India has added three more Ramsar Sites to its network to take the total tally to 85 Ramsar sites in the country, covering an area of 1,358,068 hectares in India.
Out of three new sites, two are in Tamil Nadu and one is in Madhya Pradesh. Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary of Tamil Nadu, Tawa Reservoir of Madhya Pradesh are declared as India's new Ramsar sites.
Ramsar Sites – an international convention on Wetlands was signed in February 1971 in Ramsar (Iran) under the auspices of UNESCO. India became one of the contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention in 1982 and has so far declared 85 wetlands as Ramsar sites covering all states and union territories.
Wetlands are critical in maintaining global biological diversity and supporting human well-being. It acts as a buffer from floods and droughts, cyclones and other extreme events and plays an important role in maintaining water and food security. It also supports conservation of species of local, national and international importance.
The Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav has given credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for India’s increasing wetlands conservation areas.
“The achievement reflects the emphasis PM Narendra Modi ji has laid on establishing harmony with nature, calling our wetlands Amrit Dharohars, and working relentlessly for their conservation” posted Yadav on social media X.
The Government announced Amrit Dharohar initiative last year aimed to achieve similar goals by promoting the unique conservation values of Ramsar Sites.
Further, MoEF&CC has notified the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 as a regulatory framework for the conservation and management of wetlands across the country.
The said rules inter-alia restrict activities, like solid waste dumping, discharge of untreated wastes, effluents from industries, cities, towns, villages and other human settlements.
Moreover, The MoEF&CC is also implementing a centrally sponsored scheme namely, the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) for the conservation and management of wetlands in the country.