About Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary
- Location: It is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
- The sanctuary is also known as Surha Tal.
- It is a natural perennial oxbow lake which serves as a critical wintering ground for avian species traveling along the Central Asian Flyway.
- It is a freshwater wetland in the middle stretch of the Ganga River basin.
- It was originally formed from a meander of the Ganga and receives freshwater inflow through three channels.
- It is characterized by floodplains, extensive marshes, seasonally flooded areas and rice paddies.
- It attracts several migratory and resident bird species due to its rich avifaunal biodiversity.
- Fauna: It supports a rich diversity of other species, including various plant, fish, reptile, and amphibian species.
- Notable fish include the vulnerable Wallago attu and Bagarius bagarius.
Key Facts about Ramsar Convention
- The Ramsar Convention was adopted in 1971 in the city of Ramsar in Iran and came into force in 1975.
- It was the first intergovernmental agreement focused exclusively on a specific ecosystem, i.e. wetlands.
- The convention rests on the three main pillars:
- Conservation of wetlands of international importance,
- Promotion of the wise use of all wetlands within a country’s territory
- International co-operation on shared wetland systems and migratory species
- The Convention has 172 signatory countries.
- India joined it in 1982, initially designating the Chilika Lake in Odisha and Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan.
