Rajasthan’s Khichan and Menar Wetlands Declared Ramsar Sites as India Leads Asia with 91 Wetlands.
International
On June 4, 2025, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the declaration of Khichan (Phalodi) and Menar (Udaipur) wetlands in Rajasthan as Ramsar Sites, increasing Rajasthan’s total to four, including Sambhar Salt Lake and Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
- India now has 91 Ramsar Sites, the highest in Asia and third globally after the UK (175) and Mexico (142), reflecting the country’s commitment to wetland conservation under the Ramsar Convention framework.
- The Menar Wetland Complex, known as the "Bird Village," covers 463.414 hectares in Udaipur and includes three ponds connected by agricultural land, hosting 110 waterbird species, including critically endangered vultures.
- The Khichan Wetland, spanning 54.187 hectares in the northern Thar Desert, consists of Ratri Nadi river and Vijaysagar Talab pond, supporting over 22,000 migratory demoiselle cranes and 150 bird species annually.
Main Point :- (i) The Ramsar Convention, adopted in 1971 in Iran, promotes international cooperation for wetland conservation. India joined in 1982 and now protects diverse ecosystems through 91 designated Ramsar Sites covering 1.3 million hectares.
(ii) Tamil Nadu leads India with 20 Ramsar Sites, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 10, and Rajasthan with 4, showing regional efforts toward wetland preservation and biodiversity protection across the country.
(iii) India’s largest Ramsar Site is the Sundarbans Wetland in West Bengal, covering 423,000 hectares, while the smallest is Renuka Wetland in Himachal Pradesh at 20 hectares, demonstrating varied wetland ecosystem sizes.
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