Why in News?
India’s network of Ramsar Sites reached 103 on 15 October 2026, following the designation of Sukhna Wetland in Chandigarh and Sauj Jheel in Uttar Pradesh as the latest additions. India’s wetland conservation network has expanded significantly since 2014.
About the Ramsar Convention
- Nature: An intergovernmental treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
- Adopted: 2 February 1971, at Ramsar, Iran.
- Entered into force: 1975.
- World Wetlands Day: Observed annually on 2 February.
- Objective: To conserve wetlands and promote their sustainable use through national action and international cooperation.
India’s Ramsar Sites: Key Facts
- Total sites: 103 as of 15 October 2026.
- Total area: More than 13.87 lakh hectares.
- Growth since 2014: Increased from 26 to 103 sites.
- Global position: Third in the world and first in Asia, according to the supplied information.
- State with the highest number: Tamil Nadu, with 20 sites.
- Second highest: Uttar Pradesh, with 14 sites.
Recent additions
- Surha Tal, Uttar Pradesh: Became India’s 100th Ramsar Site in June 2026.
- Glaw Lake, Arunachal Pradesh: Became the 101st site in August 2026.
- Sukhna Wetland, Chandigarh, and Sauj Jheel, Uttar Pradesh: Added in October 2026, taking the total to 103.
India’s First Ramsar Sites
- Chilika Lake in Odisha and Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan became India’s first Ramsar Sites on 1 October 1981.
- Chilika Lake is a brackish-water lagoon known for its biodiversity and migratory birds.
- Keoladeo National Park is an important wetland habitat for resident and migratory birds.
Montreux Record
- Definition: A register of Ramsar Sites where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur.
- Purpose: Identifies wetlands requiring priority conservation attention.
- Importance: Supports monitoring, remedial action and the allocation of conservation resources.
- Inclusion: Sites are included in consultation with the concerned country and relevant scientific experts.
- Example — Chilika Lake: Following successful ecological restoration, Chilika Lake was removed from the Montreux Record in 2002. The Chilika Development Authority subsequently received the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award.
| State/UT | Ramsar Site | What is special about it |
| Andhra Pradesh | Kolleru Lake | Freshwater lake; grey pelican and migratory waterbirds |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Glaw Lake | Eastern Himalayan Lake; 150+ tree and 49 orchid species |
| Assam | Deepor Beel | Brahmaputra floodplain wetland; migratory waterbirds |
| Bihar | Kanwar Jheel (Kabartal) | Floodplain wetland; migratory waterbirds and fish |
| Nagi Bird Sanctuary | Human-made reservoir; wintering waterbirds | |
| Nakti Bird Sanctuary | Human-made reservoir; wintering waterbirds | |
| Gokul Jalashay | Ganga oxbow lake; birds, fisheries and flood buffering | |
| Udaipur Jheel | Oxbow lake; wintering migratory birds | |
| Gogabil Lake | Oxbow lake; resident and migratory birds | |
| Chandigarh | Sukhna Wetland | Rain-fed, peri-urban reservoir; migratory and resident birds |
| Chhattisgarh | Kopra Jalashay | Reservoir; resident and migratory waterbirds |
| Goa | Nanda Lake | Freshwater marsh; wintering waterbirds |
| Gujarat | Nalsarovar | Natural freshwater lake; sarus crane and waterbirds |
| Wadhvana Wetland | Irrigation reservoir; wintering migratory birds | |
| Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary | Human-made reservoir; waterbirds including sarus crane | |
| Khijadia Wildlife Sanctuary | Coastal freshwater and salt marsh wetland near Gulf of Kutch; diverse birds | |
| Chhari Dhand | Seasonal desert wetland near Banni; cranes and flamingos | |
| Haryana | Sultanpur National Park | Resident and migratory waterbirds |
| Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary | Human-made freshwater wetland; migratory birds | |
| Himachal Pradesh | Pong Dam Lake | Beas reservoir; wintering waterbirds |
| Chandertal Wetland | High-altitude lake; snow leopard habitat | |
| Renuka Wetland | Spring-fed lake; aquatic and forest biodiversity | |
| Jharkhand | Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary | Twin Ganga-linked lakes; migratory and resident waterbirds |
| Karnataka | Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary | Kaveri islets; nesting waterbirds and mugger crocodile |
| Aghanashini Estuary | Estuary and mangroves; fisheries | |
| Magadi Kere Conservation Reserve | Human-made tank; wintering bar-headed goose | |
| Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve | Village irrigation tank; nesting waterbirds | |
| Kerala | Ashtamudi Wetland | Estuarine backwaters; fisheries and mangroves |
| Sasthamkotta Lake | Spring-fed freshwater lake; drinking water source | |
| Vembanad-Kol Wetland | Largest brackish wetland on the southwest coast | |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhoj Wetlands | Upper and Lower Lakes of Bhopal; water supply and birds |
| Sirpur Wetland | Human-made wetland in Indore; migratory birds | |
| Sakhya Sagar | Reservoir in Madhav National Park; mugger crocodile | |
| Yashwant Sagar | Reservoir near Indore; sarus crane and water supply | |
| Tawa Reservoir | Reservoir in Satpura Tiger Reserve; aquatic and bird life | |
| Maharashtra | NandurMadhameshwar | Bird sanctuary; migratory waterbirds |
| Lonar Lake | Meteorite impact crater lake; saline-alkaline ecosystem | |
| Thane Creek | Mangroves; flamingos and migratory birds | |
| Manipur | Loktak Lake | Floating phumdis; habitat of the Sangai deer |
