India's two new Ramsar sites: Another achievement in the direction of wetland conservation

¨     Union Environment Minister has added two more wetlands to the Ramsar Sites list – Patna Bird Sanctuary in Etah, Uttar Pradesh and Chhari-Dhand in Kutch, Gujarat, taking the total number of Ramsar sites in India to 98.

¨     India has added two more wetlands to its growing list of Ramsar sites – Patna Bird Sanctuary in Etah, Uttar Pradesh and Chhari-Dhand in Kutch, Gujarat have been officially designated as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, taking the total number of Ramsar sites in India to 98.

¨     India’s Ramsar network has expanded by more than 276% – from 26 in 2014 to 98 now.

¨     The Ramsar Convention (1971) — formally known as the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat — was adopted on 2 February in Ramsar, Iran, to promote the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

¨     Recognising the ecological and cultural importance of its wetlands, India signed this Convention on 1 February, 1982.

¨     Tamil Nadu (20) has the highest number of Ramsar sites. 2 February is observed every year as World Wetlands Day.

Patna Bird Sanctuary

¨     It is a protected sanctuary in Etah district of Uttar Pradesh. It was established in the year 1991.

¨     It is the smallest bird sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh.

¨     It is home to aquatic birds such as Lesser Whistling Duck, Greylag Goose, Comb Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail.

Chhari-Dhand Wetland Reserve

¨     It is located along the arid Banni grasslands and the marshy salt flats of the Rann of Kutch in Kutch district of Gujarat.

¨     In the Kutchi language, Chhari means “saline” and Dhand means “shallow wetland”. Home to endangered species: Dalmatian Pelican, Oriental Darter, Black-necked Stork and Indian Skimmer.

¨     The area is also famous for “Chir Batti” or ghost lights, a mysterious glowing phenomenon seen on dark nights in the Banni grasslands.

Details of Ramsar sites in Indiaz

¨     Andhra Pradesh (1), Assam (1), Bihar (6), Chhattisgarh (1), Goa (1), Gujarat (4), Haryana (2), Himachal Pradesh (3), Jharkhand (1), Karnataka (4), Kerala (3), Madhya Pradesh (5), Maharashtra (3), Manipur (1), Mizoram (1), Odisha (6), Punjab (6), Rajasthan (5), Sikkim (1), Tamil Nadu (20), Tripura (1), Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory (5), Ladakh Union Territory (2), Uttar Pradesh (10), Uttarakhand (1), West Bengal (2).