49 Ramsar Sites in India in 2022

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

• The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an international treaty for “the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands”. It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands.
• It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran where it was signed on 2^nd of February 1971.
• The 2^nd of February each year is World Wetlands Day.
• The number of parties to the convention (COP) is171 (as of May 2021).
• At the centre of the Ramsar philosophy is the “wise use” of wetlands.
• Wise use: maintenance of ecological character within the context of sustainable development.

Ramsar Site

• When a country accedes to the Convention, it must designate at least one wetland as a Wetland of International Importance.
• The inclusion of a “Ramsar Site” in the List embodies the government’s commitment to take the steps necessary to ensure that its ecological character is maintained.
• There are over 2,400 Ramsar Sites covering 2.5 million sq km on the territories of 171 Ramsar Contracting Parties across the world.
• The world’s first Site was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia, designated in 1974.
• The countries with the most Ramsar Sites are the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico with 142.
• Bolivia has the largest area under Ramsar protection.

Global Distribution of Ramsar Sites (Source)

Ramsar Site

State

Area (km²)

Description

• It is a natural backwater in the Kollam district.
• River Kallada and Pallichal drain into it.
• It forms an estuary with Sea at Neendakara (a famous fishing harbour in Kerala).
• National Waterway 3 passes through it.

• It is a 185-kilometre stretch of the Beas River.
• The stretch is dotted with islands, sand bars and braided channels.
• The Reserve hosts the only known population in India of the endangered Indus River dolphin (EN).
• In 2017, a programme was initiated to re-introduce the critically endangered gharial.

• It is part of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The core area of the sanctuary was declared Bhitarkanika National Park.
• Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary is adjacent to the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.
• It is famous for:
• Olive ridley turtle (VU) 
• Saltwater crocodile (LC)
• The core area of Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary was declared Bhitarkanika National Park.
• Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary includes Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary.

• The Wetland consists of two lakes located in the city of Bhopal.
• The two lakes are the Bhojtal and the Lower Lake.
• It is a human-made reservoir.
• The largest bird of India, the Sarus crane (VU) is found here.

• It is a high-altitude lake.
• It supports IUCN Red listed Snow Leopard (VU).

• It is a brackish water lagoon at the mouth of the Daya River.
• It is the largest coastal lagoon in India.
• Birds from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea and other remote parts of Central Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas come here.
• In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
• Nalbana Bird Sanctuary is the core area of the Ramsar designated wetlands of Chilika Lake.
• The Irrawaddy dolphin (EN) is the flagship species of Chilika lake.
• Chilka is home to the only known population of Irrawaddy dolphins in India.

• A permanent freshwater lake in a former channel of the Brahmaputra River.
• It is a few kilometres to the left of Guwahati whereas Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is around 35 km to the right.

• It is a multiple-use wetland that serves the city of Kolkata.

• It is a shallow water reservoir at the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers.

• It is only 10 km from Srinagar.
• It is a natural perennial wetland contiguous to the Jhelum basin.

• The stream is considered to be the most significant in the state from the religious point of view, as it is associated with the first guru of the Sikhs, Shri Guru Nanak.

• A complex of ten artificial, seasonal lagoons, varying in size.
• Vegetation is a mosaic of scrub and open grassland that provides a habitat for breeding, wintering and staging migratory birds.
• The invasive growth of the grass Paspalum distichum has changed the ecological character of large areas of the site, reducing its suitability for certain waterbird species, notably the Siberian crane (CR).

• The Site is an example of wise use of a community-managed wetland, which provides food for people and supports local biodiversity.

• A natural eutrophic lake situated between the river basins of the Godavari and the Krishna.
• It was previously a lagoon, but now it is several kilometres inland due to the coastline of emergence and delta formation.

• Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the north-eastern region of the country.
• Keibul Lamjao the only floating national park in the world floats over it.

• A natural freshwater lake (a relict sea) that is the largest natural wetland in Gujarat.
• The wetland is a lifeline for a satellite population of the endangered Indian Wild Ass (NT).

• Construction of the Nandur Madhameshwar Weir at the confluence of the Godavari and Kadwa Rivers helped create a thriving wetland.

• Located in the Shiwalik foothills of Punjab.
• It supports abundant flora and fauna including threatened species, such as the endangered Indian pangolin and Egyptian vulture.
• It occupies a human-made reservoir constructed as part of the Bhakra-Nangal Project in 1961.
• The site is of historic importance as the Indian and Chinese Prime Ministers formalized the “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence” there in 1954.

• It was renamed Chandra Shekhar Azad Bird Sanctuary in 2015.

• It is a permanent freshwater environment consisting of two oxbow lakes.
• The Sanctuary is a refuge for some of India’s threatened vulture species: the critically endangered white-rumped vulture and Indian vulture.

• One of the last remnants of Dry Evergreen Forests.
• Habitat: Dry Evergreen Forests, Mangrove & Wetlands.

• It is also known as Maharana Pratap Sagar.

• A natural wetland with freshwater springs and inland subterranean karst formations.

• A human-made wetland of lake and river formed by the construction of a barrage for diversion of water from the Sutlej River.

• It is a reservoir fed by three perennial streams discharging to the River Gomti.
• It is an ideal habitat for IUCN Red listed Three-striped Roof Turtle (CR).

• It is a seasonal oxbow lake on the Ganges floodplain.