| Mizoram | Pala Wetland | Largest natural wetland of Mizoram; hoolock gibbon |
| Odisha | Chilika Lake | Brackish lagoon; Irrawaddy dolphin, waterbirds and 118 fish species |
| Bhitarkanika Mangroves | Mangroves; saltwater crocodile and olive ridley turtle | |
| Satkosia Gorge | Mahanadi river gorge; gharial and mugger crocodile | |
| Tampara Lake | Freshwater lake; fish and waterbirds | |
| Hirakud Reservoir | Large reservoir; fish and waterbirds | |
| Ansupa Lake | Mahanadi oxbow lake; birds and fish | |
| Punjab | Harike Lake | River confluence reservoir; migratory waterbirds |
| Kanjli Lake | Barrage-formed wetland on Kali Bein; waterbirds | |
| Ropar Lake | Sutlej barrage reservoir; waterbirds | |
| Beas Conservation Reserve | River stretch; Indus River dolphin and gharial | |
| Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve | Community-managed wetland; waterbirds | |
| Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary | Shivalik foothill reservoir; waterbirds | |
| Rajasthan | Keoladeo National Park | Waterbirds; historic wintering ground of Siberian crane |
| Sambhar Lake | Large inland saline lake; flamingos | |
| Menar Wetland Complex | Community-protected village wetlands; migratory birds | |
| Khichan Wetland | Wintering demoiselle cranes; community conservation | |
| Siliserh Lake | Reservoir near Alwar; wetland biodiversity | |
| Sikkim | Khecheopalri Wetland | Sacred Himalayan Lake with peatland and forest |
| Tamil Nadu | Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary | Coastal wetland; flamingos and migratory shorebirds |
| Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary | Largest waterbird breeding reserve in South India | |
| Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary | Breeding and wintering ground for waterbirds | |
| Karikili Bird Sanctuary | Breeding waterbirds | |
| Pichavaram Mangrove | One of India’s largest mangroves; fish nursery | |
| Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest | Urban marsh; flood buffer and birds | |
| Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve | Coral reefs and dugong | |
| Vembannur Wetland Complex | Human-made irrigation tank; waterbirds | |
| Vellode Bird Sanctuary | Waterbirds | |
| Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary | Migratory waterbirds | |
| Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary | One of India’s oldest bird-protected areas; heronry | |
| SuchindramTheroor Wetland Complex | Irrigation tanks; migratory birds | |
| Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary | Wintering waterbirds | |
| Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary | Nesting herons and painted storks | |
| Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary | Large inland freshwater lake; nesting waterbirds | |
| Longwood Shola Reserve Forest | Nilgiris shola forest; endemic birds | |
| Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary | Brackish coastal lake; migratory birds | |
| Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary | Lake; resident and migratory birds | |
| Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary | Migratory waterbirds | |
| Therthangal Bird Sanctuary | Nesting waterbirds | |
| Tripura | Rudrasagar Lake | Reservoir lake; fish and three-striped roof turtle |
| Uttar Pradesh | Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora) | Gangetic dolphin, gharial and turtles |
| Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary | Migratory waterbirds | |
| Sarsai Nawar Jheel | Sarus crane habitat | |
| Sandi Bird Sanctuary | Freshwater marsh; waterfowl and sarus crane | |
| Samaspur Bird Sanctuary | Waterbirds | |
| Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary | Twin oxbow lakes; waterbirds and vultures | |
| Saman Bird Sanctuary | Oxbow lake; wintering waterbirds | |
| Sur Sarovar | Human-made reservoir near Agra; waterbirds | |
| Haiderpur Wetland | Ganga floodplain; gharial, swamp deer and waterbirds | |
| Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary | Largest natural floodplain wetland of eastern UP | |
| Patna Bird Sanctuary | Waterbirds | |
| Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary | Wintering bar-headed geese and painted storks | |
| Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary (Surha Tal) | Rich avifauna; migratory and resident birds | |
| Sauj Jheel | Shallow, perennial floodplain wetland; migratory and resident waterbirds | |
| Uttarakhand | Asan Conservation Reserve | Asan-Yamuna confluence; migratory waterbirds |
| West Bengal | East Kolkata Wetlands | Wastewater-fed fisheries and agriculture |
| Sundarban Wetland | Mangroves; Royal Bengal tiger | |
| Jammu and Kashmir (UT) | Wular Lake | Large freshwater lake; fisheries |
| Surinsar-Mansar Lakes | Twin freshwater lakes | |
| Hokera Wetland | Reedbeds; white-eyed pochard | |
| Hygam Wetland Conservation Reserve | Flood absorption basin; waterbirds | |
| Shallbugh Wetland Conservation Reserve | Waterbirds | |
| Ladakh (UT) | Tsomoriri | High-altitude lake; black-necked crane and bar-headed goose |
| Tso Kar Wetland Complex | High-altitude lakes; black-necked crane breeding |
CLICK HERE: GS TIMES UPSC PRELIMS & MAINS CURRENT AFFAIRS BASED DAILY TEST (ENG & HINDI)
DOWNLOAD PDF: GS TIMES UPSC (CSE) PRELIMS & MAINS CURRENT AFFAIRS BASED MONTHLY TEST PDF
CLICK HERE: DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ (FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS)
CLICK HERE FOR GS TIMES PRAHAR UPSC GS MAINS TEST SERIES
![](https://www.gstimes.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/WEEKLY-TEST-RECT.jpg")
