Ramsar Sites Update
Ramsar Sites Update
Context : India has 3rd largest no. of Ramsar sites.
Earlier the count was same as that of china i.e. 82 Ramsar sites each.
But a recent addition of 3 more ramsar sites has listed India count upto 85.
The United states tops the list with 175 sites and Mexico stands second with 144 sites.
The total no. of Indian sites has increased abundantly with in the past ten years.
40 new ramsar sites of India has been added in past 3 years
About
"Ramsar" name is based on a city of Iran where an international conference was organised for the first time in 1971 to discuss various steps to protect the wetlands.
This conference was called the "Ramsar convention" on wetland of International importance.
It provides various guidelines to conserve and protect wetlands throughout the world. It came into force in 1975.
Wetlands :
Areas where water convers the soil or present at/near the soils surface all year.
They can be on land or coastal area.
Land : Aquifers, Lakes, Rivers, Streams, Marshes, Peat lands, Ponds, flood plains etc.
Coasts : Sea water + fresh river water
World's Wetland day – 2nd February every year.
India Status – Largest site : sunderbans in west Bengal
Smallest site : Renuka in Himachal Pradesh.
First India Ramsar Site : Chilika Lake in Odisha
Keoladeo National Park 1981
Tamil Nadu has 18 Ramsar Sites, Uttar Pradesh has overall 10.