NEW DELHI: India, which increased its number of Ramsar sites — the global tag for protected wetlands of international importance — from 26 to 85 in the past 10 years, will soon take this number to 100.
An announcement to this effect was made on Tuesday by minister of state for environment Kirti Vardhan Singh while delivering the country’s statement at the ongoing 16th session of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) at Cali in Colombia.
India, at present, is at the top among Asian countries for having the highest number of such designated wetlands in the continent and at number three globally after the UK (175) and Mexico (144). There are 2,522 such sites in the world.
“India’s Ramsar sites have risen from 26 to 85 since 2014, and this number is shortly going to reach 100,” said Singh while highlighting the country’s multiple efforts towards protecting natural ecosystems and biodiversity.
The wetlands, land areas covered by water, either temporarily/seasonally or permanently, play an important role in hydrological cycle and flood control, serving as a good source of water supply, providing food and fibre, and giving shelter to migratory birds.
The global convention to protect such ecosystems was adopted in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, providing a framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources across the globe.
Reiterating India’s commitment towards protecting its own as well as the global biodiversity for the present and future generations, Singh stressed on the need for “financial resources, technology and capacity building” with the requisite “speed, scope and scale” for implementation of the countries’ respective National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAP).
The minister also informed the gathering about India’s plan to release its updated NBSAP on Wednesday at Cali, sharing the country’s blueprints for how it plans to tackle biodiversity loss under a global framework which aims to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.