Chhatrapur: Tampara Lake in Ganjam district has received the Ramsar recognition as a wetland of international importance.
To celebrate this achievement, World Wetland Day was observed at Tampara lake, Thursday.
Several forest officials, students of Berhampur University and researchers attended this programme and discussed the importance of wetlands, modalities for their protection and need for conducting more research on them.
ASCFs Rudra Prasad Ratha, A Madhavi Lata, Berhampur forest ranger Rajat Kumar Mishra, his counterparts Siddharth Shankar Sahu of Khallikote, Manoj Kumar Patra of Samantiapalli and Kanhu Charan Pattnaik of Digapahandi, wildlife warden Rabindra Nath Sahu, Chhatrapur forest officer Girish Ray and Anjan Kumar Prusty, associate professor of environmental science in Berhampur University attended this programme and stressed on protection of this wetland and the necessity of combating environmental pollution.
Later, the participants conducted cleaning of the lake and took out an awareness rally demanding conservation of the wetland and environment protection.
Spread over 300 ha area, Tampara Lake is among the most prominent freshwater lakes in the state. It is called ‘Tampara’ as the depression on the ground gradually filled with rainwater from catchment flow and was called ‘Tamp’ by the British and subsequently termed ‘Tampra’ by the locals.
The wetland is an important habitat for vulnerable species such as Cyprinus carpio, common pochard (Aythya ferina), and river tern (Sterna aurantia).
Tampara Lake in Ganjam district, Hirakud Reservoir in Sambalpur district and Ansupa Lake in Cuttack district were among 11 more Indian wetlands designated as Ramsar sites in August last year taking the total number of such sites in the country to 75. The recognition of three more wetlands in Odisha has now increased the number of such sites to six.
A Ramsar site is a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, an environmental treaty established by UNESCO in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 for protection of wetlands.
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