4 New Wetlands Added to Ramsar List: 2 from Tamil Nadu, 1 from Jharkhand, and 1 from Sikkim.
National
On 31 January 2025, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), announced the inclusion of four new wetlands from India in the Ramsar Convention list, increasing the total number of internationally recognized Ramsar sites in India to 89.
- The newly designated sites are Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary and Therthangal Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu (TN), Khecheopalri Wetland in Sikkim, and Udhwa Lake in Jharkhand. This marks the first-ever Ramsar sites for both Sikkim and Jharkhand.
- With this addition, Tamil Nadu now has 20 Ramsar sites, the highest in India, followed by Uttar Pradesh (UP) with 10.
- Globally, there are 2,529 Ramsar wetlands. Wetlands are vital ecosystems that support diverse species of plants and wildlife, both aquatic and terrestrial.
Main Point :- (i) India holds the highest number of Ramsar sites in Asia and ranks third globally, following the United Kingdom (UK) with 176 sites and Mexico with 144 sites.
(ii) A wetland must meet at least one of the nine criteria outlined in the Ramsar Convention of 1971 to be designated as a Ramsar site.
(iii) Over the past decade, India's Ramsar sites have significantly increased from 26 to 89, with 47 of them added in the last three years. World Wetlands Day is observed globally on February 2.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)
Union Minister : Bhupender Yadav
Headquarters : New Delhi
____________________________
