Description

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Context:

In a significant citizen science effort, a bird counting campaign at the Asan Wetland in the Dehradun district of Uttarakhand has yielded impressive results.

About Asan wetland

Aspect	Details
Location	At the Asan River, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand
Flow Direction	West to east (unlike other rivers flowing from north to south)
Protected Reserve Status	Declared under Section 36A of the Nature Conservation Act, 1972 (2005)
Ramsar Site Status	First Ramsar site in Uttarakhand.
Important Bird Area	Listed by BNHS and BirdLife International.
Bird Watching	Popular for native and migratory bird watching.
Strategic Location	Part of the Central Asian Flyways (CAF).
Bird Species	330 species, including:
	Critically Endangered: Bald Eagle, Baer's Plover
	Endangered: Egyptian eagle, Steppe eagle, Black-bellied tern
	Vulnerable: Marbled teal, Common kestrel, Spotted eagle
Non-Bird Species	49 species of fish, including the endangered Mahseer Putitor

Ramsar Sites in India

Ramsar Site	State	Type	Description
Wular Lake	Jammu & Kashmir	Freshwater Lake	The largest freshwater lake of river Jhelum Basin provides flood protection to Kashmir Valley.
Hokera	Jammu & Kashmir	Freshwater Marsh	Haven for water birds.
Surinsar-Mansar Lakes	Jammu & Kashmir	Freshwater Lake	Wildlife sanctuary and sacred site supporting species of high conservation value.
Tsomoriri	Jammu & Kashmir	Freshwater-saline Lake	Breeding ground for endangered black-necked crane and bar-headed geese.
Chandertal	Himachal Pradesh	Freshwater Lake	Natural habitat to rare flora and fauna species of the alpine region.
Pong Dam Lake	Himachal Pradesh	Reservoir	Supports highly diverse waterbird habitats.
Kanjili	Punjab	Impounded Stream	Storage area for irrigation.
Harike Lake	Punjab	Reservoir	Main water source for Indira Gandhi Canal, irrigating Rajasthan.
Ropar	Punjab	Freshwater Lake	Important bird-watching and boating site.
Renuka	Himachal Pradesh	Freshwater Lake	Natural wetland with freshwater springs.
Sambhar Lake	Rajasthan	Saline Lake	Second largest breeding ground for flamingos in India.
Keoladeo National Park (KNP)	Rajasthan	Freshwater Swamps	Known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary and a World Heritage Site.
Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora)	Uttar Pradesh	River Stretch	Ganga river dolphins, crocodiles, and otters are found here.
Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary	Gujarat	Freshwater Lake	Largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat with around 250 species of waterbirds.
Bhoj Wetland	Madhya Pradesh	Reservoir	The main source of water for Bhopal City.
Deepor Beel	Assam	Freshwater Lake	Supports high concentration of migratory waterbirds.
Loktak Lake	Manipur	Freshwater Marsh	Only known natural habitat for Manipur brow-antlered deer.
Rudrasagar Lake	Tripura	Freshwater Lake	Ideal habitat for riverine fish species.
East Kolkata Wetlands	West Bengal	Sewage-fed Fish Ponds	Treats city sewage, and provides for fish and vegetables.
Bhitarkanika Mangroves	Odisha	Mangrove Swamps	Home to endangered saltwater crocodiles and the largest known Olive Ridley sea turtle nesting site.
Chilika	Odisha	Lagoon	One of the only two lagoons with Irrawaddy dolphins. Rich fishery resources sustain 0.2 million fishers.
Kolleru Lake	Andhra Pradesh	Freshwater Lake	Acts as a flood-balancing reservoir and was once known for its spot-billed pelicans.
Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary	Tamil Nadu	Coastal Swamps and Salt Pans	Supports a high diversity of waterbirds.
Vembanad-Kol	Kerala	Floodplain Estuary Complex	Known for backwater tourism and rich source of live and sub-fossil clam deposits.
Ashtamudi	Kerala	Estuary	Palm-shaped estuary with eight branches, gateway to Kerala’s backwaters.
Sashthamkotta Lake	Kerala	Freshwater Lake	Source of drinking water for half a million people in Kollam City and suburbs.
Sundarban Wetland	West Bengal	Mangrove Forest	Largest mangrove forest in the world, constituting over 60% of India's total mangrove forest area.
Nandur Madhameshwar	Maharashtra	Lakes, Marshes, and Riparian Forest	Bird sanctuary formed by shallow backwaters of Nandur Madhmeshwar dam.
Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve	Punjab	Marshes, Aquaculture Ponds, and Agricultural Wetlands	Community-managed wetland, supporting local biodiversity.
Samaspur Bird Sanctuary	Uttar Pradesh	Perennial Lowland Marsh	Heavily dependent on monsoon rains, harbours threatened bird species.
Parvati Agra Bird Sanctuary	Uttar Pradesh	Freshwater Environment (Oxbow Lakes)	Over 100,000 birds, refuge for threatened vulture species.
Sarsai Nawar Jheel	Uttar Pradesh	Permanent Marsh	Habitat for Sarus crane.
Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary	Punjab	Human-made Reservoir	Supports abundant flora and fauna including Indian pangolin, Egyptian vulture, and leopard.
Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary	Uttar Pradesh	Shallow Marshland	Haven for 25,000 waterbirds.
Sandi Bird Sanctuary	Uttar Pradesh	Freshwater Marsh	Habitat for waterfowl with over 40,000 individuals counted in 2018.
Beas Conservation Reserve	Punjab	River Stretch	Hosts the only known population of endangered Indus River dolphin.
Saman Bird Sanctuary	Uttar Pradesh	Seasonal Oxbow Lake	Wintering site for migratory birds including greylag goose.
Asan Conservation Reserve	Uttarakhand	River Stretch	Supports 330 bird species including red-headed vulture, white-rumped vulture, and Baer’s pochard.
Kabartal Wetland	Bihar	Freshwater Marsh	Important stopover along the Central Asian Flyway.

READ ABOUT

RAMSAR SITES

Asan Conservation Reserve

Source:

Indian Express

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Consider the following statements regarding the Asan Conservation Reserve:

Asan Conservation Reserve (ACR) is Uttarakhand state’s first entry into the list of Ramsar sites.
It is located on the banks of Ganga River.
It is home to many rare and endangered species like the Ruddy Shelduck, and Red Crested Pochard.

How many of the above statements is/are correct?

A) Only one

B) Only two

C) All three

D) None

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The Asan Conservation Reserve (ACR) was declared as a site of international importance under the Ramsar Convention becoming Uttarakhand state’s first entry into the coveted list and 38th Ramsar Wetland Site of India.

Statement 2 is incorrect: It is located on the banks of the Yamuna River near the Dehradun district in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.

Statement 3 is correct: It is home to species such as the white-rumped vulture(Critically Endangered), ruddy shelduck(Least Concern), red-headed vulture (Critically Endangered), and Asian woolly neck(Vulnerable) among others.