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The Meteor lake at Lonar in Maharashtra has been declared a Ramsar site
About Lonar lake
- Lonar Lake (also known as Lonar Crater) is located at Lonar in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district.
- The crater was initially thought to have a volcanic origin due to its location amid volcanic basalt of the Deccan Plateau
- It was created by an impact of a meteor 35,000 to 50,000 years ago
- Lonar lake is highly saline and alkaline, containing special microorganisms like anaerobes, Cyanobacteria and phytoplankton
- This lake is a part of Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary
About Ramsar convention
- The Ramsar Convention is the only global treaty that focuses specifically on wetlands.
- It was signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran.
- It has 170 nations as signatories.
- The convention entered into force in India on 1 February 1982.
- The contracting parties agree to manage all their wetlands based on the concept of “wise use.”
- Wise use means the maintenance of the ecological character of the wetland and allowance of sustainable use for the benefit of people and the environment.
- The Ramsar Convention works closely with six other organizations known as International Organization Partners (IOPs). These are:
- Birdlife International
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
- Wetlands International
- WWF International
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)
Source: The Indian Express
