Ramsar Sites

Ramsar Sites: Recently, India made a significant advancement in environmental sustainability by adding two more wetlands—Khichan (Phalodi) and Menar (Udaipur) in Rajasthan—to the prestigious list of Ramsar Sites.

o With this addition, the total number of Ramsar Sites in the country has risen to 91, underscoring India’s increasing commitment to the preservation of critical ecosystems.

• About Ramsar Sites: A wetland designated as internationally important under the Ramsar Convention, also known as the 'Convention on Wetlands'.
• About Ramsar Convention : It is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. 

o Timeline: The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. 

o Contracting Parties: Almost 90% of UN member states have become “Contracting Parties” (172). 

o Membership of India: India is a part of the Ramsar Convention and signed in 1982.

o Criteria: To be Ramsar site, however, it must meet at least one of the nine criteria defined by the Ramsar Convention of 1971, including :

- Supporting vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species.

- Hosting threatened ecological communities.

- Regularly supporting 20,000 or more waterbirds.

- Serving as a vital source of food for fish, or functioning as a spawning ground, nursery, or migration path essential for fish populations.