Bhubaneswar: India is set to urge the Convention on Wetlands to fast-track the designation of 26 wetlands, including four from Odisha, as Ramsar sites, top officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) said on Tuesday.
Satkosia Gorge, Tampara Lake, Hirakud Reservoir and Ansupa Lake in Odisha are among the 26 wetlands proposed to be designated as Ramsar sites, besides 13 from Tamil Nadu, three from Madhya Pradesh, two from Jammu & Kashmir and one each from Maharashtra, Mizoram, Karnataka and Goa.
Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav is expected to take up the issue with Secretary-General of Convention on Wetlands Martha Rojas Urrego during his upcoming visit to Geneva, and if it agrees, India could have a total of 75 Ramsar sites in the 75th year of Independence.
Notably, Chilika Lake and the Bhitarkanika Mangroves in Odisha have already earned the tag. Bhitarkanika, known for its mangrove vegetation, birds and crocodiles, was listed as a wetland of international importance, in 2021. Spread out over an area of 1,16,500 hectares in the three districts of Khurda, Puri and Ganjam, Chilika Lake was designated as a Ramsar Site in 1981.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)
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