Wetlands, Ramsar Sites, Mangroves, Coral Reefs and Blue Carbon for UPSC: India's State-wise Ramsar List and the 2025-26 Numbers
How UPSC Tests Wetlands, Mangroves and Coral Reefs
🎯 Exam priority: Tier-1 (protected areas, wetlands and ecosystems together are about a fifth of the Environment paper). UPSC has asked what 'wetlands as the kidneys of the Earth' refers to (2022: filtering pollutants and sediment), what blue carbon is (2021), what Biorock technology does (2022: restoring damaged coral reefs), the rationale for protecting mangroves (2026) and where Lake Faguibine in West Africa has dried (2022). The Mains papers asked the Ramsar concept of 'wise use' with two Indian Ramsar sites (2018), the National Wetland Conservation Programme (2023), the impact of coastal sand mining (2019) and the causes of coastal erosion (2022).
The Ramsar total is a moving number, so this article uses dated figures: 96 sites on 31 December 2025, 98 in January 2026 (the Ministry's reports), and a later 2026 count in secondary sources flagged in the text. Quote the date every time.
Wetlands and the Ramsar Convention: Principles, Montreux Record and the 2025 Milestones
Wetlands and the Ramsar Convention
Wetlands (marshes, lakes, floodplains, mangroves, estuaries, tidal flats) are transition zones between land and water that provide services far beyond their area: they filter pollutants and sediment (the 'kidneys of the Earth' in the 2022 PYQ), store flood water, recharge groundwater, support birds and fish and store carbon.
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971), named after the Iranian town where it was signed, is the only global treaty on a single ecosystem, and it is not part of the UN system (UNESCO is its depositary). Its three pillars are: wise use of all wetlands, designation and good management of suitable sites on the Ramsar List, and international cooperation. A site's listing does not change its ownership; the State remains responsible for management, with the Centre coordinating through the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA).
Montreux Record: a register of Ramsar sites where the ecological character has changed, is changing or is likely to change. In India, Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake (Manipur) are on it; Chilika was removed after restoration. (Standard fact; confirm the current list before quoting.)
Wise use (Mains 2018) means sustainable use of wetlands for the benefit of humankind in a way compatible with maintaining the natural properties of the ecosystem.
Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 are the national regulation; the Ministry has said it will amend and notify them after State feedback.
Ramsar COP15 and the 2025 milestones
At COP15 (Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, July 2025) India's resolution on 'Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles for the Wise Use of Wetlands' was adopted on 30 July 2025 with the support of 172 contracting parties, and India was elected to the Standing Committee for 2026-28.
Udaipur and Indore became India's first Ramsar-accredited Wetland Cities.
India has the largest Ramsar network in Asia and the third largest in the world by number of sites.
India's Ramsar Sites: Counts, Dates and the State-wise List
India's Ramsar sites
The Ministry's Annual Report records that 11 sites were designated in 2025, taking the total from 85 to 96 on 31 December 2025, and two more in January 2026 made 98. Secondary sources list further 2026 designations (Shekha Jheel, Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary at Surha Tal, Glaw Lake, Sauj Jheel and Sukhna Lake), giving a count of about 103 by mid-October 2026: check the Ramsar Sites Information Service before the exam. The table below is built from that list (entries after the 98th are flagged as secondary).
Earliest sites: Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan), both listed in 1981. Largest by area in the list: the Sundarban Wetland (West Bengal, 2019).
Designations by year (recent): 2019: 11 2020: 5 2021: 14 2022: 19 2023: 7 2024: 3 2025: 11 2026: 7. Designations accelerated after 2018; 2025 added 11.
Tamil Nadu has the most sites (20), followed by Uttar Pradesh (14); the list spans 28 States and Union Territories.
