Ramsar 2023-24 Additions: From 99 to India's 100th Site
May 14, 20268 min read
Ramsar 2023-24 Additions: From 99 to India's 100th Site
Another year, another 10 Ramsar sites. This batch took India to 99.
Update for June 2026: India later crossed the 100-site milestone when Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary (Surha Tal) in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, was designated as India's 100th Ramsar site on World Environment Day 2026.
But here is the trap: UPSC does not ask you to list all 10. They ask you to identify the odd one out, the state with the most additions, the site that is a shola forest, or the one in Bihar that comes from an irrigation reservoir.
If you memorise the list as a flat string of names, you will lose marks. If you categorise them by state, ecosystem type, and administrative origin, you will not.
PYQ frequency: High for base Ramsar knowledge; medium for current addition years (depends on whether UPSC picks the year's additions as a standalone question)
Exam stage relevance: Both
Primary GS Paper: GS 3
[EXAMINER REASONING]
Trap: Confusing conservation categories (National Park vs Sanctuary vs Biosphere Reserve) or species protection schedules. Examiners test precise legal terminology.
Most confused: The distinction between in-situ and ex-situ conservation, and between different international conventions (CBD vs Ramsar vs CITES vs CMS).
Current affairs hook: COP outcomes, India's NDC updates, new amendments (Forest Conservation Amendment 2023, Wildlife Protection Amendment 2022), species reintroduction, plastic/E-waste rules, Green Credit Programme.
Mains hinge: Frame answers around the core tension - conservation vs development, central vs state jurisdiction, statutory vs participatory governance, intergenerational equity vs present needs.
Core Concept
The Ramsar Convention (1971, came into force 1975) is an intergovernmental treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. India joined in 1982. As of January 2024, India had 99 designated Ramsar sites; after the June 2026 Surha Tal designation, India reached 100.
The 2023-24 additions (10 sites across 4 states) follow a pattern: most are bird sanctuaries or conservation reserves already under state protection. Ramsar designation adds international recognition but does not change the domestic legal status.
Key distinction: A site can be a Ramsar site AND a state-declared bird sanctuary (example: Nagi and Nakti in Bihar). This dual identity is exam-relevant because UPSC tests whether Ramsar designation automatically extends legal protection - it does not.
Key Facts
India's total Ramsar count after January 2024: 99 sites
India's total Ramsar count after June 5, 2026: 100 sites
Nagi Bird Sanctuary and Nakti Bird Sanctuary (Bihar): former irrigation reservoirs, Bihar's first bird sanctuaries
Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu): brackish water lake on Coromandel Coast, one of Tamil Nadu's largest wetlands
Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu): freshwater lake, historically used for irrigation
Tawa Reservoir (Madhya Pradesh): built on Tawa River (Narmada tributary), also a bird sanctuary
UPSC Question Themes (Illustrative)
Treat these as original practice prompts unless a linked official UPSC paper is provided; they are not represented as verbatim PYQs.
| Type | Stage | What was tested |
|------|-------|----------------|
| Practice | Prelims | Multi-statement on Ramsar sites - whether Ramsar sites are notified under EPA or WPA |
| Practice | Prelims | Which of the following are newly added Ramsar sites? (identification from list) |
| Practice | Prelims | Which of the given wetlands are in India? (identification) |
| Practice | Prelims | Statement-based on Ramsar Convention - does Ramsar give binding legal protection? |
| Practice | Mains GS3 | "Wetlands in India are under threat. Examine the causes and suggest remedial measures." |
| Practice | Prelims | Montreux Record - which Indian sites are listed |
| Practice | Prelims | Chilika Lake - brackish or freshwater |
Statement Elimination Guide
Correct: "India added 10 Ramsar sites between March 2023 and January 2024, taking the total to 99."
False: "India added 10 Ramsar sites in 2023 alone." (Additions spanned March 2023 to January 2024.)
Trap: "India has the most Ramsar sites in the world." (India has the most in Asia. The UK and Mexico lead globally.)
Correct: "Tamil Nadu has 20 Ramsar sites, the highest among Indian states."
False: "Tamil Nadu added the most Ramsar sites in 2023." (Karnataka added 3 in 2023; Tamil Nadu added 4 but some were in January 2024.)
Trap: "Tamil Nadu's Ramsar sites are all freshwater wetlands." (Kazhuveli is brackish - this distinction matters for Prelims.)
