List Ramsar Sites of India 2023

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List Ramsar Sites of India 2023

Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance, as stated under the Ramsar Convention, which is also known as the 'Convention on Wetlands.' This convention is an international treaty, which was established by UNESCO. This convention was named after the 'Ramsar' city, located in Iran, where the convention was signed in 1971 and came into force in 1975. These sites recognized the wetlands, which are ecologically important. These listed Ramsar sites are ecological sites, which helps the government to take necessary steps for the maintenance of these sites. These sites include mangroves, deltas, marshes, rivers, lakes, flooded forests, rice fields, coral reefs, etc. As of September 2023, India has a total of 75 Ramsar sites. Let's study the latest Ramsar Sites of India 2023 in detail.

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands:

  • The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an international treaty, which was signed for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.

  • This convention is also known as the Convention on Wetlands.

  • It was signed on February 2, 1971, in Ramsar (city) in Iran.

  • The treaty was named after Iran's city Ramsar, where it was signed in 1971.

  • February 2 is also observed as World Wetlands Day, annually.

Objective of the Ramsar Convention:

This convention works on three pillars, which decide the objective of the Ramsar convention. These three pillars are as follow:

  1. Wise use

  2. Record of Wetlands of International Importance

  3. 3. International Cooperation

Ramsar Site:

  • While joining this convention, each member (country) must designate at least one wetland site within their territory for the list of Wetlands of International Importance.

  • After inclusion in the list, these sites (Ramsar) receive a new national and international status.

  • Currently, there are over 2,400 Ramsar Sites around the world, which is about over 2.5 million square kilometers.

  • The Cobourg Peninsula, located in Australia, was the world's first Ramsar site, which was designated in 1974.

  • The United Kingdom with 175 has the most numbers of Ramsar sites, followed by Mexico (142).

List Ramsar Sites of India 2023:

India signed the Ramsar convention on 1st February 1982 and designated Chilika Lake (located in Odisha) as the first Ramsar site from India. As of September 2023, India has 75 Ramsar sites, covering an area of 13, 26, 677 ha in the country. In India, Tamil Nadu has a maximum number of Ramsar sites (14), followed by UP (10). The list of Ramsar Sites in India is as follows:

Year-wise designation of 75 Ramsar sites:

S. No.

Year of Designation

No. of site designated

Ramsar Sites

1

1981

2

Chilka Lake (Odisha)

Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Rajasthan)

2

1990

4

Loktak Lake (Manipur)

Harike Wetland (Punjab)

Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan)

Wular Lake (Jammu and Kashmir)

3

2002

13

Tsomoriri (High Altitude Ramsar Site) (Leh)

Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary (TN)

Ropar Wetland (Punjab)

Kanjli Wetland (Punjab)

Bhitarkanika Mangroves (Odisha)

Bhoj Wetland (Madhya Pradesh)

Sasthamkotta Lake (Kerala)

Ashtamudi Wetland (Kerala)

Pong Dam Lake (Himachal Pradesh)

Deepor Beel (Assam)

Kolleru Lake (Andhra Pradesh)

East Kolkata Wetlands (West Bengal)

Vembanad-Kol Wetland (Kerala)

4

2005

6

Chandra Taal (Himachal Pradesh)

Renuka Lake (Himachal Pradesh)

Rudrasagar Lake (Tripura)

Hokera Wetland (Jammu and Kashmir)

Surinsar-Mansar Lakes (Jammu and Kashmir)

Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora)

5

2012

1

Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary (Gujarat)

6

2019

11

Nandur Madhameshwar (Maharashtra)

Beas Conservation Reserve (Punjab)

Keshopur Miani Community Reserve Wetland (Punjab)

Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary (Punjab)

Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Uttar Pradesh)

Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary (Uttar Pradesh)

Saman Bird Sanctuary (Uttar Pradesh)

Samaspur Bird Sanctuary (Uttar Pradesh)

Sandi Bird Sanctuary (Uttar Pradesh)

Sarsai Nawar Jheel (Uttar Pradesh)

Sundarban Wetland (West Bengal)

7

2020

5

Kanwar (Kabar) Taal (Bihar)

Lonar Lake (Impact Crater Lake) (Maharashtra)

Tso Kar (High Altitude Ramsar Site) (Ladakh)

Sur Sarovar (Keetham Lake) (Uttar Pradesh)

Asan Barrage (Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh)

8

2021

14

Khijadia Wildlife Sanctuary (Gujarat)

Thol Lake (Gujarat)

Wadhvana Wetland (Gujarat)

Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary (Haryana)

Sultanpur National Park (Haryana)

