Wetland Conservation: Ramsar Convention and Wetlands Rules, 2017

Montreux Record listings signal Ramsar sites under ecological threat requiring priority intervention, while domestic rules set hard prohibitions. India is a contracting party to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (1971) with over 80 Ramsar sites as of 2024. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, framed under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, prohibit reclamation, solid waste dumping, and industrial effluent discharge within wetland boundaries. State Wetland Authorities, constituted under Rule 6, prepare site management plans. The National Wetland Conservation Programme channels funds to support these plans.