From 26 to 101: Arunachal Gets Its First Ramsar Site, and India Passes a Century of Them
A lake inside a tiger reserve, fed by mountain streams and holding 49 orchid species, closes one of the last big gaps in India's wetland map — but a count of sites is not a measure of wetland health
What happened
An aspirant should hold two things together here. Crossing a hundred Ramsar sites is a genuine institutional achievement, and extending the network into Arunachal Pradesh fills a real gap in a biodiversity hotspot. But a count of designated sites measures administrative activity, not ecological condition, and wetlands outside the network have been disappearing faster than almost any other ecosystem type.
Glaw Lake at a glance
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | India's 101st Ramsar Site; Arunachal Pradesh's first |
| Designated | 3 August 2026, announced by the Union Environment Minister |
| Location | Arunachal Pradesh, within Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary |
| Hydrology | Freshwater lake fed by perennial mountain streams |
| Recorded biodiversity | 150+ tree species; 49 orchid species in site and catchment |
| Biogeographic setting | Eastern Himalayas biodiversity hotspot |
| India's network | 26 Ramsar Sites in 2014, 101 in 2026 |
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and in force from 1975, making it one of the oldest modern multilateral environmental agreements and the only one devoted to a single ecosystem type.
●Parties designate wetlands of international importance, which enter the List of Wetlands of International Importance, and undertake to maintain their ecological character and to promote the wise use of all wetlands in their territory.
●A site qualifies if it meets any one of nine criteria, covering representative or unique wetland types, support for vulnerable species or threatened ecological communities, significant waterbird populations, and importance for fish or other taxa.
●Notably, there is no minimum area threshold — qualification turns on ecological character rather than extent.
●Where the ecological character of a listed site changes or is likely to change, it can be placed on the Montreux Record.
●India acceded in 1982, and its domestic instrument is the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
Ramsar qualification turns on ecological criteria, not size — and designation obliges a party to maintain a site's character, not merely to name it.
◎ In Simple Words
A lake in Arunachal Pradesh has been added to an international list of important wetlands, and it is the first place in that State to be included. The forest around the lake holds more than 150 kinds of trees and 49 kinds of orchids, and the lake sits inside a tiger reserve. India now has 101 such listed wetlands, up from 26 about a decade ago.
Factual Pointers
Practice · 2 questions
The Montreux Record under the Ramsar Convention refers to:
Which of the following statements about the Ramsar Convention is correct?
Mains Practice Questions
"Ramsar designation is an input, not an outcome." Critically examine what determines whether listing translates into effective wetland protection in India.
Discuss the ecosystem services provided by wetlands and evaluate the adequacy of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 in protecting them.
India's Ramsar network grew from 26 sites in 2014 to 101 in 2026 but remains unevenly distributed across States. Examine the causes and consequences of this distributional gap.
Frequently Asked
· People also askWhat is Glaw Lake and why was it in the news?
Glaw Lake in Arunachal Pradesh was designated India's 101st Ramsar Site on 3 August 2026, becoming the State's first wetland of international importance. It lies within the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary and is a pristine freshwater lake in the Eastern Himalayas fed by perennial mountain streams.
GS3 · EnvironmentOver 150 tree species and 49 orchid species have been recorded in the site and its catchment. The announcement was made by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
SOURCE Press Information Bureau · The Tribune
What is the Ramsar Convention?
An intergovernmental treaty adopted at Ramsar, Iran in 1971 and in force from 1975, devoted to the conservation and wise use of wetlands. It is the only global environmental treaty focused on a single ecosystem type. India acceded in 1982 and now has 101 designated sites.
GS3 · International conventionsParties designate wetlands for the List of Wetlands of International Importance and undertake to maintain their ecological character. A site qualifies by meeting any one of nine criteria — there is no minimum area threshold.
SOURCE Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
How many Ramsar Sites does India have?
101, following the designation of Glaw Lake on 3 August 2026. The Union Environment Minister noted that the network has grown from 26 sites in 2014, a near-fourfold expansion in about a decade that places India among the highest in Asia by number of designated wetlands.
GS3 · DataThe count measures designations rather than ecological condition. The Global Wetland Outlook has documented that global wetland extent has declined faster than forest extent, so a rising number of protected sites can coexist with continuing net loss outside the network.
SOURCE Press Information Bureau
What is the Montreux Record?
A register maintained under the Ramsar Convention of already-listed sites where ecological character has changed, is changing or is likely to change due to technological development, pollution or other human interference. It functions as a watch-list attracting priority conservation attention.
GS3 · EnvironmentIts existence underlines that designation is not permanent protection: a site can be listed and still deteriorate, which is why the meaningful measure of wetland policy is ecological condition rather than the number of sites designated.
SOURCE Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
What is India's domestic law for wetland protection?
The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. They require States to identify and notify wetlands and to constitute State Wetlands Authorities empowered to regulate prohibited activities within notified wetlands.
GS3 · Environmental lawThe recurring weakness has been notification backlogs and under-resourced authorities, so after a Ramsar designation the operative question is whether a site-specific management plan is prepared, funded and monitored.
SOURCE Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Does Ramsar status add protection where a tiger reserve already exists?
It adds a different layer rather than duplicating one. The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 already restricts activity inside Kamlang Tiger Reserve, while Ramsar status adds an international reporting obligation and a monitoring framework focused specifically on wetland ecological character.
GS3 · ConservationTiger reserve management plans centre on large-mammal habitat and corridors, so a wetland-specific framework fills a genuine gap in monitoring hydrology, water quality and aquatic species.
SOURCE Press Information Bureau