Home to over 15 globally threatened species viz critically endangered gharial, endangered hog deer, black-bellied tern, steppe eagle, Indian skimmer and gold mahseer, Haiderpur Wetland, a human-made wetland spread over 6,908 hectares in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district, has finally got Ramsar Convention tag of global importance.
Fed by the Ganga and Solani rivers, the wetland came into existence in 1984 after the construction of the Madhya Ganga Barrage on the former.
With this, there are now a total 47 such designated areas in the country, the Union Environment Ministry tweeted on Thursday.
“It’s good news for birders and nature lovers. Now Uttar Pradesh leads by having the maximum number of Ramsar sites in the country,” said Ramesh Pandey, Inspector General of Forests with the Ministry. Suresh Babu, director, rivers, wetlands and water policy, World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India) added as “it is located within the boundaries of the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, the wetland enjoys some level of protection.” The Convention tag will give it global recognition.
The Site supports more than 25,000 waterbirds, serves as a breeding site for the near-threatened Indian grassbird and provides refuge to the northern subspecies population of the vulnerable swamp deer during its seasonal flood-driven migration. The Site also regularly supports more than 1% of the population of greylag goose and bar-headed goose.
"Haiderpur Wetland also helps to support the livelihoods of the local communities and contributes to the maintenance of hydrological regimes and to hazard reduction. It is used for recreation and tourism, and scientific and educational activities are also associated with the Site," the authorities noted on the Ramsar website after designating Haiderpur as Ramsar Site.
The wetland has also been identified under Namami Gange, a central flagship, as a model wetland along the Ganga.