In a significant move towards environmental conservation, India has added 10 more wetlands to the Ramsar Sites list, bringing the total number of Ramsar Sites in the country to 64. These wetlands now span across approximately 250,361 hectares.

Of the newly added sites, 6 are located in Tamil Nadu, while the remaining 4 are spread across Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha. This expansion will help ensure more careful and sustainable use of the natural resources available in these areas.

Wetlands Convention

India is part of the global effort to conserve wetlands, having signed the Ramsar Convention in 1971 in Iran. This makes India one of 172 countries committed to protecting wetland ecosystems, most of which are members of the United Nations (UN).

The Ramsar Convention includes a wide range of wetland ecosystems, such as lakes, rivers, wet grasslands, deltas, human-made fishponds, mangrove forests, and coastal zones.

Globally, the Ramsar Sites list now includes more than 2,400 wetlands across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania. These areas are vital for preserving biodiversity, protecting ecosystems, and supporting local communities dependent on these resources.