The Union environment ministry announced on Wednesday that two new wetlands — Kichan in Phalodi and Menar in Udaipur — from Rajasthan have been designated as Ramsar sites, taking up the list of such wetlands in India to 91.
Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention, headquartered in Gland, Switzerland.
Commenting on the development, PM Modi said on X, “Great news! India’s strides in environmental conservation are happening with great vigour and are powered by public participation.”
“The achievement is yet another testament to the fact that PM Shri @narendramodi ji’s focus on environmental conservation is successfully helping India build a greener tomorrow,” Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav wrote on X.
HT had reported on May 19 that in Rajasthan, a small village, less than 50 km off Udaipur, has emerged as a biodiversity hotspot with sightings of several threatened and near-threatened bird species over the last few years. These sightings and community-driven conservation efforts have bestowed Menar with the moniker of “bird village”.
Recent sightings include species such as cinereous vulture, long-billed vulture, Himalayan griffon vulture and Egyptian vulture in the grasslands, besides Asian wooly-necked stork, ferruginous pochard, Dalmatian pelican, and black-tailed godwit in the Menar wetlands.
{{/usCountry}}Recent sightings include species such as cinereous vulture, long-billed vulture, Himalayan griffon vulture and Egyptian vulture in the grasslands, besides Asian wooly-necked stork, ferruginous pochard, Dalmatian pelican, and black-tailed godwit in the Menar wetlands.
{{/usCountry}}India has the largest number of Ramsar wetlands in Asia, according to the ministry.
Under the Convention on Wetlands, an intergovernmental treaty for conservation of wetlands, contracting parties are expected to identify and place suitable wetlands onto the List of Wetlands of International Importance, or the Ramsar List.