Thu. Mar 28th, 2024
India designates five new Ramsar sites, three from Tamil Nadu and one each from MP and Mizoram

With the emphasis on environmental protection and conservation has led to a marked improvement in how India treats its wetlands. India has designated five new wetlands of International importance, which include three wetlands in Tamil Nadu: Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest and Pichavaram Mangrove. One in Mizoram: Pala wetland and one wetland in Madhya Pradesh: Sakhya Sagar.

The Ramsar sites have been increased from 49 to 54 Ramsar sites  in the country.

Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change Bhupender Yadav took to twitter to announce this, “The emphasis PM Shri @narendramodi ji has put on environmental protection and conservation has led to a marked improvement in how India treats its wetlands.  Delighted to inform that 5 more Indian wetlands have got Ramsar recognition as wetlands of international importance.”

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M.K.Stalin congratulated Tamil Nadu Forest Department on this milestone, tweeting, “With Pallikaranai Marsh, Pichavaram mangroves & Karikili bird sanctuary now being recognised as new Ramsar sites – the most prestigious International recognition for wetlands- TN now has four Ramsar sites including Kodiakkarai. I congratulate TN Forest Dept on this milestone.”

What are Wetlands?

Wetlands are a major, planet-wide habitat that make life on Earth possible.

Article 1.1 of the Convention on Wetlands defines wetlands as: “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.” 

They are ecosystems where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and animal life. This encompasses all inland wetlands, such as marshes, ponds, lakes, fens, rivers, floodplains, and swamps; a range of coastal wetlands, including saltwater marshes, estuaries, mangroves, lagoons, and coral reefs; and human-made wetlands like fishponds, rice paddies, and salt pans.

 

What are RAMSAR Wetland Sites?

The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.

It is an intergovernmental environmental treaty established by UNESCO in 1971, and named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the convention was signed that year.

The convention entered into force in India on 1 February 1982.

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