In October 2025, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) announced that Gogabeel Lake in Katihar district of Bihar has been officially designated as Ramsar Convention Sites of International Importance, bringing the total number of internationally recognised Ramsar sites in India to 94.
- With this addition, Bihar now has six Ramsar Sites, ranking third in India after Tamil Nadu(TN) (20 sites) and Uttar Pradesh(UP) (10 sites).
Exam Hints:
- What? Announcement of India’s new Ramsar Site
- Announced by: Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, MoEFCC
- Name of Site: Gogabeel Lake
- Location: Kathiar district in Bihar
- Declared as: 94th Ramsar Site in India
- States with highest number of sites: TN (20), UP (10) and Bihar (6)
- World’s Top 3 Countries: UK (176), Mexico (144) and India (94)
About Gogabeel Lake:
Total Area: It is one of the largest wetlands of Bihar, covering an area of nearly 217 acres or 86.63 ha.
Type of Lake: It is an ‘ox-bow’ shaped lake, formed by the rivers Mahananda and Kankahar in the north and Ganga in the south.
State’s 1st Community Reserve: In August 2019, the Bihar government declared Gogabeel Lake as the state’s first Community Reserve, notifying 57 ha as Community Reserve and 30 ha as Conservation Reserve.
Recognised as IBA: Gogabeel Lake, including the neighbouring Baghar Beel and Baldia Chaur, were accorded the status of Important Bird Area (IBA) by Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN) in 2004 and again in 2017.
Hosts Migratory Birds: The Lake hosts nearly 300 migratory birds during monsoon and winter season from the Caspian Sea and Siberian region.
Ramsar Sites in India:
Total Area: India now hosts 94 Ramsar sites, covering a total area of 13,60,805 hectares.
Global Dominance:With the latest additions, India holds the highest number of Ramsar Sites in South Asia and ranks first in Asia, while globally, it stands third, after the United Kingdom(UK) (176 sites) and Mexico (144 sites).
1st Ramsar Sites in India: In 1981, Chilka Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (NP) (Rajasthan) were recognised as the1st Ramsar sites in India.
Recently Added Ramsar Sites: Before Gogabeel Lake, Gokul Jalashay (448 ha) in Buxar district and Udaipur Jheel (319 ha) in West Champaran district were designated as India’s 92nd and 93rd Ramsar Sites, respectively.
About Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention):
Objective: It is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and their resources.
Adopted in: Ramsar Convention, the only global agreement focused on a single ecosystem, was signed on February 02, 1971 in Ramsar, a city in Iran and came into effect in 1975.
Total Ramsar Sites: Currently, there are 2,549 Ramsar sites located in 172 countries that are part of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (including India which ratified the treaty in 1982).
World’s 1st Ramsar Site: The Cobourg Peninsula (in Australia) was recognised as the world’s 1st Ramsar Site in 1974.
About Ramsar Convention on Wetlands:
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was adopted in 1971 and came into force in 1975.
Secretary-General (SG)- Dr. Musonda Mumba
Headquarters – Gland, Switzerland.
