A Ramsar site is declared by the Ramsar Convention, which is an international treaty which focuses on conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing their ecological functions along with economic, cultural and scientific values.
While Maharashtra is yet to get a single wetland notified as a Ramsar site in Maharashtra, despite the Forest Department proposing five prominent wetlands in 2013, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has decided to propose two more sites, taking the count to seven.
Though there are 26 Ramsar sites in India, none of these are in Maharashtra. This is despite the State having a number of wetlands among which a few have been declared as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) by the BNHS owing to the huge number of birds congregating here.
"Thane Creek in Thane district and Hatnur dam in Jalgaon are the two new proposed areas to be declared as Ramsar Sites, including the earlier five areas proposed," said a BNHS spokesperson, adding that the earlier proposed were Jaikwadi Bird Sanctuary (Aurangabad), Ujni Reservoir (Pune), Sewri Creek or Mahul-Sewri Mudflats (Mumbai), Nandur Madhmeshwar Bird Sanctuary (Nashik), and Lonar Lake Sanctuary (Buldhana).
A Ramsar site is declared by the Ramsar Convention, which is an international treaty which focuses on conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing their ecological functions along with economic, cultural and scientific values.
According to experts, the Thane Creek which was recently declared as a Flamingos Sanctuary by the Government of Maharashtra, hosts more than 30,000 – 40,000 flamingos for nearly six months every year, including both Greater and Lesser Flamingos. Besides flamingos, the creek is the wintering refuge for many species of migratory birds including a large number of Pied Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits, Common Redshanks, stints and sand plovers. Similiarly, the Hatnur dam in Jalgaon district is known to host 20,000 to 32,000 birds during winter, including hundreds of threatened Painted Storks, Black-headed Ibis and other waterbirds.
"All the seven proposed sites easily qualify for being declared as Ramsar sites as they fulfill the nine specific criteria listed by the Ramsar convention," added the spokesperson.
“India is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention. The declaration of these seven sites as Ramsar sites would help garner global recognition to these wetlands. It would also promote the conservation of the wetlands as a habitat, in turn conserving the varied biodiversity they harbor as well as ensure water security of the region,” says Dr Deepak Apte, Director of BNHS.
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