🔑 Key Facts

• Nature: An NGO — it is NOT a UN body, NOT an intergovernmental organisation, and NOT part of the Ramsar Convention secretariat.
• Headquarters: Ede, the Netherlands.
• Works with: Governments, international organisations, local communities, and scientists to develop and mobilise knowledge for wetland conservation.
• Key databases: Maintains the Ramsar Information System and the Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD).
• India connection: Works with MoEFCC and state governments on wetland inventory and conservation projects across India.

🔑 Key Features of NPCA

• Covers both wetlands AND lakes — a holistic aquatic ecosystem approach.
• Implements scientific management, ecological restoration, pollution abatement, and community participation.
• Central Government coordinates and provides financial and technical assistance; State Governments manage and implement (since land resources belong to states).
• Under NWCP (predecessor), 115 wetlands were identified by MoEF as requiring urgent conservation.
• Criteria for identifying wetlands of national importance under NPCA are the same as those prescribed under the Ramsar Convention.
• Constitutes State Wetland Authorities in each state — headed by the state’s Environment Minister.
• State Wetland Authorities determine the “wise use principle” governing wetland management in each state.

🔑 Key Features of 2010 Rules

• Central Government had primary authority — a Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority (CWRA) was established.
• Required prior environmental clearance for activities in or around wetlands.
• Prohibited activities included: conversion of wetland area for non-wetland uses, reclamation, setting up industries, solid waste dumping.
• Limited to specific identified wetlands — did not cover all wetlands comprehensively.
• Widely criticised for being too centralised, slow, and not involving states adequately.
• Eventually replaced by the stronger 2017 Rules.

🔑 Key Changes from 2010 to 2017

• Decentralisation: Central authority replaced by State Wetland Authorities (SWA) in each state/UT — headed by the state’s Environment Minister. States now have primary responsibility.
• Wider definition: The 2017 Rules cover a broader set of wetlands — not just identified national wetlands. All wetlands of ecological significance are covered.
• Expanded prohibited activities: In wetlands and their catchment areas: reclamation, construction, solid waste dumping, industrial effluent discharge, introduction of invasive alien species, and any activity that would harm ecological character are banned without prior approval.
• Wetland Conservation Plans: States must prepare wetland conservation plans for all significant wetlands.
• Inventory and mapping: States must maintain a wetland inventory within their territory.
• No conversion: No wetland can be converted to any other land use without prior approval.
• Wise use principle: Conservation plans must adhere to the Ramsar Convention’s wise use principle.

🔑 Core Principles of the Ramsar Convention

• Wise use: Maintenance of the ecological character of wetlands, achieved through ecosystem approaches, within sustainable development. “Wise use” does NOT mean no use — it means sustainable, managed use.
• Three pillars: (1) Designate Ramsar Sites and manage them well. (2) Plan for and regulate wise use of all wetlands. (3) Cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands.
• The Ramsar List: Sites of international importance are listed, and countries commit to maintaining their ecological character.
• Montreux Record: A sub-list of Ramsar sites undergoing adverse ecological change due to human interference — a conservation alert register.
• COP (Conference of Parties): Policy-making organ that meets every 3 years to review implementation and adopt resolutions. COP15 was held in 2022 in Wuhan, China (later moved to Zimbabwe).

🔑 India and the Ramsar Convention

• India joined the Ramsar Convention on 1 February 1982.
• India is one of the most active contracting parties — added 59 new sites between 2014 and 2024.
• India submitted a resolution at Ramsar COP15 (Zimbabwe, 2023) titled “Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles for the Wise Use of Wetlands” — adopted with overwhelming support.
• Mission Sahbhagita — India’s campaign that mobilised over 2 million citizens to ground-truth 170,000+ wetlands.
• Nodal Ministry: MoEFCC is the nodal ministry for Ramsar implementation in India.

🔑 Criteria for Designation as a Ramsar Site (9 Criteria)

A wetland qualifies if it meets at least ONE of the following nine criteria:

• Criterion 1: Contains a representative, rare, or unique wetland type.
• Criterion 2: Supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species, or threatened ecological communities.
• Criterion 3: Supports populations of plant/animal species important for biodiversity.
• Criterion 4: Supports plant/animal species at critical stages of their life cycles, or during stress.
• Criterion 5: Regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds.
• Criterion 6: Regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of a waterbird species.
• Criterion 7: Supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species, or families; represents wetland benefits and/or values contributing to global biological diversity.
• Criterion 8: Is an important source of food for fishes; spawning ground, nursery, or migration path.
• Criterion 9: Regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland-dependent non-avian animal species.