2026 PYQ link: Sakhya Sagar (Madhya Pradesh, designated 2022) is a Ramsar site; it lies inside Madhav National Park.
State / UT | Sites | Ramsar sites |
Tamil Nadu | 20 | Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary; Karikili Bird Sanctuary; Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest; Pichavaram and Kodiyampalayam Mangrove Forests; Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve; Vembannur Wetland Complex; Vellode Bird Sanctuary; Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary; Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary; Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary; Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary; Suchindram Theroor Wetland Complex; Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary; Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary; Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary; Longwood Shola Reserve Forest; Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary; Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary; Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary; Therthangal Bird Sanctuary |
Uttar Pradesh | 14 | Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary; Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary; Saman Bird Sanctuary; Samaspur Bird Sanctuary; Sandi Bird Sanctuary; Sarsai Nawar Jheel; Haiderpur Wetland; Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora Stretch); Sur Sarovar; Bakhira Sanctuary; Patna Bird Sanctuary; Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary; Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary (Surha Tal); Sauj Jheel |
Bihar | 6 | Kanwar Taal (Kabartal Wetland); Nagi Bird Sanctuary; Nakti Bird Sanctuary; Udaypur Lake; Gokul Reservoir; Gogabeel Lake |
Odisha | 6 | Bhitarkanika Mangroves; Chilika Lake; Satkosia Gorge; Tampara Lake; Hirakud Reservoir; Ansupa Lake |
Punjab | 6 | Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary; Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve; Ropar Wetland; Kanjli Wetland; Beas Conservation Reserve; Harike Wetland |
Gujarat | 5 | Thol Lake; Wadhvana Wetland; Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary; Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary; Chhari-Dhand |
Jammu and Kashmir | 5 | Surinsar-Mansar Lakes; Wular Lake; Hokera Wetland; Hygam Wetland Conservation Reserve; Shallabugh Wetland Conservation Reserve |
Madhya Pradesh | 5 | Sakhya Sagar; Bhoj Wetland; Sirpur Lake; Yashwant Sagar; Tawa Reservoir |
Rajasthan | 5 | Keoladeo National Park; Sambhar Lake; Khichan Wetland; Menar Wetland Complex; Siliserh Lake |
Karnataka | 4 | Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary; Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve; Aghanashini Estuary; Magadi Kere Conservation Reserve |
Himachal Pradesh | 3 | Pong Dam Lake; Chandra Taal; Renuka Lake |
Kerala | 3 | Ashtamudi Wetland; Sasthamkotta Lake; Vembanad-Kol Wetland |
Maharashtra | 3 | Nandur Madhameshwar; Lonar Lake; Thane Creek |
Haryana | 2 | Sultanpur National Park; Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary |
Ladakh | 2 | Tsomoriri; Tso Kar |
West Bengal | 2 | East Kolkata Wetlands; Sundarban Wetland |
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | Kolleru Lake |
Arunachal Pradesh | 1 | Glaw Lake |
Assam | 1 | Deepor Beel |
Chandigarh | 1 | Sukhna Lake |
Chhattisgarh | 1 | Kopra Reservoir |
Goa | 1 | Nanda Lake |
Jharkhand | 1 | Udhwa Lake |
Manipur | 1 | Loktak Lake |
Mizoram | 1 | Pala Wetland |
Sikkim | 1 | Khecheopalli Lake |
Tripura | 1 | Rudrasagar Lake |
Uttarakhand | 1 | Asan Barrage |
Sites in the list with names that recur in questions: Loktak (Manipur; home to the floating Keibul Lamjao National Park), Chilika (Odisha; the Irrawaddy dolphin), Sambhar (Rajasthan; India's largest inland saline lake), Harike (Punjab), Wular (Jammu and Kashmir), Vembanad-Kol (Kerala) and the Bhitarkanika mangroves (Odisha).
Mangroves, ISFR 2023 Numbers, MISHTI and Blue Carbon
Mangroves and blue carbon
Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees of tidal shores. UPSC's 2026 question rewarded the correct reason for protecting them: they absorb tidal energy and storm surges and give biomass and livelihoods, acting as bio-shields; they tolerate (rather than filter out) salt, and they do not create freshwater paddy land.
