Lonar lake, Sur Sarovar declared as Ramsar sites

News: : India has named Lonar lake and Sur Sarovar lake as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Facts:

Lonar Lake:

• It is a notified National Geo Heritage Monument located at Lonar, Maharashtra.
• Formation: The lake is believed to have been formed when a meteorite crashed into Earth around 50,000 years ago.The lake sits inside the Deccan Plateau- a massive plain of volcanic basalt rock created by eruptions some 65 million years ago.
• Significance: The lake is mentioned in ancient scripts like the Skanda Purana, the Padma Purana and the Ain-i-Akbari.

Soor Sarovar Lake:

• It is also known as Keetham lake and is situated alongside river Yamuna in Agra,Uttar Pradesh.
• The lake is situated within the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary which was declared as a bird sanctuary in the year 1991.It also has a Bear Rescue centre for rescued dancing bears.

Additional Facts:

• Wetland Sites in India: India now has a total of 41 wetlands that are recognised as Ramsar sites which is the highest in South Asia.
• Ramsar Convention: It is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
• Montreux Record: It is a register of wetland sites on the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance. It shows such sites where there has been or likely to be adverse ecological changes due to anthropogenic activities. Indian sites in the Montreux Record are Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan), Loktak Lake (Manipur).