Ramsar Sites in India 2026 List: Names, Check State-wise List with Map

• India joined the Ramsar Convention on February 1, 1982.
• The Convention has 172 member countries and protects over 2466 wetlands covering about 255 million hectares.
• It designates important wetlands as “Wetlands of International Importance” and encourages countries to work together on shared wetlands and species.
• The Convention also promotes the wise use of wetlands, focusing on conservation and sustainable use for the benefit of both people and nature.

• Type: Natural Freshwater. 
• Noted for its diverse heronries and Acacia nilotica trees.
• Important Bird Area, Spot-billed Pelican breeds here. 
• Supports IUCN Red List vulnerable avian species like River Tern.

• Type: Natural Freshwater. 
• Important breeding ground for spot-billed pelicans and painted storks.
• Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA)

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir.

• Part of the Suchindram-Theroor Manakudi Conservation Reserve and lies at the southern tip of the Central Asian Flyway.
• Lies at the point of the Kodaiyar river drainage system where water stored in the Perunchanidam, Pechipparai and Kodaiyar reservoirs is released into a channel which drains thousands of ponds.

• Type: Man-made Irrigation tank. 
• Supports a large population of migratory ducks.
• Composed of small man-made reservoirs interconnected by an ancient network of canals and fed by Mettur reservoir.

• Type: Natural Freshwater. 
• Comprises two rain-fed irrigation tanks.

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• It serves as an aquatic buffer of the flood-prone Chennai and Chengalpattu districts.
• Supports notable species such as Russell’s viper and birds such as the glossy ibis.

• Type: Natural Marine/Coastal. 
• One of the largest mangrove ecosystems in India, located between the estuaries of Vellar and Coleroon Rivers.
• Supports great white-bellied heron and spoon-billed sandpiper, spotted greenshank and olive ridley turtle.

• Type: Natural Marine/Coastal. 
• Famous for the Great Flamingo and the Blackbuck.
• Threatened by Prosopis chilensis (Chilean mesquite), brackish groundwater, and reduced freshwater inflows.
• Popular for pilgrimage, linked to Lord Rama.

• Type: Marine/Coastal. 
• First Marine Biosphere Reserve in South and South-East Asia.
• Located at the south-eastern tip of India. 
• Also recognized as a World Heritage Site.
• Globally threatened species include the dugong whale shark, green sea turtle, hawksbill turtle and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin.

• Type: Man-made Irrigation tank. 
• One of the smallest sites.
• Irrigation tank situated near the southernmost point of mainland India.
• An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA).

• Type: Man-made Irrigation tank. 
• important staging and breeding ground for migratory birds on the Central Asian Flyway.

• Type: Man made Irrigation tank. 
• One of the oldest water bird sanctuaries in India.
• Famous for migratory birds like storks, herons, and spoonbills
• Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA)
• belongs to the Coromandel Coast biotic province

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
•  interconnected by an ancient network of canals and fed by the Mettur dam through the Koraiyar canal.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater. 
• Consists of irrigation tanks 
• the largest reserve for breeding resident and migratory waterbirds in South India.
• Notable waterbird species include Indian pond heron, Eurasian wigeon, spot-billed pelican, oriental darter and Northern pintail.

• Type: Man-made Irrigation tank. 

• During the driest period, water from the Mettur dam on Cauvery River is used to maintain water level of this site.
• Provides important stopover and foraging ground for birds migrating along the Central Asian Flyway. 
• Gum Arabic tree provides roosting and nesting grounds for threatened species such as spotted eagle, tawny eagle and Indian darter. 
• Breeding habitat for vulnerable Indian flap-shelled turtles.

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• Montane forest wetland in the Nilgiris.
• Noteworthy plant species at the site include Bourne’s beak-rusk and Wight’s cinnamon. 
• Globally endangered Black-chinned Nilgiri Laughing thrush, Nilgiri Blue Robin and vulnerable Nilgiri wood-pigeon also found.
• 14 out of 26 endemic bird species of Western Ghats are found in these wetlands.

