Ramsar Sites in India & World: Key Facts and 2025 Updates
Ramsar Sites – Combined Notes (India & World)
1. Ramsar Convention: Basics
Adopted: 1971
Place: Ramsar, Iran
Objective: Conservation and wise use of wetlands
International Wetlands Day: 2 February (date of signing)
2. India & Ramsar Convention
India became a Contracting Party: 1982
Growth of Ramsar Sites in India:
1982–2013: 26 sites
2014–2025: 96 sites added (major expansion phase)
By 2025 (after new additions): 96 Ramsar Sites
3. Ramsar Sites in India – Current Status
Total Ramsar Sites: 96
States/UTs covered: 21 States & 2 UTs
Wetland coverage under Ramsar: ~10% of India’s total wetland area
National Wetland Inventory (ISRO)
Total wetlands in India: 1,52,600 sq km
% of geographical area: 4.63%
Wetland types identified: 19
Over 2/5th → inland natural wetlands
Around 1/4th → coastal wetlands
4. Top States by Ramsar Sites
| Rank | State | No. of Sites |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tamil Nadu | 20 (Highest) |
| 2 | Uttar Pradesh | 10 |
| 3 | Bihar | 6 |
| Lowest | Goa | 1 |
5. States with Largest Wetland Area
Gujarat (Highest)
Andhra Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
West Bengal
6. Global Ramsar Rankings (by Number of Sites)
| Country | Ramsar Sites |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 175 (Highest globally) |
| Mexico | 144 |
| India | 96 |
| China | 82 |
Largest Ramsar-covered area: Bolivia (~1,48,000 sq km)
7. Important Ramsar Records (Highly Exam-Relevant)
World’s first Ramsar Site: Cobourg Peninsula, Australia (1974)
India’s first Ramsar Sites (1981):
Chilika Lake (Odisha)
Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan)
Largest freshwater lake in India: Wular Lake (J&K)
Largest inland salt lake: Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan)
Only floating national park: Keibul Lamjao (Loktak Lake)
Only river stretch Ramsar site in India: Upper Ganga (Brijghat–Narora)
Montreux Record (India):
Loktak Lake (Manipur) – added in 1993 due to ecological degradation
8. Ramsar Sites in India – 2025 Additions (86–96)
| S. No. | Ramsar Site | State | Year | Importance / Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | 2025 | Coastal wetland; migratory birds; flood buffering |
| 87 | Therthangal Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | 2025 | Seasonal man-made wetland; nesting and breeding |
| 88 | Khecheopalri Wetland | Sikkim | 2025 | High-altitude sacred wetland; Himalayan hydrology |
| 89 | Udhwa Lake | Jharkhand | 2025 | Migratory bird stopover; fisheries |
| 90 | Khichan (Phalodi) | Rajasthan | 2025 | Demoiselle Cranes; desert wetland |
| 91 | Menar (Udaipur) | Rajasthan | 2025 | “Bird Village of Rajasthan”; community conservation |
| 92 | Gokul Jalashay | Bihar | 2025 | Ganga floodplain wetland |
| 93 | Udaipur Jheel | Bihar | 2025 | Natural freshwater wetland; livelihoods |
| 94 | Gogabeel Lake | Bihar | 2025 | Community-managed oxbow lake; first community reserve of Bihar |
| 95 | Siliserh Lake | Rajasthan | 2025 | Historic lake (1845); near Sariska Tiger Reserve |
| 96 | Kopra Jalashay | Chhattisgarh | 2025 | First Ramsar site of Chhattisgarh |
Ramsar Sites in India – Designation Year-wise (Earliest First)
1981
| Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chilika Lake | Odisha | 1165 | India’s first Ramsar site; largest coastal lagoon |
1990
| Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loktak Lake | Manipur | 266 | Floating phumdis; Keibul Lamjao NP |
| Sambhar Lake | Rajasthan | 240 | India’s largest inland salt lake |
| Harike Wetland | Punjab | 41 | Confluence of Beas–Sutlej |
| Wular Lake | J&K | 189 | Largest freshwater lake in India |
2002
| Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kolleru Lake | Andhra Pradesh | 901 | Major flood-buffer lake |
| Deepor Beel | Assam | 40 | Brahmaputra floodplain |
| Pong Dam Lake | Himachal Pradesh | 156.62 | Migratory bird habitat |
| Ashtamudi Wetland | Kerala | 61.4 | National Waterway-3 |
| East Kolkata Wetlands | West Bengal | 125 | Urban sewage-fed wetland |
| Ropar Wetland | Punjab | 13.65 | Sutlej diversion |
| Sasthamkotta Lake | Kerala | 3.73 | Largest freshwater lake in Kerala |
| Bhitarkanika Mangroves | Odisha | 650 | Mangrove ecosystem |
| Bhoj Wetland | Madhya Pradesh | 32 | Upper & Lower Lakes, Bhopal |
