It was a historic day for Gonda (Uttar Pradesh), as the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) organised the World Wetlands Day 2025 celebrations at the Parvati Arga Ramsar Site, on 2nd February, 2025.
- The event highlighted the critical role of wetlands in environmental conservation, biodiversity, and sustainable livelihoods, aligning with this year’s theme of ‘Protecting Wetlands for our Common Future’.
World Wetlands Day
- World Wetlands Day is observed on 2nd February every year worldwide to commemorate the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in 1971.
- India is a party to the Convention since 1982.
Four new wetlands
- India has recently increased its tally of Ramsar sites (Wetlands of International Importance) to 89 by designating four more wetlands as Ramsar sites.
- Udhwa Lake in Jharkhand, Theerthangal and Sakkarakottai in Tamil Nadu and Khecheopalri in Sikkim. These are the first Ramsar Sites of Sikkim and Jharkhand.
- With the addition of these wetlands to List of Wetlands of International Importance, the total area covered under Ramsar sites is now 1.358 million ha.
- Tamil Nadu continues to have maximum number of Ramsar Sites (20 sites) followed by Uttar Pradesh (10 sites).