• Type: Natural Brackish water. 
• Connected to the Bay of Bengal by the brackish Uppukalli creek and Edayanthittu estuary.
• It lies on the Central Asian Flyway 
• Serves as an important stopover site for migratory birds and breeding grounds for resident species of birds, fishes. Ex. Eurasian Coot, Painted Stork, Greater Flamingo, Black-headed Ibis.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Also known as Sarkar Periyapalayam Reservoir.
• The lake is named after King Nanjarayan, who repaired and restored it when he ruled over the region many centuries ago.
• Acts as feeding ground for migratory birds like Bar headed goose, Northern Shoveler, Spot billed Pelican etc.

• Type: Natural freshwater
• located in Ramanathapuram near the Gulf of Mannar on the Central Asian Flyway. 
• Species Found: Painted Stork, Black Headed Ibis etc.

• Type: Natural Freshwater
• Fed by small rivulets from the Vaigai and Gundar rivers.
• It serves as a stopover for migratory waders and waterfowl, particularly along the East Asia-Australasia Flyway.
• Species found: Egyptian vulture, painted stork, Black-headed ibis, Spot-billed pelican, Oriental darter etc.

• Type: Natural Riverine. 
• Shallow river stretches of the Ganges with deep-water pools and reservoirs upstream of barrages→Brijghat to Narora; 
• Habitat for the Ganges River Dolphin, Gharial, and Crocodile.

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• Shallow wetland fed by monsoon rain and the Sarda Canal.
• Known for hosting Siberian Cranes during winter.

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• Freshwater marsh near the River Garra.
• Hosts species like the Common Teal, Red-crested Pochard, and vulnerable Sarus Crane.

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh.
•  Perennial lowland marsh in the Indo-Gangetic Plains.
• Home to Egyptian Vulture and vulnerable Common Pochard.

• Type: Natural Freshwater (Oxbow lake). 
• Seasonal oxbow lake on the Ganga floodplain.
• Hosts over 1% of the South Asian Graylag Goose population during winter.

• Type: Natural Freshwater (Oxbow lake). 
• Permanent freshwater environment with two oxbow lakes.
• Habitat for critically endangered White-rumped Vultures and endangered Egyptian Vultures.

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• Seasonal wetland fed by monsoon run-off.
• Important Bird Area hosting species like the Sarus Crane and Woolly-necked Stork.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Also known as Keetham Lake, created by the British to supply water to Agra city.
• Habitat for Greater Spotted Eagle and Sarus Crane.
• Houses a bear rescue center.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater. 
• Confluence of Ganga and Solani rivers.
• Formed in 1984 due to construction of Madhya Ganga Barrage 
• Located within the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary
• Habitat for critically endangered gharial and the endangered hog deer , black-bellied tern

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• Largest natural flood plain (river connected wetland) of India 
• Famous for waterbird Indian Purple moorhen or Purple Swamphen & Sarus Crane.
• Receives water from Ami River; discharge from its flows into Rapti River. 
• It is rich in perennial reed grasses called Phragmites which attracts many species of the Central Asian Flyway.

• Type: Natural Brackish lagoon. 
• Largest brackish water lagoon in India.
• separated from the Bay of Bengal by a long sandy ridge
• One of the only two lagoons with a population of Irrawaddy dolphins

• Type: Natural Marine/Coastal. 
• Gahirmatha beach is said to host the largest known Olive Ridley Sea turtle nesting beach in the world.
• Also has the highest density of saltwater crocodiles in India

• Type: Natural Riverine. 
• Created by Mahanadi River as it passes through the Eastern Ghats in Angul district of Odisha.
• Part of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve.
• It is a mosaic of rivers, marshes and evergreen forests at the meeting point of two biogeographic regions, the Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats.

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• The use of explosives during a battle in the Ganjam district between the British East India Company and French colonists in 1766 created a large depression which later became Tampara Lake. 
• The lake is now connected to the Rushikulya river and helps in flood control during the monsoon season.
• Important habitat for vulnerable species such as Cyprinus carpio, common pochard, and river tern

• Type: Natural Freshwater (Oxbow lake). 
• Largest freshwater lake in Odisha
• Formed by River Mahanadi.
• Provides a safe habitat to at least three threatened bird species- Indian Skimmer, Black Bellied Tern and Wagur (fish).