ISFR 2023: India's mangrove cover is 4,991.68 sq km, 0.15 per cent of the country: 1,463.97 very dense (29.33 per cent), 1,500.84 moderately dense (30.07 per cent) and 2,026.87 open (40.60 per cent). There was a net decrease of 7.43 sq km since 2021; Gujarat lost 36.39 sq km, while Andhra Pradesh (13.01 sq km) and Maharashtra (12.39 sq km) gained.
MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes): 4,536 ha were brought under restoration in 2025, and a total of 22,560 ha of degraded mangroves have been restored.
Blue carbon
Blue carbon is the carbon captured and stored by oceans and coastal ecosystems: mangroves, seagrass meadows and salt marshes. Coastal systems cover far less area than forests but sequester carbon faster and can hold it for very long periods (the 2021 PYQ definition). Protecting them is a climate measure as well as a coastal one.
Coral Reefs, the Coast and How UPSC Could Ask Next
Coral reefs and the coast
Corals are animals (polyps) that build calcium-carbonate skeletons and live in a symbiosis with photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae). They need warm, clear, shallow, sunlit, salt-balanced water.
Bleaching: when the water becomes too warm the corals expel the algae and turn white; if the heat persists the corals die. Ocean acidification reduces the carbonate ions needed to build skeletons.
Biorock (2022 PYQ) grows mineral structures in seawater with a low electric current and is used to restore damaged reefs and protect coasts.
India's reef areas: Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, Lakshadweep, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Gulf of Kutch (standard reference list).
Coastal regulation and current programmes
The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification regulates activity along tidal-influenced coasts in categories (CRZ-I ecologically sensitive, II built-up, III rural, IV water area); the Integrated Coastal Regulation Zone plans for the Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands are being revised.
The National Coastal Mission has been extended for 2025-31 with ₹767 crore; 18 beaches in 7 coastal States and 4 Union Territories carry the Blue Flag certification (2025-26 season).
Sand mining and erosion (Mains 2019 and 2022): mining lowers river and coastal sediment budgets, deepens estuaries, lets salt water move inland and lowers the water table; coastal erosion is managed through setback lines, mangrove and shelter-belt planting, and soft measures before hard structures.
How UPSC Could Ask This Next
Ramsar numbers and names (the latest additions, the first, the largest, the State with the most) and 'which of the following is a Ramsar site' with distractors from national parks.
Convention facts: wise use, the Montreux Record, Wetland City accreditation, the 2025 COP15 resolution.
Ecosystem-function statements: mangroves versus coral reefs, blue carbon, what Biorock does, what bleaches corals.
ISFR mangrove figures and which State gained or lost cover.
Further Reading
NCERT Biology (Class 12) and Geography textbooks, the India State of Forest Report, the MoEFCC Annual Report, the Economic Survey and the official lists cited in this note — the primary sources behind every figure above.
Test Yourself: Practice Questions and PYQs
Twelve practice questions on Ramsar, India's wetlands, mangroves, blue carbon and coral reefs, followed by the real UPSC Prelims questions and exact Mains questions.
Practice Questions
Q1. Consider the following statements about the Ramsar Convention:
1. It is the only global environmental treaty on a single ecosystem.
2. Its three pillars include wise use of wetlands and international cooperation.
3. A site designated under it passes into the ownership of the Convention.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1 and 3 only
Show answer
Answer: (a) — Designation does not change ownership; States remain responsible for management.
Q2. According to the Ministry's Annual Report 2025-26, the number of Ramsar sites in India rose from 85 to 96 on 31 December 2025 and to 98 in January 2026. How many sites were designated in 2025?
(a) 11
(b) 15
(c) 13
(d) 9
Show answer
Answer: (a) — Eleven new sites in 2025 took the total from 85 to 96.