| Tsomoriri | Ladakh | 120 | High-altitude brackish lake |
| Vembanad-Kol Wetland | Kerala | 1512.5 | Largest lake in Kerala |
2005
| Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chandra Taal | Himachal Pradesh | 0.49 | High-altitude wetland |
| Renuka Lake | Himachal Pradesh | 0.2 | Smallest Ramsar site |
| Rudrasagar Lake | Tripura | 2.4 | Gumti basin |
| Surinsar-Mansar Lakes | J&K | 3.5 | Freshwater composite lakes |
| Upper Ganga River Stretch | Uttar Pradesh | 265.9 | Only river stretch Ramsar site |
| Hokera Wetland | J&K | 13.75 | Jhelum basin |
2012
| Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary | Gujarat | 120 | Major bird sanctuary |
2019
| Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sundarban Wetland | West Bengal | 4230 | World’s largest mangrove system |
| Nandur Madhameshwar | Maharashtra | 14 | “Bharatpur of Maharashtra” |
| Nawabganj BS | Uttar Pradesh | 2.25 | Migratory birds |
| Sarsai Nawar Jheel | Uttar Pradesh | 1.61 | Sarus crane habitat |
| Nangal WLS | Punjab | 1.16 | Sutlej ecosystem |
| Keshopur-Miani CR | Punjab | 3.44 | First community Ramsar site |
| Parvati Arga BS | Uttar Pradesh | 7.22 | Floodplain wetland |
| Saman BS | Uttar Pradesh | 5.26 | Seasonal wetland |
| Samaspur BS | Uttar Pradesh | 8 | Bird habitat |
| Sandi BS | Uttar Pradesh | 3 | Waterbirds |
| Beas Conservation Reserve | Punjab | 64 | Riverine wetland |
2020
| Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanwar (Kabar) Taal | Bihar | 26.2 | Largest oxbow lake in Asia |
| Asan Barrage | Uttarakhand | 4.44 | Yamuna basin |
| Sur Sarovar (Keetham) | Uttar Pradesh | 4.31 | Man-made lake |
| Lonar Lake | Maharashtra | 4.27 | Meteorite crater |
| Tso Kar | Ladakh | 95.77 | Salt marsh ecosystem |
2021
| Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thol Lake | Gujarat | 6.99 | Waterbirds |
| Wadhvana Wetland | Gujarat | 6.3 | Irrigation reservoir |
| Khijadiya BS | Gujarat | 5.12 | Fresh & saline water |
| Sultanpur NP | Haryana | 1.43 | Migratory birds |
| Bhindawas WLS | Haryana | 4.11 | Largest wetland of Haryana |
| Haiderpur Wetland | Uttar Pradesh | 69.08 | Ganga floodplain |
| Bakhira Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | 28.94 | Largest floodplain wetland of UP |
| Koonthankulam BS | Tamil Nadu | 0.72 | Interlinked tanks |
| Chitrangudi BS | Tamil Nadu | 2.60 | Bird habitat |
| Tampara Lake | Odisha | 3 | Freshwater lake |
| Hirakud Reservoir | Odisha | 743 | Dam reservoir |
| Ansupa Lake | Odisha | 2.31 | Horseshoe-shaped lake |
| Satkosia Gorge | Odisha | 982 | Tiger Reserve |
| Pala Wetland | Mizoram | 18.5 | Largest in Mizoram |
2022
| Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanda Lake | Goa | 0.42 | Freshwater marsh |
| Karikili BS | Tamil Nadu | 0.58 | Bird habitat |
| Pallikaranai Marsh | Tamil Nadu | 12.48 | Urban wetland |
| Pichavaram Mangroves | Tamil Nadu | 14.79 | Mangrove ecosystem |
| Gulf of Mannar | Tamil Nadu | 527 | Marine Biosphere |
| Ranganathittu BS | Karnataka | 5.18 | Riverine birds |
| Vembannur Wetland | Tamil Nadu | 0.2 | Southernmost |
| Vellode BS | Tamil Nadu | 0.77 | Man-made tank |
| Udhayamarthandapuram BS | Tamil Nadu | 0.44 | Bird habitat |
| Vedanthangal BS | Tamil Nadu | 0.4 | Oldest bird sanctuary |
| Sirpur Lake | Madhya Pradesh | 1.61 | Urban wetland |
| Yashwant Sagar | Madhya Pradesh | 8.229 | Important bird area |
| Thane Creek | Maharashtra | 65.21 | Flamingo habitat |
| Hygam Wetland | J&K | 8.01 | Jhelum basin |
| Shallabugh Wetland | J&K | 16.75 | Floodplain wetland |
| Sakhya Sagar | Madhya Pradesh | 2.48 | Part of Madhav NP |
2023
| Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ankasamudra CR | Karnataka | 0.98 | Painted stork |
| Aghanashini Estuary | Karnataka | 48.01 | Free-flowing estuary |
| Magadi Kere | Karnataka | 0.54 | Bar-headed goose |
| Karaivetti BS | Tamil Nadu | 4.54 | Duck diversity |
| Longwood Shola RF | Tamil Nadu | 1.16 | Shola ecosystem |
| Nagi BS | Bihar | — | Bird sanctuary |
| Nakti BS | Bihar | — | Bird sanctuary |
2024
| Site | State | Area (km²) | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tawa Reservoir | Madhya Pradesh | — | Satpura landscape |
| Nanjarayan BS | Tamil Nadu | — | Bird habitat |
| Kazhuveli BS | Tamil Nadu | — | Brackish coastal wetland |
Updated - 22 Dec 2025 ; 2:01 PM | Eminent Admin Team