Pragnya IAS · Chapter 9 of 15 · Wetlands, hotspots & coasts
Ramsar sites in India map: wetlands
Chart India’s 80-plus Ramsar wetlands — the world’s third-largest tally — from Chilika’s lagoon to the high lakes of Ladakh.
STUDY NOTE 1
The convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was signed in 1971 at Ramsar, Iran, and India joined in 1982. Its guiding idea is the “wise use” of wetlands. India’s tally has crossed eighty sites — among the highest in the world and the most in Asia.
STUDY NOTE 2
The first two
Chilika (Odisha) and Keoladeo Ghana (Rajasthan) were India’s first Ramsar sites, designated in 1981. Both were later placed on the Montreux Record — the register of sites needing priority attention — and Chilika was later removed after restoration.
STUDY NOTE 3
Read the spread
Wular (J&K) is among Asia’s largest freshwater lakes; Loktak (Manipur) carries the floating phumdis; the Sundarbans and East Kolkata Wetlands show the delta face; Tso Moriri and Tso Kar take the list into Ladakh’s cold desert. Tamil Nadu now leads the state count.
STUDY NOTE 4
Why wetlands matter
Flood buffering, groundwater recharge, fisheries and migratory-bird habitat make wetlands the standard GS III ecosystem-services answer. Urban wetlands such as East Kolkata show nature treating city sewage — a favourite case study.
Map reading activity
Mark the first two sites, one high-altitude pair and one urban wetland. Explain “wise use” in one line.
What does this ramsar wetlands of india lesson explain?
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was signed in 1971 at Ramsar, Iran, and India joined in 1982. Its guiding idea is the “wise use” of wetlands. India’s tally has crossed eighty sites — among the highest in the world and the most in Asia.
UPSC map practice & Geography Optional connection
For UPSC Prelims environment questions and GS III, pair each protected area or convention site with its state, ecosystem and flagship species. Use a labelled sketch to show distribution; lists and counts change, so note the update date rather than memorising a frozen tally. These are Pragnya-authored exercises, not official UPSC previous-year questions.
References & original artwork
This lesson covers chapter 9 of the supplied reference curriculum. Pragnya IAS notes, activities and questions are independently authored; source PDF pages, branding, personal watermarks and unverified PYQs are not republished. India state geometry: geoBoundaries (CC BY 2.5 IN), simplified. These are educational concept views, not legal boundaries or official protected-area maps.