Why in news?
10 more wetlands in India have been declared as Ramsar sites.
- 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)
- The 2nd of February each year is World Wetlands Day, marking the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971. “Wetlands and Biodiversity” is the theme for 2020.
- Manteaux accord:
- The Monteux Record is a register of wetland sites on the “List of Wetlands of International Importance”, where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.
- It is the principle tool under the Ramsar convention for highlighting wetlands sites in need of priority conservation status.
- It was established in the 4th meeting of Conference of Contracting Parties to Ramsar Convention at Monteux, Switzerland in 1990.
- Keoladeo National Park-Rajasthan, Loktak Lake – Manipur are two wetland sites of India included in Monteux Record.