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Largest earthen dam in India on Mahanadi River.
• Helps regulate the water level of the river and moderates the impact of floods in the Mahanadi Delta.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Shallow water reservoir with thirteen islands, at the confluence of two rivers, i.e., Beas and Sutlej.
• Indira Gandhi Canal starts from this place.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Man-made wetland with a permanent stream, the Kali Bein, a tributary of the Beas River.
• Stream🡪associated with the first Sikh guru, Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir.
• Formed by a 1952 barrage on the Sutlej River for water diversion.
• An important breeding site for Smooth Indian Otter, Hog Deer, Sambar, and various reptiles.

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• Mosaic of natural marshes, aquaculture ponds, and agricultural wetlands.
• Habitat for vulnerable species like the Common Pochard and Spotted Pond Turtle.

• Type: Natural Riverine. 
• 185-kilometre stretch of the Beas River in Punjab.
• Hosts India’s only population of the endangered Indus River Dolphin.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Located in the Shiwalik foothills.
• Human-made reservoir part of the Bhakra-Nangal Project on Sutlej River (constructed in 1961).
• Historic site🡪 the “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence” between India & China were formalized in 1954.

• Type: Natural Freshwater (Oxbow lake). 
• Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake, located in Indo-Gangetic plains.
• Five critically endangered species inhabit the site, including three vultures – the red-headed vulture, white-rumped vulture and Indian vulture – and two waterbirds, the sociable lapwing and Baer’s pochard.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. t
• Formed after the construction of Nagi Dam on the Nagi River.
• Important species: Indian Elephant, Native Catfish, and largest congregations of red-crested pochard on the Indo-Gangetic plains.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Adjacent to Nagi BS; critical for wintering birds.
• Formed after the construction of Nakti Dam on the Nakti River (tributary of Koel River)
• Important Bird and Biodiversity Area 
• Important species: Baer’s pochard  and Steppe Eagle, and also hosts the largest congregations of bar-headed geese on the Indo-Gangetic Plains.

• Type: Natural Freshwater (Oxbow lake). 
• Located on the southern edge of the Ganga

• Type: Natural Freshwater (Oxbow lake). 
• Bordered to the north and west by the dense forest of Udaipur Wildlife Sanctuary
• Alysicarpus roxburghianus, a perennial herb endemic to India, is found

• Type: Natural Freshwater (Oxbow lake). 
• Situated between the Rivers Ganga and Mahananda. During floods, the lake joins the two Rivers.
• Bihar’s first Community Reserve
• Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA).
• Vulnerable catfish Wallago attu breeds in the Site.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater marsh. 
• Listed in the Montreux Record (since 1990) due to “water shortage and unbalanced grazing regimes.”
• Invasive grass Paspalum distichum has altered the site’s ecology.
• A World Heritage Site known for hosting the Siberian Crane.

• Type: Natural Saline lake. 
• India’s largest inland salt lake.
• Fed by four streams in a shallow wetland with seasonal fluctuations.
• India’s second-largest breeding ground for flamingos and a crucial wintering site for waterbirds.

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• Located in the northern Thar Desert
• It comprises two water bodies, Ratri nadi (river) and Vijaysagar talab (pond), riparian habitat and scrub land.
• Famous for the Demoiselle Crane.

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• Located in Udaipur, known as the “Bird Village.”
• Formed by three ponds, Braham talab, Dhand talab and Kheroda talab, and agricultural land that connects the latter two.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Located within the buffer zone of Sariska Tiger Reserve.
• Was built in 1845 by Maharaja Vinay Singh, the then-ruler of Alwar, by constructing an embankment on a tributary of the Ruparel River.
• Overlooked by the Siliserh Lake Palace

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• Largest freshwater lake in India (tectonic).
• Extensive marshes of emergent and floating vegetation.
• Fed by the Jhelum River.

