Two New Ramsar Sites were Declared

 Lake Meteor in Lonar in Buldhana District of Maharashtra and Soor Sarovar in Agra were declared Ramsar sites, which are protected status granted by the International Ramsar Wetland Convention. With the latest data included, the total number of Ramsar sites in India is 41, the highest in South Asia.

Highlights:

♦ The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty passed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea.

♦ It entered into force for India on February 1, 1982. Those wetlands of international importance are declared Ramsar wetlands.

♦ The mission of the convention is to "conserve and rationally use all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, and contribute to the realization of sustainable development throughout the world.

♦ The Montreux Record is a record of wetland sites on the list of internationally important wetlands. The ecological characteristics of these wetlands have occurred, are occurring or may change due to technological development, pollution or other human disturbance. It is recognized as part of the Ramsar List.

♦ Currently, India has two wetlands in the Montreux record: Keoladeo National Park - Rajasthan and Loktak Lake - Manipur. Chilika Lake- Odisha was placed in the record, but then deleted from the record. 

Lonar Lake:

♦ Lonar Lake, located in the volcanic basalt of the Deccan Plateau, was formed by a meteor impact between 35,000 and 50,000 years ago. The lake is part of the Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary, which is under the unified control of the Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR).

♦ It is also called the Moon Crater and is a notified National Geological Heritage Monument. Geographical heritage refers to geological features with inherent or cultural significance that can provide insight into the evolution or history of the earth, or can be used for education. 

♦ It is the second Ramsar site in Maharashtra, second only to Nandur Madhmeshwar bird sanctuary in the Nashik region. The water of the lake is highly salty and alkaline, and contains special microorganisms such as anaerobic bacteria, cyanobacteria and phytoplankton.

Soor Sarovar Lake:

♦ It is also known as Lake Keetham and is located in the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, which was declared a bird sanctuary in 1991. The lake is located by the Yamuna River in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary covers an area of 7.97 square kilometres. Today, there are more than 165 species of migratory and resident birds. It also has a bear rescue centre to rescue dancing bears.