THE RAMSAR CONVENTION

THE RAMSAR CONVENTION
India is a signatory to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat, gen­erally referred to as Ramsar Convent/on (1971) as it was drafted at Ramsar, Iran.

The Ramsar Convention, it may be recalled, came at the end of a series of conferences held mainly under the auspices of the International Waterfowl and Wetland Research Bureau. The convention is an inter-govemmental agreement for coop­eration in the conservation of wetland habitats, and its signa­tories are called upon to formulate and implement plans to promote the wise use of wetlands in their territories and ensure that the ecological character of these habitats is preserved. India was a member of the Standing Committee of Ramsar Convention during the triennium 1994-96.

Incidentally, the Ramsar Conservation Award was bagged by India for ecological interventions in Chilka Lake through the opening of Maggarmukh mouth, in consultation with the com­munities, which yielded fruitful results in terms of higher income, higher fish yield, control of weeds and re-appearance of some prawn species which had earlier disappeared. This award was given to Chilka Development Authority, and was received in Valencia in November 2002.