Indore and Udaipur have become the first two Indian cities to be included in the global list of accredited wetland cities under the Ramsar Convention.
Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides a framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
The accreditation is an international recognition for cities that value their natural and man-made wetlands.
The convention’s independent advisory committee on wetland city accreditation recognized 31 new cities in its latest round, including two from India, taking the global list of such cities to 74.
The accreditation of Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Udaipur (Rajasthan) was announced by the conference on January 24, ahead of World Wetlands Day to be celebrated on February 2.
Accreditation is granted only to cities that meet all six international criteria, including adopting measures to conserve wetlands and their ecological services.
China has the highest number of cities in the global list of 74 recognized wetland cities, with 22, followed by France with nine.
The International Convention on Wetlands, also known as the Ramsar Convention, was signed on 2 February 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, and came into force on 21 December 1975.
India signed the Ramsar Convention on 1 February 1982.
Currently, 85 wetlands in India are protected under the treaty.