• It is a perennial lowland marsh typical of the Indo-Gangetic Plains.
• The Sanctuary harbours threatened species such as the endangered Egyptian vulture.

• The Sambhar Salt Lake is India’s largest inland saltwater lake.
• It is a key wintering area for tens of thousands of flamingos.

• The wetland is typical of the Indo-Gangetic plains.

• It is a permanent marsh.
• It is an example of the cohabitation of humans and wildlife.
• The site’s name is derived from the large non-migratory Sarus crane (VU).

• It is the largest freshwater lake in Kerala, situated in Kollam district.
• River Kallada had a unique replenishing system through a bar of paddy field.
• The lake is now depleting due to the destruction of the replenishing mechanism.

• Sundarban Wetland is located within the largest mangrove forest in the world.
• It is the largest Ramsar Site in India.
• The Indian Sundarban, covering the south-westernmost part of the delta, constitutes over 60% of the country’s total mangrove forest area and includes 90% of Indian mangrove species.

• Freshwater composite lake in semi-arid Panjab Plains, adjoining the Jhelum Basin.

• A freshwater to brackish lake lying at 4,595m above sea level.
• The site is said to represent the only breeding ground outside of China for one of the most endangered cranes, the Black-necked Cranes (NT) and the only breeding ground for Bar-headed geese in India.
• The Great Tibetan Sheep or Argali and Tibetan Wild Ass are endemic to the region.
• With no outflow, evaporation in the arid steppe conditions causes varying levels of salinity.

• The river provides habitat for IUCN Red listed Ganges river dolphin (EN) and critically endangered gharial.

• The largest lake of Kerala, spanning across Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts.
• It is the second-largest Ramsar Site in India after Sundarbans.
• It is also the Longest lake in India.
• It is below sea level and is famous for exotic fish varieties and Paddy fields that are below sea level.

• It is the largest freshwater lake in India.

Asan Barrage

• It is a stretch of the Asan River running down to its confluence with the Yamuna River in the Dehradun district.
• The stretch supports many species of birds including the critically endangered red-headed vulture (Indian black vulture), white-rumped vulture and Baer’s pochard (CR).

Kanwar Taal or Kabar Taal Lake

• It lies in the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
• The wetland is an important stopover for the Central Asian Flyway migratory waterbirds.
• Five critically endangered species inhabit the site, including three vultures – the red-headed vulture, white-rumped vulture and Indian vulture – and two waterbirds, the Baer’s pochard (CR) and sociable lapwing (CR).

Sur Sarovar

• It was created to supply water to the city of Agra.
• The wetland is an important stopover for the Central Asian Flyway migratory waterbirds.

Lonar Lake

• It is an endorheic (closed basin) crater lake formed by a meteorite impact.
• It is high in salinity and alkalinity due to the lack of an outflow.
• Recently, the colour of Lonar lake water had turned pink due to a large presence of the salt-loving “haloarchaea” microbes.
• Haloarchaea or halophilic archaea is a bacteria culture that produces pink pigment and is found in water saturated with salt.

Tso Kar

• Tso Kar wetland is India’s 42nd Ramsar site & the second in the UT of Ladakh.
• The Tso Kar Basin is a high-altitude wetland complex, consisting of two principal waterbodies:
• Startsapuk Tso, a freshwater lake to the south, &
• Tso Kar itself, a hypersaline lake to the north.
• It is called Tso Kar, meaning white lake, because of the white salt efflorescence found on the margins due to the evaporation of highly saline water.
• Tso Kar Basin is an Important Bird Area according to BirdLife International.
• It is a key staging site in the Central Asian Flyway.
• Also, the site is the most important breeding areas of the Black-necked Cranes (NT) in India.

• It is located just 15km away from Delhi.
•  The Sultanpur Jeel inside the part is an important bird area.

• It is a human-made freshwater wetland.
• It shares its border with Khaparwas WLS (Haryana).
•  It supports the endangered Egyptian Vulture.

• It is a shallow freshwater reservoir.
• It is a human-made wetland that hosts diverse avian fauna.
• It is also essential during the dry seasons for blackbucks.
• It lies on the Central Asian Flyway for migratory avian species.
• The wetland supports the White-rumped Vulture (CR), Sociable Lapwing (CR), Sarus Crane (VU), Common Pochard, etc.

• This human-made reservoir is located in a semi-arid agricultural landscape and it is surrounded by wheat and paddy fields.
• It lies on the Central Asian Flyway for migratory avian species.

• It is a human-made wetland formed by the construction of the Madhya Ganga Barrage.
•  It is located within the boundaries of Hastinapur WLS.
• It supports gharial (CR), the hog deer (EN), golden mahseer (EN) and swamp deer (VU).

• It is situated 44 km west of Gorakhpur.
• It provides a wintering ground for birds which migrate on the Central Asian Flyway.

• It is a freshwater wetland located in Jamnagar District near the coast of the Gulf of Kutch.
• It was formed following the creation of a bund (dike) in 1920 to protect farmland from saltwater ingress.

Largest Ramsar Sites of India

Ramsar Site

State

Area in Sq. km

1) Sunderbans Wetland

West Bengal

4230

2) Vembanad Kol Wetland

Kerala

1512

3) Chilka Lake

Orissa

1165

Smallest Ramsar Site of India

Renuka Wetland

Himachal Pradesh

0.2

Oldest Ramsar Sites of India

1) Chilka Lake

Orissa

1981

2) Keoladeo Ghana NP

Rajasthan

1981