India Designates 5 New Ramsar Sites
In July 2022, India has designated 5 new wetland sites of international importance. This includes three wetland sites in Tamil Nadu (Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest and Pichavaram Mangrove), Pala wetland in Mizoram and Sakhya
Sagar wetland site in Madhya Pradesh. Thus the total number of Ramsar sites in the country has increased from 49 to 54.
Wetlands
Wetlands are ecosystems that are either seasonally or permanently saturated or filled with water. These include mangroves, swamps, rivers, lakes, deltas, floodplains, rice fields, coral reefs, marine areas where low tides do not exceed 6 meters deep, as well as man-made wetlands such as wastewater treated reservoirs. Although they cover only 6% of the ground surface but 40% of all plant and animal species are found or breed
in wetlands.
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention came into force on February 2, 1971, in the city of Ramsar, Iran. This is the first
treaty between the nations of thenworld with the aim of conserving wetlands of international importance.
This treaty seeks to prevent and protect the loss of wetlands caused globally. India joined this convention on 1 February 1982.