Four more sites of India added to Ramsar list

• Four more wetlands from India, two each from Haryana and Gujarat, have been recognized as wetlands of global importance under the Ramsar Convention.
• These sites are Thol and Wadhwana from Gujarat, and Sultanpur and Bhindawas from Haryana.
• Now, the number of Ramsar sites in India is 46 and the surface area covered by these sites is 1,083,322 hectares.
• Haryana gets its first Ramsar sites, while Gujarat gets three more after Nalsarovar which was declared in 2012.

1. Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary:

• It is the largest wetland in Haryana.
• The sanctuary, a human-made freshwater wetland, was established as a Bird Sanctuary by the Government of India in 2009.
• 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.

2. Sultanpur National Park

• Sultanpur National Park & Bird Sanctuary is located in the Gurgaon district of Haryana.
• It supports more than 220 species of resident, winter migratory and local migratory waterbirds 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.

3. Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat:

• The Thol Lake Sanctuary is made up of a reservoir that was created in 1912.
• The lake was declared a sanctuary in 1988.
• It lies on the Central Asian Flyway and more than 320 bird species can be found here.
• It 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.

4. Wadhvana Wetland, Gujarat:

• Wadhvana is a century-old tank, constructed by erstwhile King Gaikwad in 1909-10.
• It 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 Convention on Wetlands:

• The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance is the first modern treaty between nations aimed at conserving natural resources.
• The signing of the Convention on Wetlands took place in 1971 at the Iranian town of Ramsar.
• The aim of the Ramsar list is 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.

Under the Ramsar Convention, Wetlands include:

• swamps, marshes, billabongs, lakes, salt marshes, mudflats, mangroves, coral reefs, fens, peat bogs, or bodies of water - whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary.
• In designating a wetland as a Ramsar site, countries agree to establish and oversee a management framework aimed at conserving the wetland and ensuring its wise use.

Benefits of wetlands:

• It provides a wide range of important resources and ecosystem services such as food, water, fiber, groundwater recharge, water purification, flood moderation, erosion control, and climate regulation.
• They are a major source of water and our main supply of fresh water comes from an array of wetlands which help soak rainfall and recharge groundwater.