India’s adds 5 new wetlands

India’s Total Ramsar Sites tally reached 54: added 5 New Wetlands; 3 in TN & 1 in MP & 1 in Mizoram

India has designated five new wetlands of international importance, taking the total number of Ramsar sites in India to 54 under the Ramsar Convention or the Convention on Wetlands.

The new sites include three wetlands in Tamil Nadu( TN), one in Mizoram and one in Madhya Pradesh( MP) which are explained as below:

1. Karikili Bird Sanctuary in TN: Located in Kanchipuram district, 86 kms from Chennai, it has an area of 61.21 hectare( ha) and a belt of 5 kms width around. Its forest type is a tank having a compact grove of Barringtonia and Acacia nilotica trees Dry evergreen scrub and thorn forests.

2. Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest in TN: It’s one of the last remaining natural wetlands of Chennai located adjacent to the Bay of Bengal.

3. Pichavaram Mangrove in TN: The Pichavaram Mangrove is the second largest mangrove forest in the world covering about,100 hectare of are. It’s separated from the Bay of Bengal by a sandbar.

4. Pala wetland in Mizoram: It’s the largest natural wetland in Mizoram, spread across,850 hectares located in Siaha district, Mizoram. It’s surrounded by lush green woodlands, mountains and home to a range of animals, birds, amphibians and reptiles.

• It’s the source of fresh water, and fish for the fringe villages and also the primary source of irrigation for wet rice cultivation, horticulture and agriculture.

5. Sakhya Sagar in MP: It’s located in the Madhav National Park in Shivpuri district of MP. It has an abundant population of marsh crocodiles.

The information for the same was provided by Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change( MoEF & CC).