PIB TrackerGlaw Lake takes India past 100 Ramsar sites
Arunachal Pradesh got its first Ramsar site as Glaw Lake became India's 101st wetland of international importance — a network that has grown from 26 sites to over a hundred.
What happened
- Glaw Lake in Arunachal Pradesh was designated India's 101st Ramsar Site.
- It is the state's first Ramsar Site.
- India's Ramsar network has grown from 26 sites to beyond a century.
- Ramsar sites are 'Wetlands of International Importance' under the 1971 Convention.
- The minister framed it as a step for biodiversity, water and climate security and sustainable livelihoods.
For Prelims
- Ramsar Convention: the intergovernmental treaty on wetlands, signed at Ramsar, Iran, in 1971 — the oldest modern multilateral environmental agreement.
- Ramsar site: a 'Wetland of International Importance' designated under the Convention.
- India's tally: 101 sites, up from 26; Glaw Lake is Arunachal Pradesh's first.
- Montreux Record: the register of Ramsar sites facing ecological change (India's Keoladeo and Loktak are on it).
- Why wetlands: carbon storage, groundwater recharge, flood buffering, fisheries and migratory-bird habitat.
- Domestic law: the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 govern wetland protection in India.
For UPSC: A conservation staple. Use it for the Ramsar Convention and wise use of wetlands, wetland ecosystem services (carbon, water, flood buffering), the Wetlands Rules 2017 and the Montreux Record, and high-altitude wetlands under climate stress.
What it is NOT: Ramsar designation is a commitment to wise use and international reporting — not a protected-area declaration under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, and it does not by itself bar local use.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.14 · GS2.20 · Linkage L2
Anchor
Past a hundred — a Himalayan lake carries India's wetland network beyond the century mark.
Substantiation (data)
Glaw Lake is India's 101st Ramsar Site and Arunachal Pradesh's first, in a network grown from 26 sites.
Exemplification
A high-altitude Himalayan wetland strengthens representation of mountain ecosystems most exposed to warming and glacial change.
Problematisation
Designation is not protection — encroachment, pollution and catchment degradation continue at many listed sites, and two Indian sites sit on the Montreux Record.
Way-forward
Enforce the Wetlands Rules 2017, prepare site management plans with local communities, and treat wetlands as water infrastructure rather than wasteland.
Position
Counting sites is the easy part; wise use of the ones already listed is the real test.
Deploys into: Conservation + international institutions (GS3.14, GS2.20) · the Ramsar Convention and wise use, wetland ecosystem services, and the Wetlands Rules 2017.
Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change · 2026-08-03 · PRID 2294036 · PIB source ↗