11 New Ramsar Sites in India

The Convention on Wetlands is an inter-governmental treaty adopted on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar and came into force in 1975.

In August 2022, India added 11 more wetlands to the list of Ramsar Sites.

Key Points About Ramsar Sites in India

• 11 new sites included from States: Tamil Nadu – 4, Odisha-3, Jammu & Kashmir-2, and One (1) each from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Total Ramsar sites in India at Present: 75
• State having the most number of Ramsar sites: Tami Nadu (14) and in UP (10).
• Largest wetland under the Ramsar convention (in India): Sundarbans, West Bengal (423,000 hectares)
• Smallest wetland under the Ramsar convention (in India): Renuka Wetland, Himachal Pradesh (20 hectares)
• First wetland under the Ramsar convention (in India): Chilka Lake and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) (1981)

Key Highlights

• India is one of the Contracting Parties to Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.
• The convention entered into force in India on 1st February, 1982.
• During this year itself (2022) a total of 19 sites have been declared as Ramsar sites.
• Goa and Karnataka got there first Ramsar Sites, this year (in 2022).