Ramsar sites of India

Topic: Biodiversity and its Conservation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

Ramsar sites of India are Indian wetlands that have been put on the list of "wetlands of international importance" under the Ramsar Convention. India's first two were Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Rajasthan), both carrying the designation date 1 October 1981 [3]. The network now has 101 sites. The 100th was Surha Tal in Uttar Pradesh (June 2026) [1], and the 101st was Glaw Lake in Arunachal Pradesh (August 2026) [2].

• The label gives a wetland global attention and puts pressure on the government to protect it. Ramsar sites therefore appear in the news almost every year, and they are a favourite topic for Prelims questions.

Explanation

What the Ramsar Convention is

• Ramsar Convention: an international treaty to protect wetlands of international importance.
• It was signed at Ramsar, Iran, on the Caspian Sea coast, on 2 February 1971.
• That date is now celebrated as World Wetlands Day.

• It came into force in 1975.

• It is older than the Earth Summit (1992) and the CBD, and it is separate from both.

• India joined in 1982. Chilika and Keoladeo carry the date 1 October 1981, but they were formally declared in 1982 [3].
• A wetland is land covered by shallow water. The water may stay all year (permanent) or only for part of the year (seasonal).

• Types include marshes, lakes, lagoons, mangroves, floodplains and paddy fields.

• Why wetlands get this protection:

• they act like sponges: they soak up floodwater and refill groundwater
• they clean water by trapping silt and pollutants
• they are breeding and nursing grounds for fish and birds

How a site is managed at home

• Domestic law: the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017, framed under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986.
• Each state sets up a State Wetland Authority. The authority:
• lists the wetlands in that state
• notifies them (declares them officially)

• manages them

• Designation is only the first step. A site stays healthy only if it has a working management plan.

How the network grew

• From 26 sites in 2014 to 101 in 2026 [2].
• Official list of 21 April 2026: 99 sites in 26 States/UTs, covering 13,84,181 ha (about 13.8 lakh ha) [3].
• The milestones:
• 99th: Sheikha (Shekha) Jheel Bird Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh. It brought UP's total to 12 [3][4].
• 100th (June 2026): Surha Tal, the Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary in Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh. It is rich in migratory and resident birds [1].

• 101st (August 2026): Glaw Lake, the first Ramsar site in Arunachal Pradesh. It is a freshwater lake in the Eastern Himalayas, inside the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary. Over 150 tree species and 49 orchid species have been recorded there [2].

• India has the most Ramsar sites in Asia.

Montreux Record: the "danger list"

• Montreux Record: a list kept under the Ramsar Convention. It names Ramsar sites whose health is getting worse because of human activity. Sites on it get priority attention.
• Indian sites on it now:
• Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan): the park is short of water, and invasive weeds are spreading.

• Loktak Lake (Manipur): silt is filling the lake, and the Ithai barrage changed its water levels.

• Chilika (Odisha) was removed in 2002. The story in steps:

• a new channel was cut to the sea
• salt water and fresh water mixed properly again

• the fish catch and wildlife recovered

• Chilika was the first Asian site removed from the Montreux Record.

Where it occurs

• States with the most sites (list of 21 April 2026, made before the 100th and 101st sites were added):

Rank	State	Sites
1	Tamil Nadu	20 [3] (18 in August 2024 [5])
2	Uttar Pradesh	12 [3]; 13 with Surha Tal [1]
3 (tie)	Bihar, Odisha, Punjab	6 each [3]

• Largest sites by area:

Site	State	Area (ha)
Sundarban Wetland (2019)	West Bengal	4,23,000, the largest [3]
Vembanad-Kol Wetland (2002)	Kerala	1,51,250 [3]
Chilika Lake (1981)	Odisha	1,16,500 [3]

• Smallest sites: Renuka Wetland (Himachal Pradesh) and Vembannur Wetland Complex (Tamil Nadu), 20 ha each [3].
• Designated in 1990: Wular (J&K), Loktak (Manipur), Sambhar (Rajasthan) and Harike (Punjab) [3].
• Coastal and marine Ramsar sites:
• Bhitarkanika Mangroves, Odisha (2002; 65,000 ha) [3]
• Point Calimere, Tamil Nadu (2002) [3]
• Pichavaram Mangrove, Tamil Nadu (2022) [3]
• Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu (2022; 52,672 ha) [3]
• Thane Creek, Maharashtra (2022) [3]

• Aghanashini Estuary, Karnataka (2023) [3]

• Newest additions:

• Surha Tal, Ballia, Uttar Pradesh (100th) [1]

• Glaw Lake, inside Kamlang Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh (101st) [2]

• Worldwide: the treaty is named after Ramsar, a town on the Caspian Sea coast of Iran.

Don't confuse with

• Montreux Record: a Ramsar site is any wetland on the convention's list. The Montreux Record lists only the sites whose health is getting worse. Keoladeo and Loktak are on it. Chilika is not on it, because it was removed in 2002.
• CBD / Earth Summit (1992): the Ramsar Convention (1971) is older and is a separate treaty that deals only with wetlands. The CBD covers biodiversity as a whole.
• Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017: these are Indian domestic rules, framed under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986. Ramsar status is an international listing. The State Wetland Authorities set up under the 2017 Rules do the actual work of managing the wetlands.
• Largest site vs state with most sites: the largest site by area is the Sundarban Wetland (West Bengal) [3]. The state with the most sites is Tamil Nadu [3].

Prelims Hooks

• Ramsar Convention: signed at Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971 (World Wetlands Day); in force in 1975; India joined in 1982.
• India's first Ramsar sites, both dated 1 October 1981: Chilika (Odisha) and Keoladeo (Rajasthan) [3].
• 100th site: Surha Tal, the Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary in Ballia, UP [1]. 101st: Glaw Lake, Arunachal Pradesh's first, inside the Kamlang Tiger Reserve [2].
• Order by number of sites: Tamil Nadu (20) > Uttar Pradesh (12, then 13 with Surha Tal) > Bihar = Odisha = Punjab (6 each) [3][1].
• Largest site: Sundarban Wetland, 4,23,000 ha [3]. Smallest sites: Renuka (HP) and Vembannur (TN), 20 ha each [3].
• Trap: "Chilika Lake is on the Montreux Record" is wrong. It was removed in 2002. Keoladeo and Loktak are on the list.

Mains Points

• Why wetlands are being lost (GS-III):
• farming, cities and dams take over wetland land
• silt fills them up (Loktak), and invasive weeds spread

• water supply drops (Keoladeo)

• What India has done, and what is still missing:

• the network grew from 26 sites in 2014 to 101 in 2026 [2], supported by the Wetlands Rules 2017 and State Wetland Authorities
• Chilika's removal from the Montreux Record (2002) shows that restoration works
• the gaps: most sites are inland bird sanctuaries, and coastal and marine wetlands have fewer sites

• designating a site does not protect it without a management plan

• Wetlands as climate and disaster protection:

• wetlands soak up floods and refill groundwater
• coastal Ramsar sites such as the Sundarbans and Bhitarkanika break cyclone surges and store blue carbon (carbon locked in the soil of mangroves, seagrass meadows and salt marshes)
• so a bigger, well-managed Ramsar network supports India's climate goals and helps protect people from disasters

Related concepts

• Wetland
• Ramsar Convention
• Montreux Record
• Blue carbon
• Coral bleaching
• Great Barrier Reef
• Dugong
• Olive ridley turtle

Read more

• Wetlands, coasts and seas: Ramsar sites, mangroves, reefs and marine species