Two Wetlands in Bihar Designated as Ramsar Sites | 29 Sep 2025

Why in News?

India has added two new wetlands from Bihar — Gokul Jalashay in Buxar and Udaipur Jheel in West Champaran — to the global list of Ramsar Convention Sites of International Importance.

• With these additions, India’s Ramsar tally now stands at 93 sites, covering 13,60,719 hectares, maintaining its top position in Asia and third globally after the UK (176) and Mexico (144).
  

Key Points

• Gokul Jalashay, Buxar District:
  • Type: Oxbow lake located on the southern edge of the river Ganga.
  • Ecological Role: Functions as a natural flood buffer for nearby villages while providing habitat for over 50 bird species.
  • Community Linkages: Provides livelihood through fishing, farming, and irrigation.
  • Local Tradition: Villagers clean the catchment annually during a festival.
• Udaipur Jheel, West Champaran District:
  • Type: Oxbow lake surrounding a village.
  • Biodiversity: Home to 280 plant species, including Alysicarpus roxburghianus (endemic to India).
    • It is an important wintering ground for 35 migratory bird species, including the vulnerable common pochard.
• About Wetlands: They are areas of marsh, fen, peatland, or water (natural or artificial) with water that is static or flowing, including marine areas with a depth not exceeding six meters.
  • Wetlands are an ecotone, having land transitional between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
• About Ramsar Convention: It was adopted in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, and provides a global framework for wetland conservation and wise use. India joined it in 1982.
  • The Montreux Record (threatened list) lists wetlands with deteriorating ecological character due to human activity or pollution. India has two wetlands in the Montreux Record:
    • Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan (1990): A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
    • Loktak Lake, Manipur (1993): The largest freshwater lake in Northeast India, known for its Phumdis (floating masses of vegetation, soil, and organic matter)
  • Chilika Lake was included in the Montreux Record in 1993 but was removed in 2002 (the first site from Asia).