Haryana

• 16 Aug 2021

Two Sites of Haryana Included in Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance

Why in News

• According to a statement issued by the Union Environment Ministry on August 14, 2021, two sites in Haryana, Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary and Sultanpur National Park have been recognized as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Key Points

• Along with these two sites in Haryana, two sites in Gujarat - Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary and Wadhwana have also been recognized as wetlands, taking the number of such sites in the country to 46.
• This is the first time that two sites from Haryana have been included in the Ramsar list.
• Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary is a man-made freshwater wetland. It is the largest wetland in Haryana. More than 250 species of birds use this sanctuary as a resting place throughout the year. The site is home to more than 10 globally threatened species, including the Egyptian Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Pallas's Fish Eagle and Black-bellied Tern.
• Sultanpur National Park is home to more than 220 species of native birds, winter migrants and local migratory waterfowl at critical stages of their life cycle. More than 10 of these species fall into the globally endangered category.
• The Ramsar Treaty is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It is named after the Iranian city of Ramsar on the Caspian Sea, where the treaty was signed on February 2, 1971.
• The aim of the Ramsar List is 'to develop and maintain an international network of wetlands that are critical to the conservation of global biological diversity and to human life through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and benefits'.