Haryana to seek Ramsar site tag for Sultanpur National Park
GURUGRAM: The state forest department plans to recommend the Sultanpur National Park in Gurugram and Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary in Jhajjar district for declaration as Ramsar sites.
Ramsar sites — as per Unesco’s 1971 Convention on Wetlands held in Ramsar, Iran — are wetlands of international significance. Experts and officials explained that having a Ramsar certification brings international visibility to ecologically sensitive wetlands and provides an impetus for their conservation.
Both are popular birding destinations, providing habitat for a large variety of resident and migratory species, and happen to be the only two such water bodies in Haryana with legal protection under Wetland Rules (2017). Department officials confirmed that two separate proposals have been drawn up in the format required by the Ramsar Convention, and will be sent by the state government to the Centre for further consideration.
Officials said on Tuesday that this proposal was first floated in 2015. “It did not go through at the time, for some reason. In 2019, we revisited the proposal, but again, it fell through. We were told last year told to start work on the proposal again. Districtlevel teams finished their fieldwork and submitted information to us a few months ago. Our final proposal is with the government and is expected to reach Centre next week. From there, it will be sent to the Convention,” said M L Rajvanshi, chief conservator of forests, Haryana, on Tuesday.