Q3. Which of the following Indian cities were recognised as the country's first Ramsar-accredited Wetland Cities?
(a) Udaipur and Indore
(b) Kolkata and Chennai
(c) Bhopal and Jaipur
(d) Srinagar and Bengaluru
Show answer
Answer: (a) — The PIB review names Udaipur and Indore.
Q4. Consider the following Ramsar sites:
1. Chilika Lake
2. Keoladeo National Park
3. Loktak Lake
Which of these was designated earliest (1981)?
(a) 1 and 3
(b) Only 3
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 1 and 2
Show answer
Answer: (d) — Chilika (Odisha) and Keoladeo (Rajasthan) were both listed in 1981; Loktak (Manipur) in 1990.
Q5. Statement-I: Mangroves protect coasts and support livelihoods.
Statement-II: Mangroves absorb tidal energy and offer biomass resources, so they act as natural bio-shields.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
(a) Both statements are correct but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
(b) Both statements are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
(c) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
(d) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Absorbing tidal energy and providing biomass are the reasons mangroves protect coasts and sustain livelihoods.
Q6. According to ISFR 2023, India's mangrove cover is about
(a) 1,464 sq km
(b) 12,000 sq km
(c) 4,992 sq km (0.15 per cent of the geographical area)
(d) 7,430 sq km
Show answer
Answer: (c) — ISFR 2023 gives 4,991.68 sq km, a net decrease of 7.43 sq km from 2021.
Q7. Which State recorded a notable decrease of 36.39 sq km in mangrove cover in ISFR 2023?
(a) Maharashtra
(b) Andhra Pradesh
(c) Gujarat
(d) West Bengal
Show answer
Answer: (c) — Andhra Pradesh (13.01 sq km) and Maharashtra (12.39 sq km) gained; Gujarat lost.
Q8. What is 'blue carbon'?
(a) Carbon captured and stored by oceans and coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass and salt marshes
(b) Carbon in petroleum and natural gas
(c) Carbon in the atmosphere
(d) Carbon stored in forests and agricultural soils
Show answer
Answer: (a) — Blue carbon refers to carbon in marine and coastal ecosystems.
Q9. Biorock technology is talked about in the context of
(a) restoring damaged coral reefs
(b) making building materials from plant residues
(c) providing salt licks for wild animals
(d) locating shale-gas reserves
Show answer
Answer: (a) — Biorock uses a low electric current to grow mineral structures in seawater.
Q10. What causes coral bleaching?
(a) Corals expelling their symbiotic algae when the water becomes too warm
(b) Predation by fish on coral polyps
(c) Excess oxygen in seawater
(d) Excess rainfall on reefs
Show answer
Answer: (a) — Expelled algae leave the coral white; sustained heat kills the coral.
Q11. Which of the following is on the Montreux Record in India?
(a) Chilika Lake only
(b) Loktak Lake and Keoladeo National Park
(c) Sambhar Lake and Bhoj Wetland
(d) Harike and Wular only
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Keoladeo and Loktak are on the Record; Chilika was removed after restoration.
Q12. Which one of the following is true about the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017?
(a) They are made under the Biological Diversity Act
(b) They replaced the Ramsar Convention
(c) They apply only to Ramsar sites
(d) They are the national rules for wetlands, and the Ministry has said they will be amended after States' suggestions
Show answer
Answer: (d) — The Annual Report says the Rules will be amended and notified based on suggestions from States and Union Territories.
UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Real UPSC Prelims questions, checked against the official paper and answer key (the 2026 question uses UPSC's provisional key).
Q1. (2022) “If rainforests and tropical forests are the lungs of the Earth, then surely wetlands function as its kidneys.” Which one of the following functions of wetlands best reflects the above statement?
(a) The water cycle in wetlands involves surface runoff, subsoil percolation and evaporation.
