Context

India has recently designated five new wetlands of International importance.

About

• Three wetlands, namely Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest & Pichavaram Mangrove of Tamil Nadu, Pala wetland of Mizoram and wetland Sakhya Sagar of Madhya Pradesh have been added to the list.
• The Ramsar sites have been increased from 49 to 54 Ramsar sites.
  
  

About New Sites:

Karikili Bird Sanctuary: 

• Karikili Bird Sanctuary is a 61.21-hectare protected area located in the Kancheepuram District of Tamil Nadu.
• The sanctuary is about 75 km from Chennai, south of Chengalpattu. 

Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest: 

• Pallikaranai wetland is a freshwater marsh located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• It is the only surviving wetland ecosystem of the city and among the few and last remaining natural wetlands of South India.

Pichavaram Mangrove:

• Pichavaram mangrove is located in a village near Chidambaram in Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu.
• The mangrove is one of the largest mangrove forests in India, covering 1100 hectares.

Pala wetland:

• The Pala wetland is the largest natural wetland in Mizoram.
• The renowned landmark is surrounded by green woodlands and home to rich diversity of animal species including a range of animals and birds.

Sakhya Sagar:

• Sakhya Sagar Lake is an integral part of the beautiful ecology of the Madhav National Park in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh.

India’s Ramsar Sites:

• India’s Ramsar wetlands are spread over 11,000 sq km — around 10% of the total wetland area in the country — across 18 States.
• No other South Asian country has as many sites though this has much to do with India’s geographical breadth and tropical diversity.
• The United Kingdom (175) and Mexico (142) — smaller countries than India — have the maximum Ramsar sites whereas Bolivia spans the largest area with 148,000 sq km under the Convention protection.

Ramsar Sites

• These are wetlands deemed to be of "international importance" under the Ramsar Convention.
• It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the convention was signed in 1971.
• Ramsar sites are trans-boundary in which case more than one Contracting Party is responsible for their conservation and management.
• The inclusion in the list is for-
• the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands,
• recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their
• Economic value.
• Cultural value
• Scientific value
• Recreational value
• It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands.