Overview
- Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the designation on Monday, naming Glaw Lake in Arunachal Pradesh as the country’s 101st Ramsar site and the state’s first.
- The lake lies inside the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary in the Eastern Himalayas, giving the site added protection within an existing protected-area framework.
- Officials describe Glaw Lake as a freshwater biodiversity hotspot fed by perennial mountain streams with more than 150 tree species and 49 orchid species recorded in the site and its catchment.
- Ramsar designation recognizes wetlands of international importance but also obliges India to develop and oversee a formal management framework to conserve the wetland and guide sustainable use.
- The announcement follows a recent government submission of four wetland nominations to the Ramsar Secretariat, so observers will watch for new designations and for how management plans are implemented on the ground.