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Kathmandu Thursday January 31, 2002 Magh 18, 2058.
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Three wetlands to make it to
Ramsar Site list
By Kiran Chapagain
KATHM ANDU, Jan 30 Three wetland areas of the
country will make it to the coveted list of the international Ramsar Site once the
government formally declares them as important wetlands during the World Wetlands Day on
February 2.
Only those wetlands that have unique and
important ecological importance and value are declared as Ramsar Site by a
Switzerland-based body that works for the conservation of wetlands. The body was formed
after the historic signing of Ramsar Convention in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar.
Dr Tirtha Man Maskey, the Director General of
the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), told The Kathmandu
Post today that a meeting of the Cabinet last Thursday has approved a proposal forwarded
by conservation officials to include the areas in the Ramsar Site list.
The sites are Ghodaghodi Tal area of Kailali
district, Jagadishpur reservoir area of Kapilvastu and Beesh Hazar Tal area of Chitwan.
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve situated on the banks of the Koshi river in eastern Nepal is
the only wetland area of Nepal that has been declared a Ramsar Site. The
"bird-watchers’ paradise" made it to the list in 1987.
Nepal ratified the International Convention on
Wetlands 1971 in 1985.
"These are very important wetland areas
providing perfect habitat to various endangered species of birds, reptiles and
fauna," Dr Maskey said. "Once they are declared Ramsar Site the government will
be encouraged and required to put in place better conservation efforts."
Garlanding the Himalayan region—a major
source of the world’s fresh water resources—Nepal’s southern plains is
considered an important eco-region abundant in dense Sal forests, grasslands and wetlands.
According to IUCN (The World Conservation Union), a total of 163 wetland sites have been
surveyed there.
While the Beesh Hazar Tal lies in the vicinity
of Royal Chitwan National Park—one of Nepal’s two natural sites included in the
list of UNESCO World Heritages—the Jagadishpur Reservoir is at Kapilvastu, near
Lumbini, and is a haven for migratory and wintering waterfowls and other birds.
Situated in the western Terai district of
Kailali—somewhere along the corridor connecting Royal Bardia National Park and Royal
Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve—Ghodaghodi Tal is among the largest lake system of
far-western Nepal.
The fresh water lake is surrounded by fauna like
Sal, Saj, Dhangero, Sandan, and scores of species of aerials, amphibians and reptiles.
Soon after the formal announcement is made,
officials would forward the proposal to the Switzerland-based body, according to Dr Maskey
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