1. What is a Wetland?
- Land area saturated with water permanently or seasonally.
- Includes: marshes, swamps, bogs, peat-lands, estuaries, tidal flats, mangroves, coral reefs, rice paddies.
- “Kidneys of landscape” – filter sediments & nutrients.
- 4th most valuable ecosystem (after oceans, forests, grasslands).
2. Ramsar Convention – Snapshot
| Head |
Detail |
| Full name |
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat |
| Signed |
2 Feb 1971, Ramsar (Iran) |
| Effective |
21 Dec 1975 |
| Secretariat |
Gland, Switzerland (shared with IUCN) |
| Theme |
“Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future” (2018) |
| World Wetlands Day |
2 February (since 1997) |
| Total Contracting Parties |
172 (May 2024) |
| Global Sites |
2,500+ |
| India’s ratification |
1 Oct 1982 |
3. India & Ramsar – Numbers
- 1st site – Chilika Lake (Odisha) & Keoladeo NP (Rajasthan) – 1981 (before ratification).
- Largest network in Asia – 85 sites (as on 15 Apr 2024) covering 1.35 million ha.
- Top 3 states by site count: Tamil Nadu (14) > UP (10) > Odisha (6).
4. Latest Additions (2022-24)
| Date |
New Sites (No.) |
Highlights |
| 26 Jul 2022 |
4 |
Khijadiya (Guj), Bakhira (UP), Haiderpur (UP), Sundarbans (WB) |
| 14 Sep 2022 |
5 |
3 in TN (Chitrangudi, Kanjirankulam, Suchindram-T) |
| 12 Apr 2023 |
6 |
3 in TN + 1 in HP (Pong Dam), 1 in MP (Sakhya-S), 1 in Assam (Pani-Dihing) |
| 15 Apr 2024 |
5 |
Karaivetti, Longwood Shola (TN), Nanda, Bheem, Parvati (UP) |
5. Mega-Table: India’s 85 Ramsar Sites (Selected 35 for quick recall)
| # |
Site |
State |
Area (km²) |
Key Feature |
| 1 |
Chilika Lake |
Odisha |
1,165 |
Brackish; largest coastal lagoon in India |
| 2 |
Keoladeo Ghana NP |
Rajasthan |
28.7 |
World Heritage; Siberian crane |
| 3 |
Wular Lake |
J & K |
189 |
Largest freshwater lake (J & K) |
| 4 |
Loktak Lake |
Manipur |
287 |
Phumdis; Keibul-Lamjao (Sangai deer) |
| 5 |
Sundarbans |
West Bengal |
4,230 |
Mangrove tiger reserve; UNESCO |
| 6 |
Harike Wetland |
Punjab |
41 |
Confluence Beas-Sutlej |
| 7 |
Sambhar Lake |
Rajasthan |
196 |
Largest inland salt lake |
| 8 |
Pong Dam Lake |
Himachal |
207 |
Maharana Pratap Sagar; migratory duck |
| 9 |
Nal Sarovar |
Gujarat |
120 |
Flamingo city |
| 10 |
Kolleru Lake |
A.P. |
901 |
Freshwater; pelican sanctuary |
| 11 |
Deepor Beel |
Assam |
40 |
Guwahati’s only Ramsar |
| 12 |
Bhoj Wetland |
Madhya Pradesh |
32 |
Upper & Lower lakes of Bhopal |
| 13 |
Renuka Lake |
Himachal |
0.2 |
Smallest Ramsar site in India |
| 14 |
Ashtamudi Wetland |
Kerala |
614 |
Octopus-shaped estuary |
| 15 |
Vembanad-Kol |
Kerala |
1,512 |
Longest lake in India |
| 16 |
Point Calimere |
Tamil Nadu |
385 |
Great Vedaranyam swamp |
| 17 |
Tsomoriri |
Ladakh |
120 |
High-altitude (4,595 m) |
| 18 |
Rudrasagar Lake |
Tripura |
2.4 |
Ox-bow lake |
| 19 |
Sakhya Sagar |
Madhya Pradesh |
2.5 |
Part of Madhav NP |
| 20 |
Haiderpur |
Uttar Pradesh |
14 |
Created 1984; 320 bird spp. |
| 21 |
Kanjirankulam |
Tamil Nadu |
0.97 |
Tropical dry evergreen |
| 22 |
Lonar Lake |
Maharashtra |
4.3 |
Only hyper-velocity impact crater in basalt |
| 23 |
Surinsar-Mansar |
J & K |
3.5 |
Twin lakes |
| 24 |
Keshopur-Miani |
Punjab |
3.4 |
Community reserve |
| 25 |
Nandur Madhmeshwar |
Maharashtra |
14 |
Maharashtra’s 1st |
| 26 |
Nawabganj |
Uttar Pradesh |
3 |
Sarus crane |
| 27 |
Sandi |
Uttar Pradesh |
3.1 |
Samaspur bird sanctuary |
| 28 |
Saman Bird Sanctuary |
Uttar Pradesh |
5 |
Monsoon wetland |
| 29 |
Parvati Agra |
Uttar Pradesh |
7 |
Agra’s 2nd after Keetham |
| 30 |
Bakhira |
Uttar Pradesh |
29 |
Eastern UP’s largest natural flood-plain |
| 31 |
Khijadiya |
Gujarat |
6 |
Bird & marine diversity |
| 32 |
Asan Barrage |
Uttarakhand |
4.4 |
Doon valley’s 1st |
| 33 |
Hygam |
J & K |
8 |
Hygam wetland conservation reserve |
| 34 |
Shallbugh |
J & K |
16 |
Jhelum basin |
| 35 |
Longwood Shola |
Tamil Nadu |
0.8 |
Nilgiri shola forest-stream |
Note: Full list updated till 15 Apr 2024 on https://rbsfcap.india.gov.in
6. Criteria for Ramsar Tag (any one)
- Criterion 1 – Representative/unique wetland type.
