Ramsar Cross-Reference: Which Lakes Are Wetlands of International Importance
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As Book 8 in this series covered in depth, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971, in force 1975) designates ecologically significant wetlands as Wetlands of International Importance — a treaty-level recognition, not a domestic legal-protection category in itself, but a strong and frequently tested signal of a wetland's importance. Several of the lakes covered in this book carry that designation; a few, despite their fame, do not — and "which of these famous lakes is not actually Ramsar-listed" is a favourite trap question.
| Lake | Ramsar Status |
|---|---|
| Chilika Lake, Odisha | Yes — India's first Ramsar site, 1981 |
| Wular Lake, Jammu & Kashmir | Yes — designated 1990 |
| Vembanad Lake (as Vembanad-Kol Wetland), Kerala | Yes |
| Ashtamudi Wetland, Kerala | Yes |
| Sambhar Lake, Rajasthan | Yes |
| Loktak Lake, Manipur | Yes |
| Renuka Wetland, Himachal Pradesh | Yes |
| Nal Sarovar, Gujarat | Yes (see Book 8 for detail) |
| Tso Moriri, Ladakh | Yes |
| Kolleru Lake, Andhra Pradesh | Yes |
| Sasthamkotta Lake, Kerala | Yes |
| Deepor Beel, Assam | Yes |
| Harike Wetland, Punjab | Yes |
| Bhoj Wetland (Bhopal Upper/Lower Lake), Madhya Pradesh | Yes |
| Pulicat Lake, Andhra Pradesh–Tamil Nadu | Point Calimere (nearby, Tamil Nadu) is Ramsar-listed; Pulicat itself has been proposed/under consideration in various listings — treat this one cautiously and check the current official list before an exam |
| Dal Lake, Jammu & Kashmir | No — despite its fame, Dal Lake is not itself Ramsar-designated |
| Pangong Tso, Ladakh | No — not Ramsar-listed (unlike Tso Moriri) |
| Pushkar Lake, Rajasthan | No — culturally significant but not a Ramsar wetland |
| Nainital / Bhimtal, Uttarakhand | No — well-known tourist lakes but not Ramsar-designated |
| Roopkund, Uttarakhand | No — a notable natural-history site but not a Ramsar wetland |
Memory hook: "Dal doesn't make the Ramsar list; Wular does. Pangong doesn't; Tso Moriri does." Two pairs, each with one Ramsar "yes" and one surprising "no" — the exact pairing structure exam-writers like to test.
Practice Recall: Before reading on, name three lakes from this book's Jammu & Kashmir/Ladakh section that are famous but are not Ramsar-designated.
Answer: Dal Lake and Pangong Tso (both not Ramsar-listed) — Wular Lake and Tso Moriri, by contrast, are Ramsar-listed.