Identification and Designation of Potential Indian Ramsar Sites

Since India became a contracting party to the Ramsar Convention in 1981, subsequently six wetlands in the country were designated as Ramsar Sites.

However after the Government of India's commitment at the CoP 7 in Costa Rica an additional 13 have been designated till date. This is despite the wealth of aquatic ecosystem types in the country, from mountainous marshes to saline desert lakes, from vast riverine floodplains to coastal mangroves, marshes and coral reefs, several of which meet the Ramsar criteria.

The current list of Ramsar Sites in India only represent a fraction of the diversity of wetland habitats existing in the country. There is, therefore, still a need for identifying additional wetlands for listing under the Ramsar Convention, and for selecting these from the under-represented wetland categories in the country and Managing the Designated sites along the Ramsar guidelines.

WWF-India has been providing support to MoEF for identification and scientific documentation of Wetland sites for designation as Ramsar sites. WWF-India now also aims to work with the MoEF on management of the designated wetland sites.

Documentation of selected wetland sites for monograph preparation has been completed. A comprehensive docket containing information packaged on each designated Ramsar Site has been published for wider dissemination. A more detailed scientific monograph is on the anvil. The details of each sheet is in the form of a link.