A recent update in the environmental preservation scenario of India highlights the country’s increased focus on conservation. India has included ten more wetlands in the Ramsar Convention protection program, expanding the network of safeguarded areas across diverse states.
These newly added wetlands are spread across Maharashtra, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra gets its first with Nandur. Punjab has three new additions – Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve, and Nangal. Uttar Pradesh leads the pack with six sites – Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi, and Sarsai Nawar.
These join the ranks of the existing 27 Ramsar sites in Rajasthan, Kerala, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura.
Significance of this Move: Tying into National Goals and Protecting Resources
This addition is a crucial step towards India’s ambitious mission ‘Nal se Jal’ that targets providing piped water connection to all households by 2024. Wetlands are key contributors to this mission as they offer important resources and ecosystem services. These include food, water, fibre, groundwater recharge, flood moderation, erosion control, and climate regulation.
| Key Wetland Resources | Ecosystem Services |
|---|---|
| Food | Water Purification |
| Water | Flood Moderation |
| Fibre | Erosion control |
| Groundwater recharge | Climate Regulation |
Ramsar Convention: A Brief Overview
Signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, the Ramsar Convention is one of the oldest inter-governmental agreements for preserving the ecological character of wetlands. Also known as the Convention on Wetlands, its primary goal is to establish and maintain an international network of wetlands crucial for conserving global biological diversity and sustaining human life. It emphasises the significance of ecosystem maintenance, processes, benefits, and components.
Wetlands declared as Ramsar sites receive protection under the stringent guidelines of the convention.
Montreux Record: An Integral Part of the Ramsar List
The Montreux Record under the Ramsar Convention is a register of internationally significant wetland sites. These are sites where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur due to technological developments, pollution, or other forms of human interference.
Currently, two Indian wetlands feature in this record – the Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan and Loktak Lake in Manipur. Chilika lake in Odisha was earlier part of this record but later removed.