India has added 11 more wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites to make total 75 Ramsar sites covering an area of 13 lakh 26 thousand 677 Hectare in the country in the 75th year of Independence.
11 new sites include four in Tamil Nadu, three in Odisha, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one each in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Designation of these sites would help in conservation and management of wetlands and wise use of their resources.
India is one of the Contracting Parties to Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. India signed it on 1st February 1982. During 1982 to 2013, a total of 26 sites were added to the list of Ramsar sites, however, during 2014 to 2022, the country has added 49 new wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites.
During this year itself, a total of 28 sites have been declared as Ramsar sites. Based on the date of designation mentioned on Ramsar Certificate, the number is 19 for 2022 and 14 for 2021.
Tamil Nadu has maximum number of Ramsar sites which is 14, followed by Uttar Pradesh which has 10 numbers of Ramsar sites.
The new Ramsar Sites-
1. Tampara Lake, Odisha
2. Hirakud Reservoir, Odisha
3. Ansupa Lake, Odisha
4. Yashwant Sagar, MP
5. Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu
6. Suchindram Theroor Wetland Complex, Tamil Nadu
7. Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu
8. Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu
9. Thane Creek, Maharashtra
10.Shallbugh Wetland Conservation Reserve, J&K
11.Hygam Wetland Conservation Reserve, J&K