Ramsar Wetlands

Wetlands
What is a wetland??

• Areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water

• Whether natural or artificial, permanent or

temporary.
• With water that is static or flowing.
• Fresh, brackish or salt.
• Including areas of marine water .
• Depth of which at low tide does not exceed
six metres”.
 • Wetlands are areas where water
General Definition covers the soil, or is present either
at or near the surface of the soil all
year or for varying periods of time
during the year, including during
the growing season.
Types of Wetlands

Marine (Coastal Area) Estuarine (Where River meets the

ocean)
Types

Lacustrine (Lakes) Riverine (Stretch of River)

Importance of • One of the world’s most
Wetlands productive environments.

• Countless species of plants and

animals depend for survival on
them.
• Support high concentrations of
birds, mammals, reptiles,
amphibians, fish and invertebrate
species.
• Assist in Disaster management of floods and droughts
• Serves as a Reservoir for Carbon die Oxide.
• Maintains Soil Moisture which is good for the agriculture.
• Important part of Water cycle.
• Source of food and medicinal resources.
• Tourism and Recreation.
Problems against Conservation of Wetlands
• Urbanization and land use changes.
• Agricultural residues.
• Municipal and Industrial pollution.
• Climate Change.
• Siltation
• Freshwater Consumption.
Conservation of Wetlands
• Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2016
• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules,
2016
• Wetlands shall be conserved and managed in accordance
with principle of 'wise use' for maintaining their ecological integrity.
• Prohibits any diversion or impediment to natural water inflows and
outflows of the wetland.
Ramsar Convention
• It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran.
• Convention on Wetlands of International Importance

• Secretariat, which carries out the day-to-day coordination of the

Convention’s activities is based at the headquarters of the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Gland,
Switzerland.
• 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 75 Ramsar Sites in India

• Read that wetland -which is marked in red color

 • Natural backwater
Ashtamudi- Kerela • Source of livelihood of many
people living near by.
• Clam Governing Council of
Ashtamudi lake became the
first Marine Stewardship Council
certified fishery in India for their
sustainable clam fishing.
Beas Conservation • 185-kilometre stretch of the Beas
Reserve-Punjab River.
• River is dotted with islands, sand
bars and braided channels
creating a complex environment
supporting substantial
biodiversity.
• Reserve also hosts the only known
population in India of the
endangered Indus river dolphin.
 • One of the finest remaining
Bhitarkanika -Orissa patches of mangrove forests along
the Indian coast .
• Gahirmatha beach is said to host
the largest known Olive Ridley sea
turtle nesting beach in the world.
• The core area of Bhitarkanika
Wildlife Sanctuary was declared
Bhitarkanika NP.
Bhoj Wetland-MP • Two contiguous human-made
reservoirs - the "Upper Lake" and
the “lower lake”.
• It is a human made reservoir.
Chandra Taal-Himachal
• A high altitude lake on the upper
Chandra valley flowing to the
Chandra river of the Western
Himalayas.
• It supports CITES and IUCN
Redlisted Snow Leopard and is a
refuge for many species like Snow
Cock, Black Ring Stilt, Kestrel,
Golden Eagle.
Chilika Lake-Orissa
• Brackish lake separated from the
Bay of Bengal.
• Site is an important area for
breeding, wintering and staging
for 33 species of water birds.
Deepor Beel-Assam
• Permanent freshwater lake in a
former channel of the
Brahmaputra river.
• Some of the largest concentrations
of aquatic birds in Assam can be
seen, especially in winter.
East Kolkata Wetlands-
WB • World-renowned as a model of a
multiple use wetland, the site's
resource recovery systems,
developed by local people through
the ages.
• System is described as "one of the
rare examples of environmental
protection and development
Harike Wetland- • Confluence of Beas and Sutlej
Punjab rivers.
• Harike is a significant abode for
the birds migrating from across
the international frontiers.
Hokera Wetland JK
• 10 km from Srinagar.
• It is an important source of food,
spawning ground and nursery for
fishes, besides offering feeding
and breeding ground to a variety
of water birds.
 • Site plays a crucial role in the
Kanjli-Punjab agriculture which predominates
on the surrounding fertile plain.
• One of the manmade wetlands.
Keoladeo National • A complex of ten artificial,
Park-Rajasthan seasonal lagoons, varying in size,
situated in a densely populated
region.

