BENGALURU: Aghanashini estuary in Uttara Kannada district is all set to be declared as a Ramsar site, the most sought-after tag for a wetland, with the Union Budget listing out the creation of more sites.
The announcement by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been well appreciated by experts and officials from the environment and ecology department. This is more so after the central government stressed the protection of coasts and mangroves and the creation of wetlands.
“Aghanashini was a long-pending demand and it was proposed even before Ranganathittu was declared as the first and only Ramsar site of Karnataka. The Centre will announce Aghanashini as a Ramsar site in a day or two. It meets all the required criteria and is required. The decision of the Union government to declare more Ramsar sites is required as it not just leads to conservation, but encourages local employment, sustainable economic growth and tourism,” said Prof T V Ramachandra, member of National Wetland Committee and Karnataka Wetland Authority.
The next sites proposed to the Centre are Ankasamudra, Magadi Lake, Shettikere wetland and Almatti backwaters. According to a central government report, there are 75 Ramsar sites in India, covering 13,26,678 hectares.