India now has 103 Ramsar Sites
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty signed by 172 countries to protect wetlands
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty signed by 172 countries to protect wetlands
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty signed by 172 countries to protect wetlands
• Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh and Sauj Jheel in Uttar Pradesh have been included in the list of Ramsar Sites, taking India’s tally to 103.
Sukhna Wetland in Chandigarh
• Located at the edge of the city of Chandigarh and at the base of the Outer Himalayas, Sukhna Wetland is a peri-urban reservoir that plays an important role in regulating sediment and water flows from the surrounding catchment.
• The wetland experiences seasonal fluctuations in water levels and supports a range of habitats, from open water to littoral vegetation, scrub and forest, providing habitat for diverse species.
• The Site is particularly important for resident waterbirds and others migrating along the Central Asian Flyway, providing feeding, breeding, roosting and wintering habitats.
• Notable species include the vulnerable common pochard (Aythya ferina) and the endangered Pallas’s fish eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus).
• The shallow littoral habitats also support reptiles such as the endangered black pond turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii).
• The wetland is also an important recreational and educational resource for the people of Chandigarh, providing a natural refuge adjacent to the urban landscape.
Sauj Jheel in Uttar Pradesh
• Sauj Jheel in Uttar Pradesh is a shallow lake surrounded by farmland in the floodplain of the Ganga River.
• It forms part of a larger network of wetlands, contributing to ecological connectivity in the wider landscape, and is close to Saman Bird Sanctuary.
• The lake supports diverse wetland-associated vegetation, including the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and the wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum).
• These habitats provide nesting and breeding sites, as well as shelter and food resources, for a variety of animal species.
• The Site is particularly important for waterbirds, regularly supporting more than 30,000 individuals, and has been designated as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) by Birdlife International.
• Notable waterbird species recorded at the Site include the vulnerable sarus crane (Grus antigone) and greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga).
• Proposed management actions include a seasonal ban on fishing, restrictions on the use of fine-mesh fishing nets, and control of the access of cattle to the Site.
What is the Ramsar Convention?
• The Ramsar List is the world’s largest network of protected areas. There are over 2,500 Ramsar Sites, covering more than 2.5 million square kilometres.
• The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty signed by 172 countries to protect wetlands.
• It is named after the city in Iran where it was signed, and it began with 18 countries in 1971.
• The convention is one of the oldest inter-governmental accords for preserving the ecological character of wetlands. Also known as the Convention on Wetlands, it aims to develop a global network of wetlands for the conservation of biological diversity and for sustaining human life.
• It is one of the largest international agreements, after the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 196 countries) and the UN climate agreement (UNFCCC, 197 countries).
• India ratified the convention on February 1, 1982.
• The first Site was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia, designated in 1974. • The largest Sites are Rio Negro in Brazil (120,000 sq km), and Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Queen Maud Gulf in Canada. These Sites each cover over 60,000 sq km.
• The countries with the most Sites are the United Kingdom with 176 and Mexico with 144. Brazil has the largest area with 267,000 square km under the Convention protection.