1. What is a Wetland?
- Land area saturated with water permanently or seasonally.
- Includes: marshes, swamps, bogs, peat-lands, estuaries, tidal flats, mangroves, coral reefs, rice paddies.
- “Kidneys of landscape” – filter sediments & nutrients.
- 4th most valuable ecosystem (after oceans, forests, grasslands).
2. Ramsar Convention – Snapshot
| Head | Detail |
|---|
| Full name | Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat |
| Signed | 2 Feb 1971, Ramsar (Iran) |
| Effective | 21 Dec 1975 |
| Secretariat | Gland, Switzerland (shared with IUCN) |
| Theme | “Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future” (2018) |
| World Wetlands Day | 2 February (since 1997) |
| Total Contracting Parties | 172 (May 2024) |
| Global Sites | 2,500+ |
| India’s ratification | 1 Oct 1982 |
3. India & Ramsar – Numbers
- 1st site – Chilika Lake (Odisha) & Keoladeo NP (Rajasthan) – 1981 (before ratification).
- Largest network in Asia – 85 sites (as on 15 Apr 2024) covering 1.35 million ha.
- Top 3 states by site count: Tamil Nadu (14) > UP (10) > Odisha (6).
4. Latest Additions (2022-24)
| Date | New Sites (No.) | Highlights |
|---|
| 26 Jul 2022 | 4 | Khijadiya (Guj), Bakhira (UP), Haiderpur (UP), Sundarbans (WB) |
| 14 Sep 2022 | 5 | 3 in TN (Chitrangudi, Kanjirankulam, Suchindram-T) |
| 12 Apr 2023 | 6 | 3 in TN + 1 in HP (Pong Dam), 1 in MP (Sakhya-S), 1 in Assam (Pani-Dihing) |
| 15 Apr 2024 | 5 | Karaivetti, Longwood Shola (TN), Nanda, Bheem, Parvati (UP) |
5. Mega-Table: India’s 85 Ramsar Sites (Selected 35 for quick recall)
| # | Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Feature |
|---|
| 1 | Chilika Lake | Odisha | 1,165 | Brackish; largest coastal lagoon in India |
| 2 | Keoladeo Ghana NP | Rajasthan | 28.7 | World Heritage; Siberian crane |
| 3 | Wular Lake | J & K | 189 | Largest freshwater lake (J & K) |
| 4 | Loktak Lake | Manipur | 287 | Phumdis; Keibul-Lamjao (Sangai deer) |
| 5 | Sundarbans | West Bengal | 4,230 | Mangrove tiger reserve; UNESCO |
| 6 | Harike Wetland | Punjab | 41 | Confluence Beas-Sutlej |
| 7 | Sambhar Lake | Rajasthan | 196 | Largest inland salt lake |
| 8 | Pong Dam Lake | Himachal | 207 | Maharana Pratap Sagar; migratory duck |
| 9 | Nal Sarovar | Gujarat | 120 | Flamingo city |
| 10 | Kolleru Lake | A.P. | 901 | Freshwater; pelican sanctuary |
| 11 | Deepor Beel | Assam | 40 | Guwahati’s only Ramsar |
| 12 | Bhoj Wetland | Madhya Pradesh | 32 | Upper & Lower lakes of Bhopal |
| 13 | Renuka Lake | Himachal | 0.2 | Smallest Ramsar site in India |
| 14 | Ashtamudi Wetland | Kerala | 614 | Octopus-shaped estuary |
| 15 | Vembanad-Kol | Kerala | 1,512 | Longest lake in India |
| 16 | Point Calimere | Tamil Nadu | 385 | Great Vedaranyam swamp |
| 17 | Tsomoriri | Ladakh | 120 | High-altitude (4,595 m) |
| 18 | Rudrasagar Lake | Tripura | 2.4 | Ox-bow lake |
| 19 | Sakhya Sagar | Madhya Pradesh | 2.5 | Part of Madhav NP |
| 20 | Haiderpur | Uttar Pradesh | 14 | Created 1984; 320 bird spp. |
| 21 | Kanjirankulam | Tamil Nadu | 0.97 | Tropical dry evergreen |
| 22 | Lonar Lake | Maharashtra | 4.3 | Only hyper-velocity impact crater in basalt |
| 23 | Surinsar-Mansar | J & K | 3.5 | Twin lakes |
| 24 | Keshopur-Miani | Punjab | 3.4 | Community reserve |
| 25 | Nandur Madhmeshwar | Maharashtra | 14 | Maharashtra’s 1st |
| 26 | Nawabganj | Uttar Pradesh | 3 | Sarus crane |
| 27 | Sandi | Uttar Pradesh | 3.1 | Samaspur bird sanctuary |
| 28 | Saman Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | 5 | Monsoon wetland |
| 29 | Parvati Agra | Uttar Pradesh | 7 | Agra’s 2nd after Keetham |
| 30 | Bakhira | Uttar Pradesh | 29 | Eastern UP’s largest natural flood-plain |
| 31 | Khijadiya | Gujarat | 6 | Bird & marine diversity |
| 32 | Asan Barrage | Uttarakhand | 4.4 | Doon valley’s 1st |
| 33 | Hygam | J & K | 8 | Hygam wetland conservation reserve |
| 34 | Shallbugh | J & K | 16 | Jhelum basin |
| 35 | Longwood Shola | Tamil Nadu | 0.8 | Nilgiri shola forest-stream |
Note: Full list updated till 15 Apr 2024 on https://rbsfcap.india.gov.in
6. Criteria for Ramsar Tag (any one)
- Criterion 1 – Representative/unique wetland type.