- Criterion 2 – Supports >20,000 waterfowl.
- Criterion 3 – Supports 1% population of any water-bird species.
- Criterion 4 – Supports threatened species (IUCN Red List).
- Criterion 5 – Important for fish spawning/breeding.
- Criterion 6 – Important for plant/animal life cycle.
- Criterion 7 – Important for endemic spp. or ecological services.
7. Montreux Record – “Red List” of Ramsar
- Sites facing ecological change.
- India has 2 – Keoladeo (1990) & Loktak (1993).
- Chilika was listed 1993 but removed 2002 after restoration.
8. India-specific Initiatives
- National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA) – 2013 (merging NLCP & NWCP).
- Wetlands (Conservation & Management) Rules, 2017 – replaced 2010 rules; prohibited activities: conversion for non-wetland use, solid waste dumping, encroachment.
- Wetland inventory – 2,31,195 wetlands mapped by ISRO 2022.
- Amrit Dharohar scheme – Budget 2023-24 – 3-year scheme for sustainable use of Ramsar sites.
9. Quick-Fire One-liners (Revision Capsule)
- World Wetlands Day – 2 Feb (1971 Ramsar signed).
- India’s 1st Ramsar – Chilika & Keoladeo (1981).
- Largest Ramsar site – Sundarbans (4,230 km²).
- Smallest Ramsar site – Renuka Lake (0.2 km²).
- Only Ramsar in Manipur – Loktak.
- Montreux Record sites in India – Keoladeo, Loktak.
- State with max Ramsar sites – Tamil Nadu (14).
- High-altitude Ramsar – Tsomoriri (4,595 m).
- Crater lake Ramsar – Lonar (Maharashtra).
- Twin lakes Ramsar – Surinsar-Mansar (J & K).
- Ramsar tag does not bring legal protected status – only international recognition.
- Ramsar secretariat hosted by IUCN – Gland, Switzerland.
- Theme 2024 – “Wetlands & Human Well-being”.
10. Practice MCQs (Railway Exam Pattern)
Q1. The Ramsar Convention was signed in which year?
Answer: 1971
Q2. India ratified the Ramsar Convention in –
Answer: 1982
Q3. Which of the following is the largest Ramsar site in India?
Answer: Sundarbans (West Bengal)
Q4. The smallest Ramsar site of India is –
Answer: Renuka Lake (Himachal Pradesh)
Q5. World Wetlands Day is observed on –
Answer: 2 February
Q6. Which state has the maximum number of Ramsar sites in India (as on Apr 2024)?
Answer: Tamil Nadu
Q7. Which of the following lakes was removed from the Montreux Record in 2002?
Answer: Chilika Lake
Q8. Loktak Lake is located in –
Answer: Manipur
Q9. The only Ramsar site which is also a hyper-velocity impact crater in basaltic rock is –
Answer: Lonar Lake (Maharashtra)
Q10. Ramsar Convention is named after the city located in –
Answer: Iran
Q11. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?
1. Keoladeo – Rajasthan
2. Deepor Beel – Assam
3. Wular – J & K
Answer: All 1, 2 & 3
Q12. The Montreux Record is maintained under –
Answer: Ramsar Convention
Q13. Which of the following is India’s first wetland to be designated as a Ramsar site?
Answer: Chilika Lake (Odisha)
Q14. The number of Ramsar sites in India as on 15 April 2024 is –
Answer: 85
Q15. The Ramsar Secretariat is located at –
Answer: Gland, Switzerland
Q16. Which of the following is NOT a criterion for Ramsar tag?
Answer: Presence of mangrove species only
Q17. “Amrit Dharohar” scheme announced in Budget 2023-24 is related to –
Answer: Ramsar site eco-tourism
Revise → Rehearse → Rock the exam!
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