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• Known as the ‘Queen of Wetlands’.
• Located in the northwest Himalayan biogeographic province, with Pir Panjal in the background.

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• Twin holy lakes in the semi-arid region in the semi-arid Punjab Plains, adjoining the Jhelum Basin.
• Part of the Surinsar-Mansar Wildlife Sanctuary
• Unique aquatic life like the endangered Mansariella lacustris.

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• Located in the Jhelum River basin.
• It lies downstream of Wular Lake
• Lies on the Central Asian Flyway a

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• Lies west of Anchar Lake in the Sindh river delta. 
• Primarily fed by rainfall, snowmelt from the Kashmir Himalayas, and stream water flowing from the Sindh river and Anchar Lake.
• Key staging ground for migratory ducks.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Two reservoirs: the “Upper Lake” created in the 11th century across the Kolans River, and the “Lower Lake” constructed about 200 years ago.
• Surrounded by Bhopal city.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Inside Madhav National Park.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater lake. 
• Shallow, bird-rich lake near Indore.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Important Bird Areas (IBA); one of the most
• important birding sites in Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.
• Famous for Sarus Crane 

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Constructed on the confluence of Tawa and Denwa Rivers 
• Rivers Malani, Sonbhadra and Nagdwari are important tributaries feeding the reservoir.
• Located inside the Satpura Tiger Reserve and forms the western boundary of Satpura National Park and Bori Wildlife Sanctuary.

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. LThe largest natural wetland in the Thar Desert Biogeographic Province.
• A vital site on the Central Asia Flyway
• Host species like the critically endangered Sociable Lapwing and Indian Wild Ass.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Created for irrigation in 1912.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Created in 1910 by former Baroda State (King Gaikwad).
• River Orsang (which joins with Narmada River at Chandod) flows into the lake.

• Type: Natural Freshwater/Brackish. 
• Unique salt and freshwater marshlands.
• Supports the critically endangered Guggal Tree.
• Fauna: Endangered Pallas’s fish-eagle, Endangered Indian skimmer, vulnerable common pochard, Dalmatian pelican, Greylag goose.

• Type: Natural Riverine. 
• An island cluster in the Kaveri River on the Southern Deccan Plateau.
• Supports populations of mugger crocodile, smooth-coated otter and hump-backed mahseer.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater tank. 
• Human-made village tank built for storing monsoon run-off water coming from the Tungabhadra River near Hampi in Karnataka.
• Gum Arabic trees (locally known as Karijali) found growing from the lakebed. 
• Species: Birds such as Painted Stork and Black-headed Ibis; Nine endemic fish species. Ex. Tiger loach, Aruli barb and Nukta etc.
• Excessive growth of invasive alligator weed, shrub Prosopis juliflora and African Catfish threaten the native fish and waterbirds.

• Type: Natural Marine/Coastal (Estuary). Confluence of Aghanashini River and Arabian Sea.
• Brackish water from the estuary provides diverse 
• Traditional fish farming in the estuarine rice fields (locally known as Gazni rice fields).
• Species: Including River tern, Oriental darter, Lesser black-backed gull, Wooly necked stork, Eurasian oystercatcher etc.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Important for Bar-headed Geese.
• Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBBA).

• Type: Natural Brackish lagoon. 
• Kerala’s second-largest estuarine system, rich in mangrove species.

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• Largest freshwater lake in Kerala.
• Houses “cavaborus” larvae that eliminate bacteria, ensuring water purity.

• Type: Natural Brackish lagoon. 
• Largest lake in Kerala; longest in India.
• 2nd largest wetland in India
• Famous for Nehru Trophy Boat Race
• Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is located on the east coast of the lake.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• At the confluence of Godavari and Kadwa.
• Habitat for critically endangered species like Deolali Minnow, Indian Vulture, and White-rumped Vulture.

• Type: Natural Saline (Crater lake). 
• Formed 35,000–50,000 years ago by a meteorite impact.
• Only known “fresh” impact structure in basalt on Earth.