Pala Wetland (Mizoram)

Ansupa Lake (Odisha)

Hirakud Reservoir (Odisha)

Satkosia Gorge (Odisha)

Tampara Lake (Odisha)

Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu)

Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary (Uttar Pradesh)

Haiderpur Wetland (Uttar Pradesh)

Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu)

9

2022

19

Nanda Lake (Goa)

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (Karnataka)

Sakhya Sagar (Madhya Pradesh)

Sirpur wetland (Madhya Pradesh)

Yashwant Sagar (Madhya Pradesh)

Thane Creek (Maharashtra)

Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve (Tamil Nadu)

Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu)

Karikili Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu)

Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest (Tamil Nadu)

Pichavaram Mangrove (Tamil Nadu)

Suchindram Theroor Wetland Complex (Tamil Nadu)

Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu)

Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu)

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu)

Vellode Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu)

Vembannur Wetland Complex (Tamil Nadu)

Hygam Wetland Conservation Reserve (J&K)

Shallbugh Wetland Conservation Reserve (J&K)

75

Largest Ramsar Sites in India:

Largest Ramsar Sites in India

Ramsar Site

State

Area (km2)

1

Sundarban Wetland

West Bengal

4230

2

Vembanad-Kol Wetland

Kerala

1512.5

3

Chilika Lake

Odisha

1165

4

Satkosia Gorge

Odisha

981.97

5

Kolleru Lake

Andhra Pradesh

901

Smallest Ramsar Sites in India

Smallest Ramsar Sites in India

Ramsar Site

State

Area (km2)

1

Renuka Lake

Himachal Pradesh

0.2

2

Vembannur Wetland Complex

Tamil Nadu

0.2

3

Vedanthangal BS

Tamil Nadu

0.4

4

Nanda Lake

Goa

0.42

5

Udhayamarthandapuram BS

Tamil Nadu

0.44

Key Details of India’s 75 Ramsar sites:

S.NO

Ramsar Sites

Key Details

Kolleru Lake

  • State: Andhra Pradesh

  • Naturally eutrophic lake

  • Located between the Godavari and the Krishna river basins

Deepor Beel

  • State: Assam

  • Permanent freshwater lake

Kanwar Taal

  • State: Bihar

  • Also Known as Kabar Taal Lake

  • Lies in the Indo-Gangetic Plain

Nanda Lake

  • State: Goa

  • Goa’s first and only Ramsar wetland site

  • An intermittent freshwater marsh

Khijadia WLS

  • State: Gujarat

  • Freshwater wetland

Nalsarovar BS

  • State: Gujarat

  • Largest natural freshwater lake in the Thar Desert

Thol Lake

  • State: Gujarat

  • Human-made reservoir

Wadhvana Wetland

  • State: Gujarat

  • Human-made reservoir

Bhindawas WLS

  • State: Haryana

  • Human-made freshwater wetland

Sultanpur National Park

  • State: Haryana

Chandra Taal

  • State: Himachal Pradesh

  • zigh-altitude lake near Kunzum Pass

Pong Dam Lake

  • State: Himachal Pradesh

  • Reservoir on the Beas River

  • It is also called Maharana Pratap Sagar.

  • It is located on the Trans-Himalayan Flyway for migratory waterfowl.

Renuka Lake

  • State: Himachal Pradesh

  • Natural wetland

Ranganathituu BS

  • State: Karnataka

Ashtamudi Wetland

  • State: Kerala

  • Natural backwater

  • Kerala's second-largest estuarine ecosystem

Sasthamkotta Lake

  • State: Kerala

  • Largest freshwater lake

Vembanad-Kol Wetland

  • State: Kerala

  • Kerala's largest brackish lake

  • Second-largest Ramsar Site in India (First: Sundarbans)

  • Longest lake in India

Bhoj Wetland

  • State: Madhya Pradesh

  • Human-made reservoir

Sakhya Sagar

  • State: Madhya Pradesh

  • Human-made reservoir

Sirpur wetland

  • State: Madhya Pradesh

  • Human-made reservoir

Yashwant Sagar

  • State: Madhya Pradesh

  • Designated as an IBA in the Indore region (Madhya Pradesh)

Lonar Lake

  • State: Maharashtra

  • Endorheic (closed basin) crater lake

  • It was formed by a meteorite impact.

  • High in salinity and alkalinity

Nandur Madhameshwar

  • State: Maharashtra

  • Host: leopards and Indian Sandalwood (VU)

Thane Creek

  • State: Maharashtra

  • It falls under the MEOW (Marine Ecoregions of the World).

