New Delhi: In a significant boost to India’s environmental conservation efforts, Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, announced the addition of three new wetlands to the prestigious Ramsar list, bringing the country’s tally of Ramsar sites to 85. The announcement was made on the eve of India’s 77th Independence Day.
Expressing his happiness in a post on X, Yadav highlighted that this achievement underscores the emphasis Prime Minister Narendra Modi has placed on establishing harmony with nature. He referred to the country’s wetlands as “Amrit Dharohars,” a reflection of their invaluable contribution to India’s ecological balance and the government’s relentless efforts for their conservation.
The newly designated Ramsar sites include Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, as well as Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh. With this addition, the total area covered by Ramsar sites in India has expanded to 1,358,067.757 hectares.
Yadav congratulated the states of Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh for their commitment to wetland conservation and emphasized the need for India to pledge that “Viksit Bharat is a Green Bharat.”
The inclusion of these three sites is a testament to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change’s significant policy push for wetland conservation and management. India, a contracting party to the Ramsar Convention since February 1, 1982, has seen a remarkable increase in the number of Ramsar sites in the past decade. From 1982 to 2013, only 26 sites were added, but from 2014 to 2024, an additional 59 wetlands have been recognized.
Tamil Nadu now boasts the highest number of Ramsar sites in the country, with a total of 18, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 10.