- Criterion 2 – Supports >20,000 waterfowl.
- Criterion 3 – Supports 1% population of any water-bird species.
- Criterion 4 – Supports threatened species (IUCN Red List).
- Criterion 5 – Important for fish spawning/breeding.
- Criterion 6 – Important for plant/animal life cycle.
- Criterion 7 – Important for endemic spp. or ecological services.
7. Montreux Record – “Red List” of Ramsar
- Sites facing ecological change.
- India has 2 – Keoladeo (1990) & Loktak (1993).
- Chilika was listed 1993 but removed 2002 after restoration.
8. India-specific Initiatives
- National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA) – 2013 (merging NLCP & NWCP).
- Wetlands (Conservation & Management) Rules, 2017 – replaced 2010 rules; prohibited activities: conversion for non-wetland use, solid waste dumping, encroachment.
- Wetland inventory – 2,31,195 wetlands mapped by ISRO 2022.
- Amrit Dharohar scheme – Budget 2023-24 – 3-year scheme for sustainable use of Ramsar sites.
9. Quick-Fire One-liners (Revision Capsule)
- World Wetlands Day – 2 Feb (1971 Ramsar signed).
- India’s 1st Ramsar – Chilika & Keoladeo (1981).
- Largest Ramsar site – Sundarbans (4,230 km²).
- Smallest Ramsar site – Renuka Lake (0.2 km²).
- Only Ramsar in Manipur – Loktak.
- Montreux Record sites in India – Keoladeo, Loktak.
- State with max Ramsar sites – Tamil Nadu (14).
- High-altitude Ramsar – Tsomoriri (4,595 m).
- Crater lake Ramsar – Lonar (Maharashtra).
- Twin lakes Ramsar – Surinsar-Mansar (J & K).
- Ramsar tag does not bring legal protected status – only international recognition.
- Ramsar secretariat hosted by IUCN – Gland, Switzerland.
- Theme 2024 – “Wetlands & Human Well-being”.
10. Practice MCQs (Railway Exam Pattern)
Q1. The Ramsar Convention was signed in which year?
Answer: 1971Q2. India ratified the Ramsar Convention in –
Answer: 1982Q3. Which of the following is the largest Ramsar site in India?
Answer: Sundarbans (West Bengal)Q4. The smallest Ramsar site of India is –
Answer: Renuka Lake (Himachal Pradesh)Q5. World Wetlands Day is observed on –
Answer: 2 FebruaryQ6. Which state has the maximum number of Ramsar sites in India (as on Apr 2024)?
Answer: Tamil NaduQ7. Which of the following lakes was removed from the Montreux Record in 2002?
Answer: Chilika LakeQ8. Loktak Lake is located in –
Answer: ManipurQ9. The only Ramsar site which is also a hyper-velocity impact crater in basaltic rock is –
Answer: Lonar Lake (Maharashtra)Q10. Ramsar Convention is named after the city located in –
Answer: IranQ11. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?
1. Keoladeo – Rajasthan
2. Deepor Beel – Assam
3. Wular – J & K
Answer: All 1, 2 & 3Q12. The Montreux Record is maintained under –
Answer: Ramsar ConventionQ13. Which of the following is India’s first wetland to be designated as a Ramsar site?
Answer: Chilika Lake (Odisha)Q14. The number of Ramsar sites in India as on 15 April 2024 is –
Answer: 85Q15. The Ramsar Secretariat is located at –
Answer: Gland, SwitzerlandQ16. Which of the following is NOT a criterion for Ramsar tag?
Answer: Presence of mangrove species onlyQ17. “Amrit Dharohar” scheme announced in Budget 2023-24 is related to –
Answer: Ramsar site eco-tourism
Revise → Rehearse → Rock the exam!
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