Ramsar Sites India | Uttar Pradesh Ramsar Sites | Latest Update | Drishti IAS English

[00:00:00]In a move that strengthens India's commitment to conserve wetlands, we have very recently announced the 99th Ramsar site in India.

[00:00:09]Hello students, welcome to Drishti IAS.

[00:00:11]My name is Saloni Nand Keol here, and in this session, let us talk about this 99th Ramsar site, and why is it so ecologically significant?

[00:00:20]So, this is the 99th site of India. It has been announced by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Shri Bhupendra Yadav, and this is the Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. So, with this, we now have 99 Ramsar site in India, and 12 in UP.

[00:00:51]So, this is the 12th Ramsar site of UP, and the 99th site of India. Now, what are these Ramsar sites? Ramsar sites are actually wetlands of international importance. We know that there is a Ramsar Convention of 1971 that talks about conserving wetlands.

[00:01:13]Wetlands that are actually a transition zone between the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. So, they are of significant importance because they are rich in biodiversity, and they also help in groundwater recharge, and environment protection, and everything. So, we have these wetlands for international importance that are basically announced by different countries. So, India became a party to this in 1982 when it ratified the convention.

[00:01:43]Right? And here, we talk about conserving all types of wetlands, meaning natural wetlands as well as human-made wetlands, natural and artificial. So, it has a broad definition, a broad definition of wetlands, these aquatic ecosystems, they are taken into consideration so that nothing is actually left behind. So, this one that we're talking about, Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary, the 12th Ramsar site of UP, is actually an is actually a natural It's a natural wetland.

[00:02:19]So, let's discuss something other things that are important about this wetland.

[00:02:24]We know that the Ramsar Convention was signed in 1971. The International Wetlands Day is celebrated on 2nd of February, and India ratified this in 1982. This is some static information related to wetlands of international importance.

[00:02:38]So, the Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary, it was officially notified as a protected bird habitat or wetland by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department in 2009.

[00:02:49]I already told you this is a natural wetland.

[00:02:53]And this was notified as a protected bird habitat or wetland by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department in 2009, and 2026, we see this being announced as a Ramsar site.

[00:03:09]Now, why is this important? Because it has rich biodiversity. Just like other wetlands of international importance, this also has rich biodiversity, rich flora and fauna, different types of species, fragile ecosystem, basically different types of species that are found in here.

[00:03:24]Then, socio-economic benefits are also there.

[00:03:27]Socio-economic benefits, meaning that it is a good fishing zone also. It provides livelihood to a lot of people. It has economic benefits. It also has It can also be used for research and development purposes. So, it has social benefits, it has economic benefits, it is rich in biodiversity, and most importantly, it is actually home to many migratory birds, migratory birds that come in from Europe, that come in from Siberia using the Central Asian Flyway. So, it's actually a great stop for these migratory birds also. So, some key species that are found here are bar-headed goose, which is a migratory bird, painted stork. It is found domestically also, and various species of ducks and waterfowl. These again are mainly migratory birds. So, this bird sanctuary is actually home to many important migratory bird species. It is a bird That's why it's a protected bird habitat, and it is also rich in other biodiversity like other species of flora and fauna. So, with this, we mark our 99th Ramsar site and UP's 12th Ramsar site. All in all, if you see which state has the maximum number, the maximum number of Ramsar sites, it is Tamil Nadu with 20 Ramsar sites, and then we have Uttar Pradesh with 12.

[00:04:54]So, now we are very close to hitting our century. Very soon, we can declare our 100th Ramsar site. For now, India has 99 Ramsar sites, and UP is the state which actually has the second highest number of Ramsar sites in India. So, that was all for this discussion, a very short and crisp analysis of the topic over here. Now, we look at a practice question for prelims. And before we do that, I'll very quickly tell you that our Civil Services Day sale is live. So, here, you're getting up to 50% off on all the online courses, pen drive courses, and test series, and a flat 25% off on books, DLP, and magazines. So, it is going to be live only till tomorrow, till 23rd of April. So, go ahead, you can call us at this number, 87501 87501, and enroll into any course that you like. And you can also download the Drishti Learning app.

[00:05:53]Okay? Now, let's move on to our practice question.

[00:05:57]Consider the following statements about Ramsar sites and wetlands. One, Ramsar Convention was signed in 1971 in Iran.

[00:06:05]Two, India became a party to the Ramsar Convention in 1982.

[00:06:09]Three, Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance. Which of the statements given above is or are correct? A, three only. B, two and three only. C, one and three only. Or D, one, two, and three. So, it is a pretty straightforward question. Please attempt it. Provide your answers in the comment section, and thank you for watching.

[00:06:28]We'll meet you in a new video.

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