NEW DELHI, October 18 — The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) announced on Sunday that the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has formally designated six new Indian wetlands as Ramsar Sites of International Importance, taking the national total to 88.
The newly designated wetlands encompass ecologically sensitive avian ecosystems, including the Yashwant Sagar expansion in Madhya Pradesh, the Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Wetland in Tamil Nadu, and the Nagi and Nakti bird sanctuaries in Bihar. Situated along the critical Central Asian Flyway (CAF), these freshwater and estuarine water bodies provide wintering refuges for vulnerable migratory waterfowl and preserve regional hydrological recharge cycles.
The Union Environment Minister stated that India possesses the largest Ramsar wetland network in South Asia, crediting community stewardship under the 'Amrit Dharohar' initiative for revitalizing local wetlands, curtailing illegal encroachments, and promoting sustainable eco-tourism livelihoods.
The legal charter of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (signed February 2, 1971, observed as World Wetlands Day), the Montreux Record register (Keoladeo National Park and Loktak Lake), Tamil Nadu's status as the State with the highest number of Ramsar sites, and Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017 are staple topics for UPSC GS-III.