Lonar crater lake in Buldhana district, 500 kilometres (km) from Mumbai, has been declared Maharashtra’s second Ramsar site. Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention (held for the first time in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971), which aims to halt the worldwide loss of wetlands.
On Thursday, the Ramsar Convention of Wetlands of International Importance announced on its website that Lonar Lake was now a Ramsar site. In January, Maharashtra got its first Ramsar site at Nandur Madhmeshwar, in Nashik.
“Lonar Lake on the Deccan Plateau is an endorheic or closed basin, almost circular in shape, formed by a meteorite impact onto the basalt bedrock. The site includes the lake as well as escarpments, which form the crater walls, and forested zones. The lake is high in salinity and alkalinity… but threatened by household sewage, urban wastewater and by unsustainable tourism,” read the convention’s declaration.
State environment and tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray said, “Lonar crater has its own significance in tourism and geology. As it becomes a Ramsar site, it will help us protect it better in the years to come.”
He also shared a photograph of the site taken by chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray and said the CM had been pushing for tourism at Lonar.
Forest minister Sanjay Rathod said, “The declaration comes as a Diwali gift for environment lovers and it is a matter of pride for the forest department and the entire state.”
“It is a good achievement for the state that it got two Ramsar sites within a year,” said Nitin Kakodkar, principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife), Maharashtra, adding that the Ramsar status would help conservation efforts. Lonar and Nandur Madhmeshwar bring India’s tally of Ramsar sites to 41. Maharashtra has proposed six more wetlands as Ramsar sites.
Also read: 800-ha Nandur Madhyameshwar declared state’s first Ramsar site
Independent experts said Maharashtra and the Deccan region had low representation in Indian Ramsar sites. “There is a large scope of increasing the number of Ramsar sites considering several wetlands are of high ornithological value,” said Ritesh Kumar, director, Wetlands International (South Asia).
The 77.69-hectare (ha) Lonar lake is part of the 365.16-ha Lonar wildlife sanctuary. Located 500 km from Mumbai and over 90 km from Buldhana city, the lake has an average diameter of over 6,000 feet and is 449 feet deep. The area is home to 160 species of birds, 46 species of reptiles, and 12 mammal species including the grey wolf. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the lake was formed as a result of a meteorite impact between 35,000 and 50,000 years ago. It was identified as a unique geographical site by a British officer CJE Alexander in 1823, and declared a notified National Geo-heritage Monument in 1979.
Lonar wildlife sanctuary falls under the unified control of the Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR), Amravati. “The Ramsar status enhances protection for rare and endemic species, facilitates the development through national level policies, provides access to financial aid through the convention’s small grant fund, and allows access to expert advice on site related problems of this wetland,” said MS Reddy, field director, MTR.
The lake was first proposed as a Ramsar site in 2017 by the state forest department.
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