The Ramsar Convention defines wetlands as “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters.”

The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 define wetlands as “area of marsh, fen, peatland or water; whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters, but does not include river channels, paddy fields, human-made water bodies/ tanks specifically constructed for drinking water purposes and structures specifically constructed for aquaculture, salt production, recreation and irrigation purposes.”

The Ramsar convention entered into force in India on 1 February 1982. Currently, India has 49 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites). All Ramsar sites of India are with a surface area of 1,093,636 hectares.

Globally, wetlands cover 6.4 per cent of the geographical area of the world. In India, wetlands are spread over 1,52,600 square kilometres (sq km) which are about 4.63 per cent of the country. India has 49 designated wetlands spread over 10,936 sq km in 18 states and two Union Territories. It is the largest network of Ramsar Sites in South Asia. Recently, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has designated Khijadia Bird Sanctuary near Jamnagar in Gujarat and Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh as wetlands of international importance.