This year for the first time, World Wetlands Day is being observed as a United Nations international day, following its adoption by the UN General Assembly on August 30, 2021.
- World Wetlands Day is observed on February 2 every year to raise global awareness about the importance of wetlands, not only for people but the planet Earth as well.
World Wetlands Day 2022 Theme
- This year the day is being observed with the theme of “Wetlands Action for People and Nature” which highlights the importance of actions to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands for human and planetary health.
What are Wetlands?
- Wetlands can be both freshwater and marine and coastal ecosystems such as all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fishponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and saltpans.
- Wetlands cover only around 6% of the Earth’s land surface, 40% of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands.
What is Ramsar Convention?
- The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
- The convention is named after the Iranian city of Ramsar, where the treaty was signed on February 2, 1971.
Ramsar sites in India
- India has 47 Ramsar sites, which include the Chilika Lake in Odisha, Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan, Harike Lake in Punjab, Loktak Lake in Manipur and Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir.
RAMSAR WETLANDS SITES in INDIA (As on December, 2021)
| Sl. No. | Name of Site | State Location | Date of Declaration | Area (in Sq. km.) |
| 1 | Kolleru Lake | Andhra Pradesh | 19.8.2002 | 901 |
| 2 | Deepor Beel | Assam | 19.8.2002 | 40 |
| 3 | Kabartal Wetland | Bihar | 21.07.2020 | 26.20 |
| 4 | Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary | Gujarat | 24.09.2012 | 120 |
| 5 | Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary | Gujarat | 05.04.2021 | 6.99 |
| 6 | Wadhvana Wetland | Gujarat | 05.04.2021 | 6.30 |
| 7 | Sultanpur National Park | Haryana | 25.05.2021 | 1.425 |
| 8 | Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary | Haryana | 25.05.2021 | 4.12 |
| 9 | Chandertal Wetland | Himachal Pradesh | 8.11.2005 | 0.49 |
| 10 | Pong Dam Lake | Himachal Pradesh | 19.8.2002 | 156.62 |
| 11 | Renuka Wetland | Himachal Pradesh | 8.11.2005 | 0.2 |
| 12 | Wular Lake | Jammu & Kashmir | 23.3.1990 | 189 |
| 13 | Hokera Wetland | Jammu and Kashmir | 8.11.2005 | 13.75 |
| 14 | Surinsar-Mansar Lakes | Jammu and Kashmir | 8.11.2005 | 3.5 |
| 15 | Tsomoriri Lake | Jammu and Kashmir | 19.8.2002 | 120 |
| 16 | Asthamudi Wetland | Kerala | 19.8.2002 | 614 |
| 17 | Sasthamkotta Lake | Kerala | 19.8.2002 | 3.73 |
| 18 | Vembanad Kol Wetland | Kerala | 19.8.2002 | 1512.5 |
| 19 | Tso Kar Wetland Complex | Ladakh | 17.11.2020 | 95.77 |
| 20 | Bhoj Wetlands | Madhya Pradesh | 19.8.2002 | 32.01 |
| 21 | Lonar Lake | Maharashtra | 22.7.2020 | 4.27 |
| 22 | Nandur Madhameshwar | Maharashtra | 21.6.2019 | 14.37 |
| 23 | Loktak Lake | Manipur | 23.3.1990 | 266 |
| 24 | Bhitarkanika Mangroves | Orissa | 19.8.2002 | 650 |
| 25 | Chilka Lake | Orissa | 1.10.1981 | 1165 |
| 26 | Beas Conservation Reserve | Punjab | 26.9.2019 | 64.289 |
| 27 | Harike Lake | Punjab | 23.3.1990 | 41 |
| 28 | Kanjli Lake | Punjab | 22.1.2002 | 1.83 |
| 29 | Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve | Punjab | 26.9.2019 | 3.439 |
| 30 | Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary | Punjab | 26.9.2019 | 1.16 |
| 31 | Ropar Lake | Punjab | 22.1.2002 | 13.65 |
| 32 | Keoladeo Ghana NP | Rajasthan | 1.10.1981 | 28.73 |
| 33 | Sambhar Lake | Rajasthan | 23.3.1990 | 240 |
| 34 | Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | 19.8.2002 | 385 |
| 35 | Rudrasagar Lake | Tripura | 8.11.2005 | 2.4 |
| 36 | Haiderpur Wetland | Uttar Pradesh | 8.12.2021 | 69.08 |
| 37 | Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | 19.9.2019 | 2.246 |
| 38 | Parvati Agra Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | 2.12.2019 | 7.22 |
| 39 | Saman Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | 2.12.2019 | 52.63 |
| 40 | Samaspur Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | 3.10.2019 | 79.94 |
| 41 | Sandi Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | 26.9.2019 | 30.85 |
| 42 | Sarsai Nawar Jheel | Uttar Pradesh | 19.9.2019 | 16.13 |
| 43 | Sur Sarovar | Uttar Pradesh | 21.8.2020 | 4.31 |
| 44 | Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora Stretch) | Uttar Pradesh | 8.11.2005 | 265.9 |
| 45 | Asan Conservation Reserve | Uttarakhand | 21.7.2020 | 4.444 |
| 46 | East Kolkata Wetlands | West Bengal | 19.8.2002 | 125 |
| 47 | Sunderbans Wetland | West Bengal | 30.1.2019 | 4230 |
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