Gandhinagar: Four Indian wetland sites have received Ramsar recognition as wetlands of international importance. They include two water bodies of Gujarat namely Thol bird sanctuary near Ahmedabad city and Wadhwana lake near Vadodara city. The recognition will help both wetlands to get financial, technical, and scientific support from World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) International Freshwater Programme and WWF-India.

Welcoming the development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, ‘it is a matter of pride for us that four Indian sites get Ramsar recognition. This once again manifests India’s centuries old ethos of preserving natural habitats, working towards flora and fauna protection, and building a greener planet.’

Making this announcement earlier, Union Environment minister Bhupendra Yadav said, ‘Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji’s concern for the environment has led to overall improvement in how India cares for its wetlands. Happy to inform that four more Indian wetlands have got Ramsar recognition as wetlands of international importance. Thol and Wadhwana from Gujarat and Sultanpur and Bhindawas from Haryana have made the cut for Ramsar recognition. The number of Ramsar sites in India is now 46.’

Ramsar is a city in Iran where the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention was adopted in 1971. It is the only global environmental treaty that deals with the wetland ecosystem.

It is a matter of pride for us that four Indian sites get Ramsar recognition. This once again manifests India's centuries old ethos of preserving natural habitats, working towards flora and fauna protection, and building a greener planet. https://t.co/ARKemkU4rj pic.twitter.com/Ibyni7X9vB

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 14, 2021

Thol lies 28km from Ahmedabad and Wadhvana is 45km from Vadodara city. Thol is home to 327 species of birds, while Wadhvana has 140 water bird species.

The Ramsar document said: “Thol is an important wetland on the Central Asian Flyway. Out of 574 species reported in the state of Gujarat, Thol is home to 327 species of birds.” The document added: “The wetland is home to approximately 57% of total species of Gujarat, making it one of the most important Wildlife Sanctuaries of the state as far as avian diversity is concerned.”
The document said: “Of the 257 species of water birds in India, 112 have been reported from Thol, which is almost 43% of India’s water bird population, sighted in one small area of six square kilometres…..Out of these 112 species almost 30% are migratory water birds. Around 34 species of water birds found in Thol belong to Critically Endangered, Vulnerable and Near Threatened categories of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).”

About Wadhvana the document said: “This wetland, whose main ecosystem services include irrigation, fisheries, groundwater recharge, ecotourism and nature education, has an area of 5.79 sq km and maximum depth of five metres….A century-old artificial wetland is internationally important considering its heritage value, as it was created in 1909-10 by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of what was then Baroda State. It has avifaunal richness, consisting of around 200 species of which over 140 are water birds. More than 80 water bird species that use the Central Asian Flyway for migration are sighted in Wadhvana” (additional inputs from this report)

Nal Sarovar in Gujarat has already been recognized as Ramsar site in the past.

DeshGujarat