India's network of Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention has expanded significantly from 26 sites in 2014 to 103 designated sites as of October 2026, covering over 13.87 lakh hectares across 28 States and Union Territories. This represents a nearly fourfold increase and positions India first in Asia and third globally for number of Ramsar Sites. The ecosystems serve critical functions including biodiversity protection, flood buffering, groundwater recharge, and livelihood sustenance.
Conservation Framework and Government Initiatives
The conservation effort is anchored by the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, which provide the regulatory framework and establish State/UT Wetlands Authorities. The government drives scientific and participatory conservation through multiple programs: the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) with updated 2024 guidelines, Amrit Dharohar promoting conservation values of Ramsar Sites, Mission Sahbhagita with its Save Wetlands Campaign that has engaged over 2 million citizen volunteers mapping more than 1.7 lakh wetlands, and MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes) which has released ₹88.44 crore to restore 9,949.5 hectares of degraded mangroves across nine States and four UTs.
Site Designation and Distribution
The Ramsar Convention, adopted in 1971 and effective from 1975, now includes 172 Contracting Parties and over 2,536 designated sites worldwide. India became a party on 1 February 1982. The designation process requires wetlands to meet at least one of nine criteria covering wetland types and biological diversity conservation. Tamil Nadu has the highest number of sites with 20, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 14 sites. In 2025 alone, 11 wetlands were added, taking the national total to 96, with Surha Tal in Uttar Pradesh becoming the 100th site in June 2026 and Glaw Lake the 101st in August 2026.
The latest additions include Sukhna Wetland in Chandigarh, a human-made reservoir created in 1958 that shelters threatened species including Pallas's fish eagle, common pochard, and black pond turtle, serving as a feeding and wintering ground for migratory birds on the Central Asian Flyway. Sauj Jheel in Uttar Pradesh, designated in October 2026, is a shallow floodplain lake in Mainpuri district that regularly hosts more than 30,000 waterbirds and provides nesting and foraging grounds for threatened species such as the sarus crane and greater spotted eagle.
Significant Sites and Conservation Benefits
Sundarban Wetland in West Bengal, designated on 30 January 2019, is India's largest Ramsar Site at 4,23,000 hectares, containing over 60% of India's mangrove area and a unique tiger population with aquatic hunting skills. Chilika Lake in Odisha and Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan were India's first Ramsar Sites, designated on 1 October 1981. Chilika was removed from the Montreux Record (a register of sites experiencing ecological changes) in 2002 after successful restoration and won the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award.
Ramsar designation brings global recognition, scientific guidance, access to expert advice, and commits states to protect each site's ecological character through planning and monitoring. Benefits demonstrated include: Chilika Lake supporting 118 fish species after restoration; East Kolkata Wetlands treating city wastewater through 4,000 hectares of fish ponds yielding 10,500 tonnes of fish annually and supporting 50,000 people; Sundarban mangroves providing storm protection and serving as fish nurseries; Beas Conservation Reserve supporting India's only known population of endangered Indus River dolphin with 47 gharials reintroduced; and Khichan Wetland hosting over 22,000 wintering demoiselle cranes with community protection.
Additional Infrastructure and Recognition
The Wetlands of India Portal, inaugurated on 2 October 2021, serves as a dynamic knowledge repository offering single-point access to information on sites, projects, initiatives, and training. Indore and Udaipur became India's first Ramsar-accredited Wetland Cities in January 2025, joining the global network of accredited wetland cities. Under Amrit Dharohar, studies for inventory of flora and fauna of 75 Ramsar Sites have been conducted, and a Standard Operating Procedure for Assessment of Carbon Stock in Wetlands was released and utilized to assess carbon stock of 39 Ramsar Sites.