Sultanpur, Bhindawas wetlands near Delhi get Ramsar tag

Context: For the first time, two wetlands of Haryana — Sultanpur National Park in Gurugram and Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary in Jhajjar — have been included in the Ramsar list. 

• The number of protected Ramsar sites in India has now gone up to 46, with two more from Gujarat being included this year.

Background

• Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance that have been designated under the criteria of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 1971. 
• The Ramsar status gives wetlands legal protection and guidelines for management and will supplement Haryana’s efforts to ensure their conservation.

About Sultanpur National Park:

• Sultanpur National Park is situated in the Gurgaon district of Haryana. The park is spread across 353 acres.
• The park is an important wetland that harbours rich plant and animal life. It supports more than 220 species of resident, winter migratory and local migratory waterbirds at critical stages of their life cycles. 
• More than ten of these are globally threatened, including the critically endangered sociable lapwing.

About Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary

• Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Jhajjar district of Haryana. In 2009, it was declared as a bird sanctuary by the Indian Government.
• The sanctuary is an important part of the ecological corridor along the route of Sahibi River which traverses from Aravalli hills in Rajasthan to the Yamuna. The sanctuary is located just 1.5 km from Khaparwas Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The sanctuary is an important wetland that provides a safe habitat to numerous animals and plants.
• A total of 265 species of birds have been reported from the site. More than 30,000 migratory birds belonging to over 250 species visit Bhindawas throughout the year.

Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary

• Thol Lake WLS from Gujarat lies on the Central Asian Flyway and more than 320 bird species can be found here.
• The wetland supports more 30 threatened waterbird species, such as the critically endangered White-rumped Vulture and Sociable Lapwing , and the vulnerable Sarus Crane, Common Pochard and Lesser White-fronted Goose.

Wadhvana Wetland

• Wadhvana Wetland from Gujarat is internationally important for its birdlife as it provides wintering ground to migratory waterbirds, including over 80 species that migrate on the Central Asian Flyway.
• They include some threatened or near-threatened species such as the endangered Pallas’s fish-Eagle, the vulnerable Common Pochard, and the near-threatened Dalmatian Pelican, Grey-headed Fish-eagle and Ferruginous Duck.