• Invasive growth of the grass

Paspalum distichum has changed
the ecological character of large
areas of the site.
Keshopur-Miani
Community Reserve- • Mosaic of natural marshes,
Punjab aquaculture ponds and
agricultural wetlands.
• Heavily human-influenced, and
includes a series of managed
fishponds and cultivated crops
such lotus and chestnut.
 • Situated between the two major
Kolleru Lake-Andhra river basins of the Godavari and
the Krishna.
• Freshwater.
 • Thick, floating mats of weeds
Loktak Lake-Manipur covered with soil (phumids') are a
characteristic feature.
• Loktak Lake is fed by the Manipur
river .
Nalsarovar Bird
Sanctuary-Gujarat • largest wetland bird sanctuary in
Gujarat.
• More than 200 types of birds
mainly waterfowl inhabit this lake
and come from as far as Siberia.
• Nalsarovar is a natural, shallow
lake having maximum depth of
about 1.5-2.0 meters depending
upon rainfall.
Nandur
Madhameshwar- • Mosaic of lakes, marshes and
Mahrashtra riparian forest on the Deccan
Plateau.
• It lies in the 100 sq km Nandur
Madhameshwar sanctuary formed
in 1986.
• Site hosts some of India’s most
iconic species, such as the leopard
and Indian sandalwood .
Nangal Wildlife • Located in the Shiwalik foothills of
Sanctuary-Punjab Punjab supports rare flora and
fauna such as Indian Pangolin.
• More than half a million people
downstream benefit from the
reservoir as the flow of water is
regulated, reducing the risks to
both people and property
from floods.
Nawabganj Bird • Shallow marshland 45 kilometres
Sanctuary-UP from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
• Monsoon rains feed this diverse
wetland while the Sarda Canal
supplies additional water.
• 25,000 waterbirds regularly
recorded and 220 resident and
migratory species documented.
Parvati Arga Bird • Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary is a
Sanctuary-UP permanent freshwater
environment consisting of two
oxbow lakes.
• The lake is naturally able to sustain
resident birds throughout the year
and migratory birds during winter
season.
 • A coastal area consisting of
Point Calimere- TN shallow waters, shores, and long
sand bars, chiefly mangrove, and
seasonal, often-saline lagoons, as
well as human-made salt
exploitation sites.
• One of the last remnants of Dry
Evergreen Forests.
 • A water storage reservoir created
Pong Dam Lake-HP in 1975 on the Beas River in the
low foothills of the Himalaya on
the northern edge of the Indo-
Gangetic plain.
• Hydrological values include
monsoon-season flood
prevention, both in the
surroundings and downstream
due to water regulation,
groundwater recharge.
 • A natural wetland with freshwater
Renuka Lake-HP springs and inland subterranean
karst formations, fed by a small
stream flowing from the lower
Himalayan out to the Giri river.
• The Renuka Fair is an extremely
popular fair in the state of
Himachal Pradesh.
 • A humanmade wetland of lake
Ropar-Punjab and river formed by the 1952
construction of a barrage for
diversion of water from the Sutlej
River for drinking and irrigation
supplies.
• Important breeding place for the
nationally protected Smooth
Indian Otter, Sambar and the
endangered Indian Pangolin.
Rudrasagar Lake- • A lowland sedimentation reservoir
Tripura in the northeast hills, fed by three
perennial streams discharging to
the River Gumati.
• Rudrasagar is a potential
Important Bird Area and attracts a
large number of waterfowl in
winter.
Saman Bird. • It is in the Mainpuri district of
Sanctuary-UP Uttar Pradesh is a seasonal oxbow
lake on the Ganges floodplain.
• The sanctuary is a natural rainfed
oxbow lake of approximately 525
ha, that dries up in summer.
• The wetland attracts large
numbers of migratory birds in
winter, while resident bird fauna
are seen all the year round.
Samaspur Bird • Its six connected lakes are heavily
Sanctuary-UP relevant on monsoon rains.
• The Sanctuary harbours
threatened species such as the
endangered Egyptian vulture.
• Site provides food products and
agricultural fodder, as well as
maintaining this biodiversity.
Sambhar Lake- • A large saline lake fed by four
Rajasthan streams set in a shallow wetland
and subject to seasonal
fluctuations.
• It is surrounded by sand flats and
dry thorn scrub and fed by
seasonal rivers and streams.
Sandi Bird Sanctuary- • Freshwater marsh in the Hardoi
UP district of Uttar Pradesh.
• The wetland is a popular
recreational and tourism
destination and supports
surrounding farmers as a source of
livestock fodder.
 • permanent marsh in the Etawah
Sarsai Nawar Jheel-UP district of Uttar Pradesh.
• This typical wetland of the Indo-
Gangetic floodplain is fed by
precipitation run-off from the
South West monsoon rains.
Sasthamkotta Lake- • The largest freshwater lake in
Kerela Kerala state.
• The water contains no common
salts or other minerals and
supports no water plants.
 • Located within the largest mangrove
Sundarban Wetland- forest in the world, the Sundarbans, that
WB encompasses hundreds of islands and a
maze of rivers in the delta of the Rivers
Ganges and Brahmaputra on the Bay of
Bengal in India and Bangladesh.
• The Sundarbans are the only mangrove
habitat which supports a significant
population of tigers, and they have
unique aquatic hunting skills.
• Two of the world’s four horseshoe crab
species, and eight of India’s 12 species of
kingfisher are also found here.
Surinsar-Mansar • Freshwater composite lake in semi-
arid Panjab Plains, adjoining
Lakes-JK the Jhelum Basin.
• Both lakes are an attractive habitat
for a wide variety of resident and
migratory water fowls, rare small
freshwater medusa are also found
here.
• The water is used for irrigation in the
neighboring agricultural fields and
vegetation is a source of green
fodder for live stock.
Tsomoriri (Tso Moriri)- • A freshwater to brackish lake lying
JK at 4,595m above sea level, with
wet meadows and borax-laden
wetlands along the shores.
• The site is said to represent the
only breeding ground outside of
China for one of the most
endangered cranes, the Black-
necked crane.
 • A shallow river stretch of the great
Upper Ganga River-UP Ganges with intermittent small
stretches of deep-water pools and
reservoirs upstream from
barrages.
• This river stretch has high Hindu
religious importance for
thousands of pilgrims and is used
for cremation and holy baths for
spiritual purification.
Vembanad-Kol • Fed by 10 rivers and typical of
Wetland-Kerela large estuarine systems on the
western coast, renowned for its
clams.
• Flood protection for thickly-
populated coastal areas of three
districts of Kerala is considered a
major benefit, groundwater
recharge helps to supply well
water for the region.
Wular Lake- • It is the largest freshwater lake
Kashmir in India.
• The lake basin was formed as a
result of tectonic activity and is
fed by the Jhelum River.
Asan Barrage- • It is a stretch of the Asan
Uttarakhand 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.
Kanwar Taal
or Kabar Taal Lake-
Bihar, Begusarai
• It lies in the Indo-Gangetic
Plain.
• The wetland is an important
stopover for the Central Asian
Flyway migratory waterbirds.
Sur Sarovar-
Agra • 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)
Mahrashtra 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.
 • The Tso Kar Basin is a high-altitude
wetland complex, consisting of two
Tso Kar-Ladakh 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.
Sultanpur- • It is located just 15km away from
Haryana Delhi.
• The Sultanpur Jeel inside the part is an
important bird area.
Bhindawas
WLS-Haryana • 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.
Thol Lake- • It is a human-made wetland that hosts
Gujarat diverse avian fauna.
• It is also essential during the dry
seasons for blackbucks.
• It lies on the Central Asian Flyway for
migratory avian species.
 • This human-made reservoir is located
in a semi-arid agricultural landscape
Wadhvana and it is surrounded by wheat and
Wetland- paddy fields.
Gujarat
 • It is a human-made wetland formed by
the construction of the Madhya Ganga
Haiderpur Barrage.
Wetland-UP • It is located within the boundaries
of Hastinapur WLS.
 • It is situated 44 km west of Gorakhpur.
• It provides a wintering ground for birds
Bakhira WLS- which migrate on the Central Asian
UP Flyway.
 • It is a freshwater wetland located in
Jamnagar District near the coast of
Khijadia WLS- the Gulf of Kutch.
Gujarat
 •Pala Wetland in Mizoram (Mizoram):It
is home to a wide range of animals,
Pala Wetland- birds, and reptiles.
Mizoram •Its geographical location falls under the
Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot and is
therefore rich in animal and plant
species.
Sakhya Sagar (Madhya Pradesh):
Pichavaram Mangrove (Tamil Nadu)
Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest (Tamil Nadu):
Karikili Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu):