Loktak Lake

  • State: Manipur

  • Largest freshwater lake

  • Keibul Lamjao (the only floating national park in the world) floats over Loktak Lake

  • It was included on the Montreux Record in 1993.

Pala Wetland

  • State: Mizoram

  • Natural lake

Ansupa Lake

  • State: Odisha

  • Freshwater oxbow lake

  • It is formed by Mahanadi River.

  • Odisha's largest freshwater lake

Bhitarkanika Mangroves

  • State: Odisha

  • It is a part of the Bhitarkanika WLS

  • Famous for: Olive Ridley Turtle (VU) and Saltwater Crocodile (LC)

Chilika Lake

  • State: Odisha

  • India's first wetland of international importance

  • Located: Mouth of the Daya River

  • Brackish water lagoon

  • Flagship species: Irrawaddy dolphin (EN)

  • It was included in Montreux Record in 1993

Hirakud Reservoir

  • State: Odisha

  • Largest earthen dam in Odisha

Satkosia Gorge

  • State: Odisha

  • Gorge over Mahanadi

Tampara Lake

  • State: Odisha

Beas Conservation Reserve

  • State: Punjab

  • 185 km stretch of the Beas River

Harike Wetland

  • State: Punjab

  • At the convergence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers.

Kanjli Wetland

  • State: Punjab

  • Related to the first guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Ji

Keshopur Miani Community Reserve Wetland

  • State: Punjab

Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary

  • State: Punjab

  • It is located at the Bhakra-Nangal Project

Ropar Wetland

  • State: Punjab

  • Formed by: Construction of a barrage

Keoladeo National Park

  • State: Rajasthan

  • Included in the Montreux Record in 1990

Sambhar Lake

  • State: Rajasthan

  • India’s largest inland saltwater lake

Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Tamil Nadu

  • It is adjacent to Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary

Gulf of Mannar Marine Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Tamil Nadu

  • First Marine Biosphere Reserve in South and South -East Asia

  • Local community: Marakeyars

Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Tamil Nadu

Karikili Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Tamil Nadu

Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Tamil Nadu

  • Human-made wetland

  • Designated as Important Bird Areas (IBA)

Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest

  • State: Tamil Nadu

Pichavaram Mangrove

  • State: Tamil Nadu

Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Tamil Nadu

Suchindram Theroor Wetland Complex

  • State: Tamil Nadu

  • Designated as Important Bird Areas (IBA)

Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Tamil Nadu

Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Tamil Nadu

  • Human-made irrigation tank

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Tamil Nadu

  • Freshwater wetland

Vellode Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Tamil Nadu

Vembannur Wetland Complex

  • State: Tamil Nadu

  • Human-made inland tank

  • Designated as Important Bird Areas (IBA)

Rudrasagar Lake

  • State: Tripura

Hokera Wetland

  • UT: Jammu & Kashmir

  • Natural wetland is adjacent to the Jhelum basin

Hygam Wetland Conservation Reserve

  • UT: Jammu & Kashmir

  • It lies downstream of Wular Lake

Shallbugh Wetland Conservation Reserve

  • UT: Jammu & Kashmir

Surinsar-Mansar Lakes

  • UT: Jammu & Kashmir

  • Freshwater Lakes

Wular Lake

  • UT: Jammu & Kashmir

  • India's largest freshwater lake

Tso Kar

  • UT: Ladakh

  • Designated as Important Bird Area

  • High-altitude wetland      

Tsomoriri

  • UT: Ladakh

  • Freshwater to brackish lake

Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary

  • State: Uttar Pradesh

  • Freshwater marsh

Haiderpur Wetland

  • State: Uttar Pradesh

  • Formed by: Construction of the Madhya Ganga Barrage

Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Uttar Pradesh

  • Shallow marshland

  • Renamed Chandra Shekhar Azad Bird Sanctuary

Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Uttar Pradesh

  • Permanent freshwater environment

Saman Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Uttar Pradesh

  • Seasonal oxbow lake

Samaspur Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Uttar Pradesh

  • Perennial lowland marsh

Sandi Bird Sanctuary

  • State: Uttar Pradesh

Sarsai Nawar Jheel

  • State: Uttar Pradesh

  • Designated as Important Bird Area

Sur Sarovar (Keetham Lake)

  • State: Uttar Pradesh

  • Created to supply water to Agra

Upper Ganga River

  • State: Uttar Pradesh

Asan Barrage

  • State: Uttarakhand

East Kolkata Wetlands

  • State: West Bengal

Sundarban Wetland

  • State: West Bengal

  • Largest Ramsar Site in India

  • Largest mangrove forest

Click here to check out Important Ramsar Sites in India GK Questions 

 

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