Recently, the Centre declared Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh as Ramsar sites as three new wetlands.
With these inclusions, the number of Ramsar sites in India has increased to 85.
Now, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of Ramsar sites (18 sites), followed by Uttar Pradesh (10 sites).
Three new Ramsar sites:
Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary:
Nanjarayan Lake is a large shallow wetland located in the north-eastern region of Uthukuli Taluk of Tiruppur District in Tamil Nadu. Centuries ago, it was rejuvenated by the local king Nanjarayan.
Spread over 125.865 hectares, the wetlands mainly depend on weather conditions, especially heavy rainwater runoff from the Nallar drainage.
Bird species such as bar-headed goose, northern shoveler, spot-billed pelican, heron are found in it.
Named as the 17th bird sanctuary of Tamil Nadu, it is actively protected and managed by the local community and the Forest Department.
Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary:
It is a brackish shallow lake located on the Coromandel Coast in Villupuram district, north of Puducherry.
The lake is connected to the Bay of Bengal by the saline Uppukalli Creek and the Idayanathittu estuary. Which is an important wetland with diverse water features like estuaries, creek fed saline and freshwater basins.
In saltwater areas, highly degraded mangrove patches containing Avicennia species are found.
Also, reed (Typhangustata) is found in several hundred hectares in this region.
Tawa Reservoir:
Located at the confluence of the Tawa and Denwa rivers near Itarsi town, it was originally built for irrigation and now supports power generation and aquaculture.
The reservoir is located inside the Satpura Tiger Reserve and forms the western boundary of the Satpura National Park and Bori Wildlife Sanctuary.
Malani, Sonbhadra and Nagdwari rivers are the major tributaries of the Tawa reservoir.
Tawa river is a left bank tributary which originates from Mahadev hills in Chhindwara district, flows through Betul district and joins Narmada River in Narmadapuram district.
It is the longest tributary of the Narmada River.
Spotted deer and patented storks are found in this reservoir.
Ramsar Convention:
It is an intergovernmental treaty, which was adopted on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar, located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea.
In India, it came into force on February 1, 1982, under which wetlands of international importance were declared as Ramsar sites.
Ramsar Convention:
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, under the auspices of UNESCO, which aims to conserve wetlands of international importance.
In India, the Act came into force on 1st February 1982 under which wetlands of international importance were declared as Ramsar sites.
The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites of international importance where changes in the ecological component have occurred or are likely to occur because of technological development, pollution or other human intervention.
