Wetlands 2025: India’s Ramsar Sites & Global Outlook Report

Valuing, conserving, restoring and financing wetlands is no longer optional – it is essential to securing the foundations of life on Earth.– Global Wetland Outlook 2025

Wetlands provide society with up to $39 trillion in benefits each year—but we continue to lose them at a rate of 0.52% annually. –Global Wetland Outlook 2025

Wetlands- Introduction

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth. In essence, They are areas where water meets land, allowing life to thrive. From high-altitude lakes in Ladakh to mangrove forests in the Sundarbans, wetlands act like natural sponges, carbon sinks, biodiversity hotspots, and sources of livelihoods. These areas exhibit characteristics of both aquatic and terrestrial environments, often situated between the two.

They are frequently subject to seasonal or periodic flooding from nearby rivers, lakes, or other water bodies, which creates conditions that support plant and animal species specifically adapted to shallow water, waterlogging, and saturated soils.

Definition

According to The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017– “Wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water; whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with static or flowing water, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.”

Types of Wetlands

Wetlands include a variety of landscape types such as:

• Lake littoral zones – margins of lakes between their highest and lowest water levels,
• Floodplains – flat lands adjacent to rivers that flood during peak discharge,
• Swamps and marshes – areas where water stagnates due to poor drainage or impervious soil layers,
• As well as bogs, fens, and mangroves, which share similar hydrological and ecological features.

These habitats are critical for biodiversity conservation, water purification, and flood regulation, hence, making them invaluable components of our natural environment.

Ecosystem services provided by wetlands

In addition it is treated as sacred by many communities like the Supreme Court recently directed the Rajasthan Forest Department to map and classify all sacred groves, regardless of size, as ‘community reserves’ under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972—shifting their control from local communities to forest authorities. This move, however, contradicts the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which aims to restore traditional and customary forest rights to gram sabha’s rather than centralizing them.

Global efforts for conserving wetlands

Countries across the world actively conserve wetlands, as their protection goes beyond national boundaries. The ongoing global warming and continuous failure of global treaties like Kyoto protocol or Conference on Parties 2024’s failed attempt to gather enough resources/finances for sustaining global warming temperature has led many environmentalist to believe that we should try indirect methods to get away with global warming and conservation of wetlands is one of the most important decision in that direction. Since, Wetlands are hub for carbon sequestration, Biodiversity, temperature neutralizing force and many more. Therefore, there has been major global efforts in conserving and protecting wetlands throughout the globe and some of the important ones are as follows-

1. Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971)

 The Ramsar Convention, the first global environmental treaty focused on the conservation and wise use of wetlands, originated in the city of Ramsar, Iran. Its primary goal is to encourage countries to designate wetlands of international importance, known as Ramsar Sites, and to promote their sustainable management. It also emphasizes international cooperation, scientific research, and sustainable use.

Note: Looking at the current and historical conflicts between USA and Iran, Many people thinks that USA is not a signatory of this convention but it is not true, USA has 41 Ramsar Sites totaling over 4.6 million acres in area.

 2. Montreux Record (Under Ramsar Convention)

This record includes important wetlands that are currently experiencing negative changes or are likely to face such threats in the future. So, it is a register of Ramsar Sites facing ecological changes or threats due to pollution, development, or human interference. Therefore, It acts as an early warning tool to prioritize conservation action.

• India’s Sites on the Record: Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake (Manipur) are there in Montreux record. Authorities removed Lake Chilika from the Montreux Record in 2002 following successful rehabilitation efforts.

3. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Recently in Sustainable development report 2025 revealed that India has finally gotten its place in much awaited top 100 list after having score of 67. UN member countries aim to achieve 17 Sustainable Development Goals, comprising 169 interconnected targets, by 2030. Among them, SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) specifically emphasize the protection and sustainable management of wetlands. Whereas, Indicator 6.6.1 tracks changes in water-related ecosystems, including wetlands.

4. Global Wetland Outlook Reports (by Ramsar Secretariat)

The Global Wetland Outlook (GWO), published by the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, provides a comprehensive assessment of the state of the world’s wetlands, combining scientific insights, policy developments, and actionable recommendations for their conservation. It is released periodically (e.g., 2018, 2025). It Assesses global trends in wetland health, policies, and conservation efforts and also Urges governments to reverse wetland loss and strengthen international commitments.
This Year’s report highlights will be mentioned further.

5. UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB)

MAB was launched in 1971, the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme is a scientific initiative by UNESCO that aims to improve the relationship between people and their environment through sustainable development.

• Biosphere Reserves are model sites under MAB that include:

As of 2025, there are 748 Biosphere Reserves in 134 countries, including 19 in India, such as Nilgiri, Sundarbans, and Gulf of Mannar.

Wetland Relevance

Importantly, many biosphere reserves include wetlands, which makes MAB important for wetland protection as well. It promotes community-led conservation and supports the Forest Rights Act and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Moreover, It actually encourages traditional ecological knowledge and adaptive management practices in wetland areas.Integrates wetlands within biosphere reserves. Promotes community engagement, traditional knowledge, and scientific management.

6. Other Supporting Global Initiatives

• Global Peatlands Initiative – focuses on carbon-rich wetland ecosystems.
• Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) – promotes mangrove restoration.
• Living Lakes Network – fosters partnerships for lake and wetland conservation.
• Wetlands International – global NGO supporting wetland science and restoration.

The Ramsar Convention – A Quick Overview

The Convention on Wetlands, often called the Ramsar Convention, is an international agreement among governments. It provides guidelines for protecting and using wetlands and their resources sustainably. The agreement was signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, and officially took effect in 1975.

As of now, 172 countries are part of the convention, representing almost 90% of United Nations member states. These countries have together designated 2,544 wetlands of international importance. These wetlands cover a total area of more than 257 million hectares worldwide.

India signed this convention in 1982 and currently have 91 sites covering 1.359.951 hactares of surface area.

Ramsar Sites in India (As of July 2025)

There are total of 91 Ramsar sites in India. Two new sites were added recently in June named as Khichan in Phalodi and Menar in Udaipur. Recently India has seen a spike in number of wetlands with Tamil Nadu having 20 Wetland sites marking the highest number a state have in India. Below is the list of state-wise Ramsar sites in India:-

Ramsar sites list in India

Global Wetland Outlook 2025 – Key Highlights

This year’s GWO 2025 report has highlighted so many issues, achievements,corrections required and many case studies to learn from the best like Regional flyaway initiative of USA in which it is restoring 30+ wetlands.

Highlights from GWO 2025 are following –

UPSC Prelims PYQs on Wetlands & Ramsar Sites

Ramsar sites and wetlands are one of the most loved topic of UPSC as they have asked many direct questions on Ramsar sites like In UPSC 2020, following question was asked-

Q. Which of the following are the Ramsar Sites in India?

1. Bhitarkanika Mangroves
2. Chandra Taal
3. Deepor Beel
4. Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary

Options:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (d)

And sometimes they ask some indirect questions like
Which one of the following National Parks lies completely in the temperate alpine zone?
(a) Manas National Park
(b) Namdapha National Park
(c) Neora Valley National Park
(d) Valley of Flowers National Park

Answer: (d)- Valley of Flowers is a Ramsar site too.

So, there has been mixed level of questions for wetlands in India- conceptual as well as factual. This makes learning Ramsar sites even more important. Hence, every aspirant should make sure that they keep track of newly added Ramsar sites and their locations along with geographical features like nearby river, national park, distinct biodiversity and features.

Click here to download Ramsar UPSC PYQ Question Bank (2014–2023)

Tip to learn Ramsar sites for UPSC- Learn it state-wise and create appropriate acronyms for each state.

Conclusion

Wetlands are not just waterlogged lands—they are life-sustaining ecosystems that nourish biodiversity, regulate climate, purify water, and support millions of livelihoods. India’s growing network of Ramsar Sites reflects our commitment to global conservation efforts under the Ramsar Convention.

Designating a wetland as a protected area is just the starting point of conservation. Real safeguarding demands that we manage the site sustainably, engage the surrounding communities, and ensure our policies are aligned across sectors. India’s rapid urban and industrial growth makes it crucial to reframe wetlands in public and policy discourse—moving them away from the outdated wasteland label and recognizing them as carbon sinks, flood reducers, and living stores of genetic diversity.

For those preparing for the UPSC, mastery of wetland science and legislation is non-negotiable. Questions on Ramsar criteria and national wetland policies are now commonplace in Prelims, and the trend shows no sign of abating. By deepening our understanding and translating it into collective action, we can see these “liquid lands” shimmer, not shrink, for the several centuries still ahead.