(b) Wetlands play a vital role in maintaining sedimentation balance and soil stabilization.
(c) Aquatic plants absorb heavy metals and excess nutrients.
(d) Algae form the nutrient base upon which fish, crustaceans, molluscs, birds, reptiles and mammals thrive.
Show answer
Answer: (c) — Wetlands filter pollutants and sediments from the water that passes through them, the way kidneys filter blood; aquatic plants absorb heavy metals and excess nutrients. That is the function the quotation points to.
Q2. (2021) What is blue carbon?
(a) Carbon sequestered in forest biomass and agricultural soils
(b) Carbon captured by oceans and coastal ecosystems
(c) Carbon contained in petroleum and natural gas
(d) Carbon present in atmosphere
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Blue carbon is the carbon captured and stored by oceans and coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes.
Q3. (2022) “Biorock technology” is talked about in which one of the following situations?
(a) Providing salt licks for wild animals in forest/protected areas
(b) Restoration of damaged coral reefs
(c) Development of building materials using plant residues
(d) Identification of areas for exploration/extraction of shale gas
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Biorock is a technique that grows mineral-coated structures in seawater with a low electric current, used to restore damaged coral reefs and protect coasts.
Q4. (2026, provisional key) Which of the following best explain(s) the rationale for protecting mangrove ecosystems in the context of climate resilience ?
1. Mangroves reduce tidal energy and store freshwater, making them ideal sites for paddy cultivation in saline estuarine belts.
2. Their salt-sensitive roots filter seawater, making mangroves key to converting coastal land into freshwater aquaculture zones.
3. By withstanding tidal surges and offering biomass resources, mangroves function both as natural bio-shields and livelihood bases for rural communities.
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 3 only
Show answer
Answer: (d) — Mangroves absorb tidal energy, hold coastal soil and give fuel and livelihoods, so 3 is right. They tolerate salt rather than filtering it for freshwater, and they do not create freshwater paddy land or aquaculture zones, so 1 and 2 are wrong.
Q5. (2022) Which one of the following lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert ?
(a) Lake Oguta
(b) Lake Victoria
(c) Lake Volta
(d) Lake Faguibine
Show answer
Answer: (d) — Lake Faguibine in Mali (West Africa) has been dry since the droughts of the 1970s, when sand blocked the channels from the Niger. It is a standing example of desertification and lost wetlands.
Mains Practice Questions
Use these to frame full-length answers. You don't have to answer one exactly — they show the angles UPSC tests, so let them guide which points you cover.
What is a wetland? Explain the Ramsar concept of 'wise use' in the context of wetland conservation and cite two examples of Ramsar sites from India.
Comment on the National Wetland Conservation Programme initiated by the Government of India and name a few of India's wetlands of international importance included in the Ramsar list.
Coastal sand mining, whether legal or illegal, poses one of the biggest threats to our environment. Analyse the impact of sand mining along the Indian coasts, citing specific examples.
Explain the causes and effects of coastal erosion in India. What are the available coastal management techniques for combating the hazard?
Why are mangroves and coral reefs important for climate resilience? Evaluate the MISHTI programme.
UPSC Mains — Previous Years’ Questions on this topic (last 10 years)
These are the actual GS Mains questions UPSC has asked on this theme — real proof of how, and when, it is tested. Try to write a full answer to each.
2023 (GS-III): Comment on the National Wetland Conservation Programme initiated by the Government of India and name a few India's wetlands of international importance included in the Ramsar Sites.
2022 (GS-III): Explain the causes and effects of coastal erosion in India. What are the available coastal management techniques for combating the hazard?
2019 (GS-III): Coastal sand mining, whether legal or illegal, poses one of the biggest threats to our environment. Analyze the impact of sand mining along the Indian coasts, citing specific examples.
2018 (GS-III): What is wetland? Explain the Ramsar concept of 'wise use' in the context of wetland conservation. Cite two examples of Ramsar sites from India.