Telangana govt seeks Ramsar tag for five sites

Govt proposed five wildlife sanctuaries in the State including the Manjeera and Pocharam Wildlife Sanctuaries.

Sangareddy: The State government has proposed five wildlife sanctuaries in the State including the Manjeera and Pocharam Wildlife Sanctuaries here to be tagged as Ramsar sites under the Ramsar Convention for Wetlands of International Importance.

The government had placed the proposal before experts during a meeting held in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the team of officials including Leena Nandan (Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change), Vani Prasad (Principal Secretary, Tourism and Youth Affairs) and Ahmad Nadeem (Principal Secretary, Forest and Environment) and other officials will visit the Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary on Wednesday early morning.

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During a two-day regional workshop held on conservation and wise use of wetlands for southern States and union territories under Mission Sahbhagita, State officials proposed the five wildlife sanctuaries at Manjeera, Pocharam, Kinnersani Lake, Pakhal Wild Life Sanctuary and Ramappa Lake seeking the Ramsar tag. Following this proposal, the officials decided to visit Manjeera on Wednesday to examine the wildlife sanctuary.

While Manjeera had 300 bird species, Pocharam, Pakhal, Kinnersani, and Ramappa had 246 bird species, 261, 157, and 126 species respectively. A record 116 bird species out of the 300 bird species sighted at Manjeera by wildlife photographers were migrant bird species. Though there were 80 Ramsar sites in India, none of them were from Telangana so far.

Seasoned wildlife photographer Sriram Reddy, who was helping the Telangana Forest officials in preparing the proposals, hoped that they would certainly get the Ramsar site tag for at least two wildlife sanctuaries in the State this year because these sites were fulfilling all the eligibility criteria. Both Manjeera and Pocharam wildlife sanctuaries, located in Sangareddy and Medak districts, were fulfilling all the criteria to get the recognisation. However, the expert team, which is slated to tour all these sites in a phased manner, will take a final call on the proposal soon. The wetlands will be declared of international importance once they get the Ramsar wetland tag.

What is a Ramsar Site:

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, more commonly known as the Ramsar Convention, is an international agreement promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands. Wetlands on the Ramsar list are designated for their high value to the country and the world for the ecosystem services and benefits provided. Ramsar Sites are designated by the National Administrative Authority, responsible for the Ramsar Convention in each country. Once designated as a Ramsar Site, the Convention helps member countries to prevent, stop and reverse wetland loss and degradation. It encourages policies and land use planning that integrate wetland issues and aims to enthuse the public about the benefits and services that wetlands provide. Some of the 82 Ramsar sites in India are the Sundarban wetlands (West Bengal), Pallikaranai marsh reserve forest (Chennai), Kolleru Lake (Andhra Pradesh), Vembanad-Kol wetland (Kerala) and Sasthamkotta Lake (Kerala).