, Uttar Pradesh | 13th November 2020 |
41 | Lonar Lake | Buldhana, Maharashtra | 13th November 2020 |
42 | Tso Kar | Leh, Ladakh | 17th November 2020 |
43 | Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary | Haryana | 14th August 2021 |
44 | Sultanpur National Park | Haryana | 14th August 2021 |
45 | Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary | Gujarat | 14th August 2021 |
46 | Wadhvana Wetland | Gujarat | 14th August 2021 |
Criteria for Classification of Wetlands as Ramsar Sites
If any of the following nine characteristics apply to a wetland, it may be deemed globally significant:
- It includes a significant, uncommon, or limited perspective of a natural or near-natural wetland type located within the relevant biogeographic area.
- It sustains fragile, extinct, or severely endangered species or damaged natural ecosystems.
- It maintains groups of botanical and/or species of animals essential for sustaining the ecological variety of a specific biogeographic area.
- It nourishes the plant and/or animal species at a crucial point in their life phases, or offers refuge under unfavorable circumstances.
- It routinely sustains 20,000 or more waterbirds.
- It consistently maintains 1% of the individuals of the same species within one species or subtype of waterbird.
- It sustains a substantial percentage of native fish subspecies, species or groups, phases of life, species interconnections, and/or communities that are indicative of wetland functions and/or values, and therefore makes a significant contribution to world biodiversity.
- It is a significant supply of nutrition for fishes, spawning sites, nurseries, and/or migratory routes on which fish populations, both inside the wetland and abroad, rely.
- It consistently maintains 1% of the inhabitants in a community among one species or subtype of wetland-dependent not related to birds, animal species.
Protection and Preservation of the Sites
According to Article 3.1 of the Convention, Contracting Parties are designed to preserve their Ramsar Sites in such a way that they sustain their ecological identity and preserve their vital functions and principles for coming generations, as well as promote the sensible use of all waterways on their jurisdiction.
Resolutions 5.7 and VIII.14 called for the action plan for all Ramsar Sites, as well as funding and assistance for execution and training sessions, as well as a surveillance scheme including signals on the Site’s ecological status. The appropriate protection and administration of the Ramsar Site Network were designated as among the three strategic objectives of the Fourth Convention Strategic Plan for 2016-2024 by the Contracting Parties in 2015. The Framework asks for measures to allow stakeholders, such as native peoples and regional groups, to participate.
The Ramsar Sites management toolkit offers staff easy-to-understand instructions on the essential stages and elements of administering a Ramsar Site. It also detects and connects to additional in-depth data. Numerous Ramsar Sites are also safeguarded by federal or local programs, including the Natura 2000 network of the European Union. The UNESCO World Heritage Convention has placed some of them on the World Heritage Sites. Another is UNESCO Biosphere Reserves or are located inside them.