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Ramsar Sites in India 2026: Full List of 103 for UPSC

Current affairs · · Prelims GS, GS Paper 3

India has 103 Ramsar sites as of 15 Oct 2026. The full state-wise list, the two newest sites and what UPSC can ask.

India’s tally of Ramsar sites reached 103 on 15 October 2026, when Sukhna Wetland (Chandigarh) and Sauj Jheel (Uttar Pradesh) were designated. A PIB backgrounder on 25 October puts the whole network in one place, and it’s worth revising.

Key facts

  • 103 sites, covering over 13.87 lakh hectares, up from 26 in 2014.
  • India ranks first in Asia and third in the world.
  • Tamil Nadu has the most sites (20), followed by Uttar Pradesh (14).
  • 11 wetlands were added in 2025 alone. Surha Tal (UP) became the 100th site in June 2026, Glaw Lake (Arunachal Pradesh) the 101st in August.
  • India’s first Ramsar sites were Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan), on 1 October 1981.
  • The Ramsar Convention was adopted at Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971 and came into force in 1975.

The newest sites

  • Sukhna Wetland (Chandigarh): a human-made reservoir built in 1958 at the foot of the Shivalik hills. It shelters threatened species like Pallas’s fish eagle, the common pochard and the black pond turtle, and migratory birds on the Central Asian Flyway winter here.
  • Sauj Jheel (Uttar Pradesh): a shallow floodplain lake in Mainpuri district that regularly hosts over 30,000 waterbirds, including the sarus crane and the greater spotted eagle.

What UPSC can ask

  • The Montreux Record: a register of Ramsar sites whose ecological character is changing or likely to change. Chilika was removed from it in 2002 after restoration.
  • Domestic law: designated sites are deemed notified under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
  • State-wise counts and “first/latest” sites are classic Prelims material.

