NAGI AND NAKTI BIRD SANCTUARIES (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Amid an ongoing heatwave and drying water bodies across India, Bihar's Nagi and Nakti Bird Sanctuaries have been recognized as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Nagi and Nakti Bird Sanctuaries

• About: These sanctuaries are built on human-made wetlands and provide a natural habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna, especially flocks of birds.

o The Nagi Dam and Nakti Dam are two sanctuaries so close to each other that they can be taken as one bird area. 

• Location: Jamui district, Bihar.
• Importance: The wetland, which formed as a result of the construction of the Nagi dam, is a prime location for migrating birds in the winter season.
• Bihar's First Ramsar Site: Kanwar Lake in Begusarai district was designated as Bihar’s first Ramsar Site in 2020.

Ramsar Convention

• About:  is an international convention to conserve wetlands and was signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar.
• With their inclusion in the Ramsar Convention, the total number of such wetlands in India has risen to 82.
• Geographical Area: India’s Ramsar wetlands are spread over 13,000 sq km - around 12% of the total wetland area in the country - across 18 States.
• Largest Ramsar Site of India: Sundarbans (West Bengal).
• Membership of India: India is a part of the Ramsar Convention and signed in 1982.