Ramsar Sites in India

The convention entered into force in India on 1 February 1982.

India currently has 27 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 1,056,871 hectares or 11,120 sq.km.

The Ramsar Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.

Wetlands are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems. They provide essential services and supply all our fresh water. However they continue to be degraded and converted to other uses. 

The Convention uses a broad definition of wetlands. It includes all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans.

Under the “three pillars” of the Convention, the Contracting Parties commit to:

• work towards the wise use of all their wetlands;
• designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands of International Importance (the “Ramsar List”) and ensure their effective management;
• cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species.

Following are the Ramsar Sites in India :

More information on each site can be viewed here on the official Ramsar website.

Sl. No.	Name of Site	State Location	Date of Declaration	Area  (in Sq. km.)
1	Asthamudi Wetland	Kerala	19.8.2002	614
2	Bhitarkanika Mangroves	Orissa	19.8.2002	650
3	Bhoj Wetlands	Madhya Pradesh	19.8.2002	32.01
4	Chandertal Wetland	Himachal Pradesh	8.11.2005	0.49
5	Chilka Lake	Orissa	1.10.1981	1165
6	Deepor Beel	Assam	19.8.2002	40
7	East Calcutta Wetlands	West Bengal	19.8.2002	125
8	Harike Lake	Punjab	23.3.1990	41
9	Hokera Wetland	Jammu and Kashmir	8.11.2005	13.75
10	Kanjli Lake	Punjab	22.1.2002	1.83
11	Keoladeo Ghana NP	Rajasthan	1.10.1981	28.73
12	Kolleru Lake	Andhra Pradesh	19.8.2002	901
13	Loktak Lake	Manipur	23.3.1990	266
14	Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary	Gujarat	24.09.2012	120
15	Point Calimere	Tamil Nadu	19.8.2002	385
16	Pong Dam Lake	Himachal Pradesh	19.8.2002	156.62
17	Renuka Wetland	Himachal Pradesh	8.11.2005	0.2
18	Ropar Lake	Punjab	22.1.2002	13.65
19	Rudrasagar Lake	Tripura	8.11.2005	2.4
20	Sambhar Lake	Rajasthan	23.3.1990	240
21	Sasthamkotta Lake	Kerala	19.8.2002	3.73
22	Sunderbans Wetland	West Bengal	30.1.2019	4230
23	Surinsar-Mansar Lakes	Jammu and Kashmir	8.11.2005	3.5
24	Tsomoriri Lake	Jammu and Kashmir	19.8.2002	120
25	Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora Stretch)	Uttar Pradesh	8.11.2005	265.9
26	Vembanad Kol Wetland	Kerala	19.8.2002	1512.5
27	Wular Lake	Jammu & Kashmir	23.3.1990	189
		Total Area (in Sq. km.)	11121.3