Revision summary
U.P. has ten Ramsar sites on the Gangetic floodplain. The Upper Ganga Brijghat–Narora stretch is the riverine first site. Six 2019 bird sanctuaries sit in the central plains, plus Sur Sarovar, Haiderpur, and Bakhira. Shared features are monsoon wetlands, migratory birds, and sarus landscapes. A Ramsar tag still needs sewage, weed, and encroachment control.
Model answer
Introduction
A Ramsar site is a wetland of international importance under the 1971 Ramsar Convention. Uttar Pradesh’s list is a Gangetic floodplain set: one long river stretch and nine bird-and-lake sanctuaries, used by migratory waterbirds, sarus, and river fauna.
Body
The ten sites
- Upper Ganga River, from Brijghat to Narora, was the state’s first Ramsar site: a flowing stretch with turtles, riverine islands, and Ganga ecology rather than a closed lake.
- Nawabganj (Unnao), Sandi (Hardoi), Samaspur (Rae Bareli), Saman (Mainpuri), Parvati Arga (Gonda), and Sarsai Nawar (Etawah) were added as bird sanctuaries of the central Ganga plains.
- Sur Sarovar, also called Keetham Lake near Agra, is a storage-and-bird wetland on the western edge of the state.
- Haiderpur wetland (Bijnor) sits on barrage-backwaters of the Ganga and is a wintering ground for waterfowl.
- Bakhira (Sant Kabir Nagar) is the large natural floodplain wetland of eastern U.P., important for resident and migratory birds.
Shared features
- Most are shallow, seasonal, and monsoon-fed; they shrink in summer, which is why they need legal protection against encroachment and pollution.
- Sarsai Nawar and Saman are known sarus-crane landscapes; the Upper Ganga stretch is river-turtle and dolphin-adjacent ecology, not a tourist lake.
- Features that matter for policy are catchment sewage, invasive weeds, and hunting pressure — a Ramsar name does not itself clean the water.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD R[Ramsar UP] --> G[Upper Ganga Brijghat Narora] R --> B[Bird sanctuary lakes] R --> H[Haiderpur Bakhira floodplain] B --> M[Migratory birds sarus] G --> E[River turtles flow] H --> M
Conclusion
- Uttar Pradesh’s Ramsar map is ten wetlands: the Brijghat–Narora Ganga stretch plus Nawabganj, Sandi, Samaspur, Saman, Parvati Arga, Sarsai Nawar, Sur Sarovar, Haiderpur, and Bakhira. They are floodplain bird and river sites. Conservation is sewage and encroachment control, not only a plaque.
Quick related
Students also ask
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Describe the geographical distribution and characteristics of main types of natural vegetation found in Uttar Pradesh.
Next question in the 2024 paper (Q4). View answer →
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Is Dudhwa a Ramsar site?
Dudhwa is a national park and tiger reserve. It is not the same as the ten notified Ramsar wetlands listed here.
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Does a Ramsar name stop pollution by itself?
No. It raises duty and visibility. Sewage, silt, and encroachment still need state and local action.
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