Full list: all 103 Ramsar sites, state-wise

# State/UT Ramsar site What is special about it
1 Andhra Pradesh Kolleru Lake Freshwater lake; grey pelican and migratory waterbirds
2 Arunachal Pradesh Glaw Lake Eastern Himalayan Lake; 150+ tree and 49 orchid species
3 Assam Deepor Beel Brahmaputra floodplain wetland; migratory waterbirds
4 Bihar Kanwar Jheel (Kabartal) Floodplain wetland; migratory waterbirds and fish
5 Bihar Nagi Bird Sanctuary Human-made reservoir; wintering waterbirds
6 Bihar Nakti Bird Sanctuary Human-made reservoir; wintering waterbirds
7 Bihar Gokul Jalashay Ganga oxbow lake; birds, fisheries and flood buffering
8 Bihar Udaipur Jheel Oxbow lake; wintering migratory birds
9 Bihar Gogabil Lake Oxbow lake; resident and migratory birds
10 Chandigarh Sukhna Wetland Rain-fed, peri-urban reservoir; migratory and resident birds
11 Chhattisgarh Kopra Jalashay Reservoir; resident and migratory waterbirds
12 Goa Nanda Lake Freshwater marsh; wintering waterbirds
13 Gujarat Nalsarovar Natural freshwater lake; sarus crane and waterbirds
14 Gujarat Wadhvana Wetland Irrigation reservoir; wintering migratory birds
15 Gujarat Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary Human-made reservoir; waterbirds including sarus crane
16 Gujarat Khijadia Wildlife Sanctuary Coastal freshwater and salt marsh wetland near Gulf of Kutch; diverse birds
17 Gujarat Chhari Dhand Seasonal desert wetland near Banni; cranes and flamingos
18 Haryana Sultanpur National Park Resident and migratory waterbirds
19 Haryana Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary Human-made freshwater wetland; migratory birds
20 Himachal Pradesh Pong Dam Lake Beas reservoir; wintering waterbirds
21 Himachal Pradesh Chandertal Wetland High-altitude lake; snow leopard habitat
22 Himachal Pradesh Renuka Wetland Spring-fed lake; aquatic and forest biodiversity
23 Jharkhand Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary Twin Ganga-linked lakes; migratory and resident waterbirds
24 Karnataka Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary Kaveri islets; nesting waterbirds and mugger crocodile
25 Karnataka Aghanashini Estuary Estuary and mangroves; fisheries
26 Karnataka Magadi Kere Conservation Reserve Human-made tank; wintering bar-headed goose
27 Karnataka Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve Village irrigation tank; nesting waterbirds
28 Kerala Ashtamudi Wetland Estuarine backwaters; fisheries and mangroves
29 Kerala Sasthamkotta Lake Spring-fed freshwater lake; drinking water source
30 Kerala Vembanad-Kol Wetland Largest brackish wetland on the southwest coast
31 Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Wetlands Upper and Lower Lakes of Bhopal; water supply and birds
32 Madhya Pradesh Sirpur Wetland Human-made wetland in Indore; migratory birds
33 Madhya Pradesh Sakhya Sagar Reservoir in Madhav National Park; mugger crocodile
34 Madhya Pradesh Yashwant Sagar Reservoir near Indore; sarus crane and water supply
35 Madhya Pradesh Tawa Reservoir Reservoir in Satpura Tiger Reserve; aquatic and bird life
36 Maharashtra NandurMadhameshwar Bird sanctuary; migratory waterbirds
37 Maharashtra Lonar Lake Meteorite impact crater lake; saline-alkaline ecosystem
38 Maharashtra Thane Creek Mangroves; flamingos and migratory birds
39 Manipur Loktak Lake Floating phumdis; habitat of the Sangai deer
40 Mizoram Pala Wetland Largest natural wetland of Mizoram; hoolock gibbon
41 Odisha Chilika Lake Brackish lagoon; Irrawaddy dolphin, waterbirds and 118 fish species
42 Odisha Bhitarkanika Mangroves Mangroves; saltwater crocodile and olive ridley turtle
43 Odisha Satkosia Gorge Mahanadi river gorge; gharial and mugger crocodile
44 Odisha Tampara Lake Freshwater lake; fish and waterbirds
45 Odisha Hirakud Reservoir Large reservoir; fish and waterbirds
46 Odisha Ansupa Lake Mahanadi oxbow lake; birds and fish
47 Punjab Harike Lake River confluence reservoir; migratory waterbirds
48 Punjab Kanjli Lake Barrage-formed wetland on Kali Bein; waterbirds
49 Punjab Ropar Lake Sutlej barrage reservoir; waterbirds
50 Punjab Beas Conservation Reserve River stretch; Indus River dolphin and gharial
51 Punjab Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve Community-managed wetland; waterbirds
52 Punjab Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary Shivalik foothill reservoir; waterbirds
53 Rajasthan Keoladeo National Park Waterbirds; historic wintering ground of Siberian crane
54 Rajasthan Sambhar Lake Large inland saline lake; flamingos
55 Rajasthan Menar Wetland Complex Community-protected village wetlands; migratory birds
56 Rajasthan Khichan Wetland Wintering demoiselle cranes; community conservation
57 Rajasthan Siliserh Lake Reservoir near Alwar; wetland biodiversity
58 Sikkim Khecheopalri Wetland Sacred Himalayan Lake with peatland and forest
59 Tamil Nadu Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary Coastal wetland; flamingos and migratory shorebirds
60 Tamil Nadu Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary Largest waterbird breeding reserve in South India
61 Tamil Nadu Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary Breeding and wintering ground for waterbirds
62 Tamil Nadu Karikili Bird Sanctuary Breeding waterbirds
63 Tamil Nadu Pichavaram Mangrove One of India’s largest mangroves; fish nursery
64 Tamil Nadu Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest Urban marsh; flood buffer and birds
65 Tamil Nadu Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve Coral reefs and dugong
66 Tamil Nadu Vembannur Wetland Complex Human-made irrigation tank; waterbirds
67 Tamil Nadu Vellode Bird Sanctuary Waterbirds
68 Tamil Nadu Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary Migratory waterbirds
69 Tamil Nadu Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary One of India’s oldest bird-protected areas; heronry
70 Tamil Nadu SuchindramTheroor Wetland Complex Irrigation tanks; migratory birds
71 Tamil Nadu Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary Wintering waterbirds
72 Tamil Nadu Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary Nesting herons and painted storks
73 Tamil Nadu Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary Large inland freshwater lake; nesting waterbirds
74 Tamil Nadu Longwood Shola Reserve Forest Nilgiris shola forest; endemic birds
75 Tamil Nadu Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary Brackish coastal lake; migratory birds
76 Tamil Nadu Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary Lake; resident and migratory birds
77 Tamil Nadu Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary Migratory waterbirds
78 Tamil Nadu Therthangal Bird Sanctuary Nesting waterbirds
79 Tripura Rudrasagar Lake Reservoir lake; fish and three-striped roof turtle
80 Uttar Pradesh Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora) Gangetic dolphin, gharial and turtles
81 Uttar Pradesh Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary Migratory waterbirds
82 Uttar Pradesh Sarsai Nawar Jheel Sarus crane habitat
83 Uttar Pradesh Sandi Bird Sanctuary Freshwater marsh; waterfowl and sarus crane
84 Uttar Pradesh Samaspur Bird Sanctuary Waterbirds
85 Uttar Pradesh Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary Twin oxbow lakes; waterbirds and vultures
86 Uttar Pradesh Saman Bird Sanctuary Oxbow lake; wintering waterbirds
87 Uttar Pradesh Sur Sarovar Human-made reservoir near Agra; waterbirds
88 Uttar Pradesh Haiderpur Wetland Ganga floodplain; gharial, swamp deer and waterbirds
89 Uttar Pradesh Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary Largest natural floodplain wetland of eastern UP
90 Uttar Pradesh Patna Bird Sanctuary Waterbirds
91 Uttar Pradesh Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary Wintering bar-headed geese and painted storks
92 Uttar Pradesh Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary (Surha Tal) Rich avifauna; migratory and resident birds
93 Uttar Pradesh Sauj Jheel Shallow, perennial floodplain wetland; migratory and resident waterbirds
94 Uttarakhand Asan Conservation Reserve Asan-Yamuna confluence; migratory waterbirds
95 West Bengal East Kolkata Wetlands Wastewater-fed fisheries and agriculture
96 West Bengal Sundarban Wetland Mangroves; Royal Bengal tiger
97 Jammu and Kashmir Wular Lake Large freshwater lake; fisheries
98 Jammu and Kashmir Surinsar-Mansar Lakes Twin freshwater lakes
99 Jammu and Kashmir Hokera Wetland Reedbeds; white-eyed pochard
100 Jammu and Kashmir Hygam Wetland Conservation Reserve Flood absorption basin; waterbirds
101 Jammu and Kashmir Shallbugh Wetland Conservation Reserve Waterbirds
102 Ladakh Tsomoriri High-altitude lake; black-necked crane and bar-headed goose
103 Ladakh Tso Kar Wetland Complex High-altitude lakes; black-necked crane breeding

