Indore and Udaipur join the list of 31 Wetland Accredited Cities in world | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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Indore and Udaipur join the list of 31 Wetland Accredited Cities in world

Posted 27 Jan 2025

2 min read

Indore and Udaipur have become the first two Indian cities to make it to the global list of accredited wetland cities under Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

  • Indore: Sirpur Lake (Ramsar Site) recognised for water bird congregation and is being developed as a bird sanctuary.
  • Udaipur: Surrounded by five major wetlands, namely, Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Rang Sagar, Swaroop Sagar, and Doodh Talai.

About Wetland City Accreditation (WCA)

  • It is a voluntary Accreditation system that provides an opportunity for cities that value their natural or human-made wetlands to gain international recognition and positive publicity for their efforts. 
  • It was approved at Uruguay in COP12 of Ramsar Convention (2015).
  • It is valid for 6 years, after which it must be renewed, providing that it continues to fill each of the 6 criteria (refer image). 

Significance of WCA

  • Promote conservation and wise use of urban and peri-urban wetlands, as well as sustainable socio-economic benefits for local populations.
  • Encourage cities near and dependent on wetlands, especially Wetlands of International Importance, to strengthen positive relationship with these valuable ecosystems.
  • Help in implementation of Amrit Dharohar initiative of MoEF&CC.

Ramsar Convention

  • It is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for conservation and wise-use of wetlands and their resources.
  • Adopted in in 1971 and came into force in 1975.
  • Currently, there are 85 Ramsar sites in India.
  • Tags :
  • Ramsar Convention
  • Wetland City Accreditation
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