RAMSAR SITES - ENVIRONMENT
News: 10
cr. penalty on Kerala for failure to protect Ramsar sites
What's in the news?
● The
Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in New Delhi has slapped a
penalty of ₹10 crore on the Kerala government for its failure to check the
indiscriminate pollution of the Vembanad and Ashtamudi lakes, listed as Ramsar
sites.
Ramsar Site:
● Ramsar
Site is a designation for wetlands of
international importance that qualify under the criteria of the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands.
● Ramsar
convention is the inter-governmental
treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of
wetlands and their resources.
● Ramsar
convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971.
Three Pillars of Ramsar Convention:
● The
wise use of all wetlands.
● The
designation and management of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar
sites).
● International cooperation
– including on shared wetlands, river basins, and populations of migratory
waterbirds.