Four more sites of India added to Ramsar list as wetlands of International importance

Context

Four more wetlands from India get recognition from the Ramsar Secretariat as Ramsar sites.

About the new Ramsar sites of India

• Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary, Haryana: The largest wetland in Haryana is a human-made freshwater wetland.
  • Over 250 bird species use the sanctuary throughout the year as a resting and roosting site.
  • The site supports more than ten globally threatened species including the endangered Egyptian Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, and Black-bellied Tern.
• Sultanpur National Park, Haryana: It supports more than 220 species of resident, winter migratory and local migratory water birds at critical stages of their life cycles.
  • More than ten of these are globally threatened, including the critically endangered sociable lapwing, and the endangered Egyptian Vulture, Saker Falcon, Pallas’s Fish Eagle and Black-bellied Tern.
• Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat: It lies on the Central Asian Flyway and more than 320 bird species can be found here.
  • The wetland supports more 30 threatened waterbird species, such as the critically endangered White-rumped Vulture and Sociable Lapwing, and the vulnerable Sarus Crane, Common Pochard and Lesser White-fronted Goose.
• Wadhvana Wetland, Gujarat: This is internationally important for its birdlife as it provides wintering ground to migratory waterbirds, including over 80 species that migrate on the Central Asian Flyway.
  • They include some threatened or near-threatened species such as the endangered Pallas’s fish-Eagle, the vulnerable Common Pochard, and the near-threatened Dalmatian Pelican, Grey-headed Fish-eagle and Ferruginous Duck. 

Ramsar Sites

• These are wetlands deemed to be of "international importance" under the Ramsar Convention.
• The inclusion in the list is for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific and recreational value.
• It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands.
• It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the convention was signed in
• Aim: To develop and maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and benefits.