Recently India has added 11 more wetlands in Ramsar Sites in India. This latest addition of 11 wetlands makes a new total of 75 Ramsar Sites in India.

A wetland is a place where the land is covered by water. Wetlands encompass marshes, ponds, lake edges, river deltas, and flood-prone low-lying areas.

• Wetlands of international importance are also known as Ramsar sites.
• As of May 2023, there are 75 Ramsar Sites in India.

• Upon joining the Convention, a country must designate one wetland as an internationally important wetland.
• Including a “Ramsar Site” in the List signifies the government’s commitment to preserve its ecological character.
• 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.

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) is 171 (as of Jan 2023).
• 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.

Significance of being designated a Ramsar Site

• Once these wetland areas receive the designation, they are list as Ramsar sites on the Convention’s List of Wetlands of International Importance.
• When designated as a Ramsar site, nations commit to establishing and maintaining a management framework for wetland preservation and responsible usage.
• The Convention defines smart to use as maintaining the ecological integrity of a wetland.
• The List of Wetlands of International Importance includes wetlands based on their ecological, botanical, zoological, limnological, or hydrological importance.

Three pillars of the Ramsar Convention

Under the “three pillars” of the Convention, the Contracting Parties commit to:

1. Work towards the wise use of all their wetlands;
2. Designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands of International Importance (the “Ramsar List”) and ensure their effective management;
3. Cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species.

Read Also : Western Disturbance: Effects on Indian Subcontinent