Ramsar sites (Wetlands) in India: Memorize faster
Why wetlands are called ‘Ramsar sites’?
Ramsar is a city in Iran. In 1971, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable
use of wetlands was signed at Ramsar. The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and
wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as
a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.
More than 2300 wetlands of international importance!
● Today, the Ramsar List is the world’s largest network of protected areas.
● There are currently over 2,300 Ramsar Sites around the world. They cover over 2.5
million square kilometres, an area larger than Mexico.
● The world’s first Site was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia, designated in 1974.
● The largest Sites are Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in the Democratic Republic of
Congo and Queen Maud Gulf in Canada; these Sites each cover over 60,000
square kilometres.
● The countries with the most Sites are the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico
with 142.
● Bolivia has the largest area with 148,000 km2 under Ramsar protection.
Ramsar sites (Wetlands) in India: State-wise compilation
Sl. No. Wetland Name State
1 Kolleru Lake Andhra Pradesh
2 Deepor Beel Assam
, 3 Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary Gujarat
4 Chandertal Wetland Himachal Pradesh
5 Pong Dam Lake Himachal Pradesh
6 Renuka Wetland Himachal Pradesh
7 Hokera Wetland Jammu & Kashmir
8 Surinsar-Mansar Lakes Jammu & Kashmir
9 Tsomoriri Jammu & Kashmir
10 Wular Lake Jammu & Kashmir
11 Ashtamudi Wetland Kerala
12 Sasthamkotta Lake Kerala
Why wetlands are called ‘Ramsar sites’?
Ramsar is a city in Iran. In 1971, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable
use of wetlands was signed at Ramsar. The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and
wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as
a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.
More than 2300 wetlands of international importance!
● Today, the Ramsar List is the world’s largest network of protected areas.
● There are currently over 2,300 Ramsar Sites around the world. They cover over 2.5
million square kilometres, an area larger than Mexico.
● The world’s first Site was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia, designated in 1974.
● The largest Sites are Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in the Democratic Republic of
Congo and Queen Maud Gulf in Canada; these Sites each cover over 60,000
square kilometres.
● The countries with the most Sites are the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico
with 142.
● Bolivia has the largest area with 148,000 km2 under Ramsar protection.
Ramsar sites (Wetlands) in India: State-wise compilation
Sl. No. Wetland Name State
1 Kolleru Lake Andhra Pradesh
2 Deepor Beel Assam
, 3 Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary Gujarat
4 Chandertal Wetland Himachal Pradesh
5 Pong Dam Lake Himachal Pradesh
6 Renuka Wetland Himachal Pradesh
7 Hokera Wetland Jammu & Kashmir
8 Surinsar-Mansar Lakes Jammu & Kashmir
9 Tsomoriri Jammu & Kashmir
10 Wular Lake Jammu & Kashmir
11 Ashtamudi Wetland Kerala
12 Sasthamkotta Lake Kerala