Correct: "Nagi and Nakti in Bihar are irrigation reservoirs that were declared bird sanctuaries and later designated Ramsar sites."
False: "Nagi and Nakti were originally natural lakes designated as Ramsar sites." (They were man-made irrigation reservoirs.)
Trap: "Ramsar designation of Nagi and Nakti automatically grants them legal protection under Indian law." (False - legal protection comes from their state-level sanctuary status under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, not from Ramsar designation itself.)
Correct: "Longwood Shola Reserve Forest is the only shola forest ecosystem among India's Ramsar sites."
False: "Longwood Shola is a wetland ecosystem." (It is a shola forest - a tropical montane forest unique to the Western Ghats.)
Trap: "All Ramsar sites are wetlands in the conventional sense." (Longwood Shola shows that Ramsar sites can include forest ecosystems that are wet rather than waterbodies.)
Current Affairs Hook
Amrit Dharohar scheme (Union Budget 2023-24): aims to enhance conservation values of Ramsar sites through integrated management and livelihood generation. With 10 new sites added, the scheme's coverage expanded.
India at 100: Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary (Surha Tal) in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh became India's 100th Ramsar site on World Environment Day 2026.
Nagi-Nakti dual designation: Both sites were notified as Bihar's first bird sanctuaries under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 before receiving Ramsar designation. This is the exam-relevant pattern: Ramsar adds international recognition, state sanctuary adds legal protection.
Tawa Reservoir: Located in Madhya Pradesh, built on the Tawa River (a tributary of the Narmada). Connects to the Narmada River ecosystem, which has appeared in UPSC questions on interlinking of rivers and riverine ecology.
Interlinkages
Biodiversity (GS 3) → Longwood Shola Reserve Forest is a shola forest ecosystem in the Western Ghats (a biodiversity hotspot); connects to shola-grassland ecology, endemism in the Nilgiris
Irrigation and Water Management (GS 3) → Nagi, Nakti, Tawa Reservoir, and Nanjarayan are all man-made irrigation structures converted to conservation sites - represents human-nature coexistence model
Federalism (GS 2) → Environment is a Concurrent List subject; states declare sanctuaries, Centre designates Ramsar sites - coordination between state forest departments and MoEFCC is tested in Mains
Coastal Ecology (GS 3) → Aghanashini Estuary (Karnataka) and Kazhuveli (Tamil Nadu) are coastal wetlands; connects to CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) rules, mangrove conservation, and fisheries livelihoods
Climate Change (GS 3) → Wetlands act as carbon sinks; their degradation accelerates climate risks - tested in environment-cum-climate questions
Common Mistakes
"India reached 99 Ramsar sites in 2023 alone." - Wrong. The additions happened between March 2023 and January 2024. The milestone reflects cumulative designation since 1982.
"Longwood Shola is a wetland." - Wrong. It is a shola forest (montane tropical forest). The Ramsar definition covers "areas of marsh, fen, peatland, or water" - shola forests qualify due to their water-saturated soils, but they are not lakes, marshes, or estuaries.
"All 10 additions are natural wetlands." - Wrong. Nagi, Nakti, Ankasamudra, Nanjarayan, Karaivetti, and Tawa are man-made or managed waterbodies. Only Aghanashini, Kazhuveli, Magadi Kere, and Longwood Shola are natural ecosystems.
"Tamil Nadu has the most Ramsar sites because it added the most in 2023-24." - Partial truth. Tamil Nadu had 16 sites before 2023-24 and added 4, taking it to 20. But many of its sites were designated before the 2022 acceleration.
"Ramsar designation means the site is protected from development." - Wrong again. Ramsar is a voluntary designation. Real protection comes from domestic laws (Wildlife Protection Act for sanctuaries, or Wetlands Rules 2017). This mistake repeats every year.
Revision Snapshot
India had 99 Ramsar sites after the January 2024 batch and reached 100 on June 5, 2026 with Surha Tal / Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. 2023-24 additions: Karnataka (3: Ankasamudra, Aghanashini, Magadi Kere), Tamil Nadu (4: Karaivetti, Longwood Shola, Kazhuveli, Nanjarayan), Bihar (2: Nagi, Nakti), MP (1: Tawa). Tamil Nadu leads among states. Longwood Shola = only shola forest. Nagi-Nakti = Bihar's first bird sanctuaries. Tawa = Narmada tributary. Man-made sites outnumber natural. Ramsar = designation, not legal protection. Amrit Dharohar = livelihood + conservation.