• Dhanauri village near Dankaur, Uttar Pradesh;
• Floodplains of Yamuna.

Ramsar Wetlands

• The Ramsar Convention, also known as the ‘Convention on Wetlands,’ is an intergovernmental environmental treaty founded by UNESCO in 1971.
• It derives its name from the city of Ramsar in Iran, where it was initially signed.
• Ramsar sites are wetlands of global significance recognized under this treaty.
• The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the brink of ecological changes and in need of close monitoring under the Ramsar Convention.

Ramsar Site Designation Criteria:

Ramsar site designation hinges on several factors:

1. Representing rare or unique natural wetland types.
2. Supporting endangered species or threatened ecological communities.
3. Maintaining biodiversity in specific biogeographic regions.
4. Offering refuge during adverse conditions.
5. Regularly accommodating 20,000 or more waterbirds.
6. Sustaining 1% of a population of a single water-bird species.
7. Serving as a critical source of food, spawning grounds, nurseries, and migration paths for fish.
8. Regularly supporting 1% of a population of non-avian wetland-dependent animal species.