India's most important — and most heavily tested — wetland ecosystems.
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971), named after the Iranian city where it was signed, is an intergovernmental treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. A site designated a "Wetland of International Importance" (Ramsar Site) is recognised for its ecological, botanical, zoological, or hydrological significance.
India has one of the largest networks of Ramsar sites in Asia, numbering well over 75 sites and growing steadily in recent years. Notable examples include Chilika Lake (Odisha) — India's largest coastal lagoon and a major wintering ground for migratory birds — Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan), Sundarban Wetland (West Bengal), and Wular Lake (Jammu & Kashmir), one of Asia's largest freshwater lakes.
Wetlands act as natural water filters, recharge groundwater, buffer against floods, support immense biodiversity (especially migratory waterbirds), and sequester carbon. In India, wetlands are also protected domestically under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
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