One more wetland in India, Ladakh’s Tso Kar wetland, has been added to the list of recognized sites of international importance under the treaty of Ramsar Convention, taking the number of such wetlands in the country to 42, the highest in South Asia.

Tso Kar Wetland is a high-altitude wetland complex of two connected lakes,  the freshwater Startsapuk Tso and hypersaline Tso Kar, in Ladakh. It is called Tso Kar, meaning white lake, because of the white salt efflorescence found on the margins due to the evaporation of highly saline water. Last month, two wetlands — the Lonar lake in Maharashtra and Sur Sarovar, also known as Keetham lake, in Agra — were added to the list of Ramsar sites. Recently, Kabartal in Bihar’s Begusarai district was recognised as a wetland of international importance,

Wetlands provide a range of important resources and ecosystem services such as food, water and fibre. India is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.

The Convention uses a broad definition of wetlands. It includes all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans.

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WETLANDS.  Wetlands are areas of land where water covers the soil – all year or just at certain times of the year. It includes all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans. Wetlands may be natural or artificial and the water within a wetland may be static or flowing, fresh, brackish or saline. There are even underground wetlands.

Wetlands are a critical part of our natural environment. They protect our shores from wave action, reduce the impacts of floods, absorb pollutants and improve water quality. They provide habitat for animals and plants and many contain a wide diversity of life, supporting plants and animals that are found nowhere else.

India has 42 Ramsar sites which are as following:
ASHTAMUDI WETLAND
BHITARKANIKA MANGROVES
BHOJ WETLAND
CHANDERTAL WETLAND
CHILIKA LAKE
DEEPOR BEEL
EAST CALCUTTA WETLANDS
HARIKE LAKE
HOKERA WETLAND
KANJLI
KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK
KOLLERU LAKE
LOKTAK LAKE
NALSAROVAR
POINT CALIMERE WILDLIFE AND BIRD SANCTUARY
PONG DAM LAKE
RENUKA WETLAND
ROPAR
RUDRASAGAR LAKE
SAMBHAR LAKE
SASTHAMKOTTA LAKE
SURINSAR-MANSAR LAKES
TSOMORIRI
UPPER GANGA RIVER
VEMBANAD-KOL WETLAND
WULAR LAKE

SUNDARBAN WETLAND(2019)

Nandur Madhameshwar(2020)

Keshopur-Miani,(2020)

Beas Conservation Reserve(2020)

Nangal (2020)

Nawabganj (2020)

Parvati Agra (2020)

Saman (2020)

Samaspur (2020)

Sandi (2020)

Sarsai Nawa (2020)

Kabartla (2020)

Lonar lake (2020)

Sur Sarovar (2020)

Tso Kar (2020)