Context: The Asan Conservation Reserve in Dehradun is the first wetland from Uttarakhand to be recognised by Ramsar.

• India now has 38 wetlands, the highest in South Asia, with one more added to the list of recognised sites of international importance under the treaty of Ramsar Convention.

About Asan Conservation Reserve

• It is located on the banks of Yamuna river near Dehradun district in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.
• Asan Barrage (A barrage is a type of low-head, diversion dam) in the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border region in Doon Valley, (Dehradun District), northern India, situated at the confluence of the Eastern Yamuna Canal and the Asan River.
• It is home to species such as white rumped vulture(Critically Endangered), ruddy shelduck(Least Concern), red-headed vulture (Critically Endangered), Asian woolly neck(Vulnerable) among others.
• The wetland also acts as host to several migratory birds from October till March.
• Spread across 4.44 sq km area, Asan is home to many rare and endangered species and receives about 40 migratory species, including Rudy Shelduck, Common coot, Gadwall, Kingfisher, Indian cormorant, Baer's pochard, Northern pintail, Bar-headed goose.

Additional Facts
Ramsar Convention on Wetland (1971)

• It is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources
• The name of the Convention is usually written "Convention on Wetlands".
• The Convention on Wetlands came into force for India on February 1, 1982.
• Those wetlands which are of international importance are declared as Ramsar sites.

Montreux Record

• It is a register of wetland sites on the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance.
• It shows such sites where there has been or likely to be adverse ecological changes due to anthropogenic activities.
• Indian sites in the Montreux Record are Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan), Loktak Lake (Manipur).