New Wetlands Designated as Ramsar Sites: The Union environment ministry on recently announced that India has added 10 more wetlands, taking the total Ramsar sites to 64.

Key Highlights:

• So far, 64 wetlands covering an area of 12,50,361 ha have been designated as Ramsar Sites of International Importance from India.
• The new sites include six wetlands from Tamil Nadu and one each from Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.
• Now, India stands at first position jointly with China.

10 wetlands designated as Ramsar sites

Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary:

• Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary is a man-made wetland in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
• It is the largest reserve for breeding resident and migratory water birds in south India.
• It is also an important bird and biodiversity area forming part of the central Asian flyway.
• The wetland also irrigates about 190 acres of paddy.

Satkosia gorge:

• The Satkosia gorge, which has also been included, spreads along the Mahanadi river in Odisha.
• It was established in 1976 as a wildlife sanctuary.
• It is the meeting point of two biogeographic regions of India – the Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats, contributing immense biodiversity,
• The Satkosia gorge wetland is a mosaic of marshes and evergreen forests.
• The forests of these catchments play a vital role in the prevention of the gorge siltation.
• They also help in maintaining a desirable depth of water crucial for the endangered gharial population.

Nanda Lake:

• The Nanda Lake in Goa has freshwater marshes that lie adjacent to one of the major rivulets of the Zuari river.
• This enables the locals to store water during the off-monsoon season.
• The stored water is also utilised to cultivate paddy downstream of the lake and supports fishing and recreation.
• The lake is a habitat for Black-headed ibis, Common kingfisher, Wire-tailed swallow, Bronze-winged jacana, Brahminy kite among others.

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve (GoMBR):

• Among seven others that have been included in the list, the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve (GoMBR).
• It is one of the most important, located on the southeastern coastline.
• It is unique for its rich marine environment.
• The reserve area is also home to several globally important and highly threatened species such as the Dugong, whale shark, green sea turtle, hawksbill turtle seahorses, balanoglossus,, dolphins, sacred chanks, etc.

Ramsar Convention:

• Ramsar Convention was signed on 2nd February, 1971.
• It is one of the oldest inter-governmental accords signed by member countries.
• Its main objective is to preserve the ecological character of their wetlands of international importance.
• It is named after Ramsar, the Iranian city where the treaty was signed.
• Places chosen for conservation under it are given the tag ‘Ramsar site’.

Aim:

• The aim of the Ramsar list is to develop and maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and benefits.