In the syllabus: Mains GS Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment

Past UPSC questions on this topic

  1. UPSC Prelims 2026

    Consider the following statements with reference to India's response to climate change:
    I. India's Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) is a crucial tool for achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.
    II. India's 4th Biennial Update Report (BUR-4) submitted in December, 2024 recorded around 8% decrease in Greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 over 2019.
    III. Climate-resilient development necessarily depends on quick and short-term achievement of emission reduction targets.
    Which of the following relationships among the above statements is/are correct?
    1. Statement I is empirically supported by statement II.
    2. Statement III contradicts the approach implicit in statement I.
    3. Statement I and statement III together establish the premise of long-term sustainability.
    Select the answer using the code given below:

  2. UPSC Prelims 2026

    With respect to the Western Hoolock Gibbons, which of the following statements is/are correct?
    1. A Sanctuary in North-east India is home to this ape species listed as Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
    2. They have specialized brachiation and can easily swing between trees.
    3. They possess a strong and heavy build like gorillas, yet are remarkably agile tree climbers.
    Select the answer using the code given below:

  3. UPSC Prelims 2026

    Which of the following best explain(s) the rationale for protecting mangrove ecosystems in the context of climate resilience?
    1. Mangroves reduce tidal energy and store freshwater, making them ideal sites for paddy cultivation in saline estuarine belts.
    2. Their salt-sensitive roots filter seawater, making mangroves key to converting coastal land into freshwater aquaculture zones.
    3. By withstanding tidal surges and offering biomass resources, mangroves function both as natural bio-shields and livelihood bases for rural communities.
    Select the answer using the code given below:

  4. UPSC Prelims 2026

    Which of the following with reference to Indian States is/are not correct?
    1. Uttar Pradesh shares its boundary with the highest number of other Indian States.
    2. Rajasthan shares the longest international border among all Indian States.
    3. Sikkim is the only State that shares its boundary with just one other Indian State.
    Select the answer using the code given below:

  5. UPSC Prelims 2026

    Which of the following statements with regard to the arrival of Amur Falcons at Doyang Lake in Nagaland each year from Mongolia is/are correct?
    1. It showcases how sustained local conservation efforts can contribute to the arrival and protection of international migratory birds.
    2. It reflects the global success of advanced tracking technologies that guide migratory birds back to their stopover sites.
    3. It confirms that Amur Falcons have adapted to permanent residency in India due to favourable habitat changes.
    Select the answer using the code given below:

Practise questions on this topic in Mented →

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