♦ Two more wetlands from India have been added to the list of Ramsar sites, taking the number of such sites in the country to 91.

♦ The latest to join the list of Ramsar sites in India are Khichan in Phalodi and Menar in Udaipur, both in Rajasthan.

♦ The aim of the Ramsar list is to develop and maintain an international network of wetlands, which are important for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life, through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and benefits.

♦ The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

♦ It is named after the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the Caspian Sea, where the treaty was signed on February 2, 1971.

♦ India ratified the convention on February 1, 1982.