Introductory Memo
Keoladeo national park in Rajasthan and Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon Chilika Lake in Odisha were the first designated Ramsar sites in India 1981. Ironically, both were also the first sites in India to be placed on the endangered list. In 2002, Chilika Lake was restored as a wetland. Keoladeo is still struggling for restoration. India had only 26 Ramsar sites till 2014. The erstwhile governments kept the Ramsar sites list stagnated for years. But, between 2014 and 2026, India committed aggressively to conserving wetlands by adding 74 Ramsar sites. A growing India is also committing to environment conservation.