• Type: Natural Marine/Coastal. 
• Falls under Marine Ecoregions of the World (MEOW).
• Declared as Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary.
• An important part of the wetland complex of the Central Asian Flyway of the birds 
• Important Bird Area (IBA).

• Type: Natural Freshwater (Alpine).
• Situated in Spiti area of Lahaul & Spiti at Samudra Tapu Plateau, upper Chandra valley near the Kunzam Pass
• It is the source of Chandra River 

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• On the Beas River in the Himalayan foothills.

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• Smallest Ramsar site in India.
• It has springs and inland subterranean karst formations, fed by a small stream flowing from the lower Himalayan to the Giri river.

• Type: Freshwater to brackish lake 
• Largest high-altitude lake in India.
• Only breeding ground outside China for the Black-necked Crane and the Bar-headed Goose in India.

• Type: Natural (One Saline Lake & One Freshwater Lake)
• Includes hypersaline Tso Kar and fresh Startsapuk Tso.
• Important stopover ground for migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway 

• Type: Man-made Wastewater-fed. 
• World’s largest wastewater-fed aquaculture.

• Type: Natural Marine/Coastal (Mangrove). 
• Located in the delta of Rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra on Bay of Bengal in India & Bangladesh.
• Largest mangrove forest in the world.
• Sundarbans Tiger Reserve is situated within the Site 
• Important species: Critically endangered northern river terrapin (Batagurbaska), endangered Irrawaddy dolphin, and vulnerable fishing cat.
• Listed as World Heritage Site 
• UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• Famous for the migratory birds of the Central Asian Flyway.
• Eco-sensitive zone
• Supports over ten globally threatened species, including the critically endangered sociable lapwing, endangered Egyptian vulture, Pallas’s fish eagle, and black-bellied tern.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater. 
• Largest wetland in Haryana.
• Eco-sensitive zone
• Supports over ten globally threatened species, including the endangered Egyptian vulture, steppe eagle, Pallas’s fish eagle, and black-bellied tern. 

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• A eutrophic lake between the Godavari and Krishna River basins.
• Known for sightings of the spot-billed pelican.

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• Located on the former channel of the Brahmaputra River. 
• Only major stormwater storage basin for the city of Guwahati. 
• It is a staging site on migratory flyways.

• Type: Natural Freshwater marsh. 
• Comprises intermittent freshwater marshes that lie adjacent to one of the major tributaries of Zuari River.

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• Largest natural wetland in Mizoram.
• Various species of primate inhabit the wetland, such endangered Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) and Phayre’s leaf monkey.

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Lowland sedimentation reservoir in the northeast hills.
• Fed by three perennial streams discharging into the River Gomti.

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• Added to Montreux Record (1993) due to ecological issues like deforestation, water hyacinths, and pollution.
• Known for phumdis—thick, floating mats of weeds covered with soil.

(Uttrakhand)

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir. 
• Stretch of Asan River running down to its confluence with Yamuna River in Dehradun district 
• Birds spotted: Red-headed vulture, White-rumped vulture, Baer’s pochard, Red crested pochard, ruddy shelduck and Putitor mahseer

(Chattisgarh)

• Type: Man-made Freshwater reservoir.
• Located in the upper catchments of the River Mahanadi.
• Stopover for vulnerable greater spotted eagle and the endangered Egyptian vulture

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• Sacred high-altitude lake 
• Central lake is surrounded by peatland and a temperate forest of evergreen oaks, chestnuts and laurels.
• Stopover for critically endangered Baer’s pochard
• home to the endangered red panda and the vulnerable Himalayan black bear 

(Jharkhand)

• Type: Natural Freshwater lake. 
• Comprises of two connected complex wetlands namely the Barhel lake and the Pataura lake 
• Situated in the alluvial plains of River Ganga and is surrounded by several hillocks of Rajmahal hills. 
• The Udhwa Nala connects the wetland to the Ganges near the Farakka Barrage and it forms the main source of water to the wetland sanctuary.