4 more Indian sites added to Ramsar list as wetlands of international importance

Four more Indian wetlands have received international recognition as Ramsar sites taking the number of such protected sites in India to 46 spread over an area of nearly 11 lakh hectares in 20 states.

The new additions are Thol and Wadhwana water bodies in Gujarat and Sultanpur and Bhindawas wetlands in Haryana.

While Haryana gets its first Ramsar sites, Gujarat gets three more after Nalsarovar which was declared in 2012, the Union Environment Ministry said in a statement.

Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary, the largest wetland in Haryana is a human-made freshwater wetland. Over 250 bird species use the sanctuary throughout the year as a resting and roosting site.

The site supports more than ten globally threatened species including the endangered Egyptian Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, and Black-bellied Tern.

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Sultanpur National Park supports more than 220 species of resident, winter migratory and local migratory waterbirds at critical stages of their life cycles.

More than ten of these are globally threatened, including the critically endangered Sociable Lapwing, and the endangered Egyptian Vulture, Saker Falcon, Pallas’s Fish Eagle and Black-bellied Tern.

Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat lies on the Central Asian Flyway and more than 320 bird species can be found here.

The wetland supports more than 30 threatened waterbird species, such as the critically endangered White-rumped Vulture and Sociable Lapwing, and the vulnerable Sarus Crane, Common Pochard and Lesser White-fronted Goose.

Wadhvana Wetland is internationally important for its bird life as it provides wintering ground to migratory waterbirds, including over 80 species that migrate on the Central Asian Flyway.

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They include some threatened or near-threatened species such as the endangered Pallas’s fish-Eagle, the vulnerable Common Pochard, and the near-threatened Dalmatian Pelican, Grey-headed Fish-eagle and Ferruginous Duck.

“It is a matter of pride for us that four Indian sites get Ramsar recognition. This once again manifests India's centuries old ethos of preserving natural habitats, working towards flora and fauna protection, and building a greener planet,” tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Wetlands provide a wide range of ecological resources and ecosystem services such as food, water, fibre, groundwater recharge, water purification, flood moderation, erosion control and climate regulation. They serve as a key source of fresh water supply by soaking the rainfall and recharging the groundwater.

The aim of the Ramsar list is to develop and maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the conservation of biological diversity and for sustaining human life.

Karnataka is the only southern state without any Ramsar site while its neighbours have. There are three such sites in Kerala (Ashtamudi, Sasthamkotta and Vembanad Kol) and one each in Tamil Nadu (Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary) and Andhra Pradesh (Kolleru Lake).