11 more wetlands in Ramsar list


 India now has 11 new Ramsar sites — wetlands of international importance, acknowledged as such under the 1971 Ramsar Convention.This brings the total to 19. India has given a list of six more for consideration to the Ramsar bureau and is collecting information on another six, in line with its commitment at a 1999 international meeting to designate 25 new sites.

The designation of a wetland as a Ramsar site enables the exchange of standardised information on conservation practices and technical assistance and lends international tourism value to a place. Orissa’s Chilka lake, Manipur’s Loktak lake, Kashmir’s Wular lake, Rajasthan’s Keoladeo national park and Sambhar lake, and Punjab’s Harike lake were already on the list.

 The new entrants include Kerala’s Ashtamudi wetland, Sasthamkotta lake and Vembanad wetland. The first one is the second largest estuarine system in Kerala, supporting mangrove species, over 40 associated plant species, 57 bird species and 100 species of fish. Sasthamkotta lake is the state’s largest freshwater lake, home to 27 freshwater fish species. It’s also home to a larva, Cavaborus, which contributes to what is described as its "exceptional purity". Vembanad is the largest brackish, humid tropical wetland ecosystem fed by 10 rivers, which supports the country’s third largest waterfowl population in winter....Read more
 
Source web page:Times of India

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