Other Ramsar Wetlands Declared on 26 July 2022

• Sirpur Wetland –a significant historical wetland situated in Indore,
Madhya Pradesh.

• Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary-It has been enlisted as one of the

Important Bird Areas (IBA) in Karnataka and India by Bombay
Natural History Society.

• Nanda Lake-Goa

• Satkosia Gorge-It spreads along the magnificent gorge over the

mighty river Mahanadi.Satkosia is the meeting point of two
biogeographic regions of India, the Deccan Peninsula and the
Eastern Ghats, contributing immense biodiversity.
• Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary- Tamil Nadu
• Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary- Tamil Nadu
• Vellode Bird Sanctuary- Tamil Nadu
• Vembannur Wetland Complex- Tamil Nadu
• Gulf of Mannar- Tamil Nadu- Marine Biosphere Reserve-It is the first
Marine Biosphere Reserve in South & South -East Asia.
• Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary- Tamil Nadu
Tampara Lake Odisha

Hirakud Reservoir Odisha

Ansupa Lake Odisha

Yashwant Sagar Madhya Pradesh

Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu

Suchindram Theroor Wetland Complex Tamil Nadu

Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu

Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu

Thane Creek Maharashtra

Hygam Wetland Conservation Reserve Jammu and Kashmir

Shallbugh Wetland Conservation Reserve Jammu and kashmir

References
• http://www.wetlands-initiative.org/what-is-a-wetland
• https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/info20
07-01-e.pdf
• https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/what-wetland
• https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris