New Ramsar Sites

Why in news?

• Two new Ramsar sites — Khijadiya wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat and Bakhira wildlife sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh — were announced on the occasion of World Wetlands Day.

About Khijadiya wildlife sanctuary:

• Khijadiya wetland sanctuary in Gujarat is having a unique habitat with fresh water on one side and salt pans on another side.
  • The Sanctuary joins with Marine National Park on one side and on the other Dhunvav River empties fresh water in it.
  • Also, on the northern side is a large creek that flows from the Gulf of Kutch. This supports mangroves and marine diversity.
• It is a bird sanctuary of international fame and known as safe haven for birds.
  • The wetland hosted eight bird species falling under “Globally Threatened/ Nearly Threatened” as per criteria of the IUCN/ BirdLife International.
• The wetland ecosystem of Khijadiya is a wintering ground for migratory waterfowls from the Palacarcitic region and serves as an important wintering and breeding ground for many species of wetland birds

Bakhira wildlife sanctuary:

• Bakhira bird sanctuary also known as Bakhira Tal, located to the west of the Rapti riverbank, is a shallow-water, river-connecting wetland.
• It is the largest natural wetland of Eastern U.P.
• It is a perennial wetland, where the source of water is natural rain and the Ami River, a tributary of the Rapti River.
• Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary is an open habitat for a large variety of migratory and resident birds.
• It has been declared a Bird Sanctuary in 1990 by the Forest and Wildlife Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh.
• The landscape and terrain of the wetland is almost flat, representing a typical ‘Terai’ landscape.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Consider the following pairs:

Wildlife sanctuary : State

1.  Bakhira                  : Uttar Pradesh

2.  Khijadiya               : Himachal Pradesh

3.  Bhindawas                        : Haryana

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 2 and 3 only

Answer