Glaw Lake Named India’s 101st Ramsar Site

Why in the news

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the Ramsar tag for Glaw Lake in Arunachal Pradesh, the 101st Indian wetland on the list and the first for the state.

Key facts

• Rank: 101st Ramsar Site; first of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Type: natural freshwater lake high up in the Eastern Himalayas.
• Size and height: about 8 sq km at roughly 1,168 m.
• River link: a principal source of the Kamlang River.

Location

• District: Lohit, near Wakro.
• Deep inside Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, with the Lang River to the north and Namdapha National Park to the south.
• Traditional lands of the Miju, Digaro and Idu Mishmi tribes surround it.

Origin

• Fed by perennial mountain streams from glaciated Eastern Himalayan ridges.
• Tectonic activity and warping of land blocks in the fold belt made a depression that holds alpine run-off.

Ecological significance

• Part of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot.
• 150-plus tree species and 49 orchid species recorded.
• Steady flow to the Kamlang River gives downstream communities a water-security asset.

About the Ramsar Convention

• Formal name: Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat.
• Signed at Ramsar, Iran on 2 February 1971; operative since 1975; World Wetlands Day is on 2 February.
• India joined in 1982; first listings were Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Chilika Lake (Odisha).
• India’s 101 sites make Asia’s largest tally and one of the biggest worldwide.
• Montreux Record flags sites whose ecological character has changed or may change; India’s entries are Keoladeo and Loktak Lake (Manipur).

Exam angle

• Chain to remember: Glaw Lake, 101st site, Arunachal’s first, Lohit, Kamlang Tiger Reserve, Kamlang River.
• Static items: 1971 signing, 1982 Indian accession, 2 February as World Wetlands Day.
• Neighbouring Namdapha National Park is a frequent question; Wetland City Accreditation was mentioned for Indore and Udaipur.