Glaw Lake: India's 101st Ramsar Site
Ramsar questions test three things: site–state matching, the total tally, and "which state added its first site". Glaw Lake hits all three, making it the single most testable wetland fact of Q3 2026.
What was designated
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Site | Glaw Lake |
| State | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Designation | August 2026 |
| India's tally | 101 (Site No. 2597 on the Ramsar List) |
| Significance | Arunachal Pradesh's first wetland of international importance |
Glaw Lake is a freshwater lake; the designation was announced by the Union Environment Ministry in early August 2026.
The 2026 designation trail
India ended 2025 with 96 Ramsar sites. In 2026 the tally moved as follows:
| Designation | State | Tally reached |
|---|---|---|
| Patna Bird Sanctuary (Jan) | Uttar Pradesh | 97 |
| Chhari-Dhand (Jan) | Gujarat | 98 |
| Shekha Jheel (Apr) | Uttar Pradesh | 99 |
| Suraha Tal / Jay Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary (Jun) | Uttar Pradesh | 100 |
| Glaw Lake (Aug) | Arunachal Pradesh | 101 |
India remains third globally behind the United Kingdom and Mexico, and first in Asia.
Why state-first sites matter
"First Ramsar site of a state" is a recurring Prelims trap. Glaw Lake is Arunachal Pradesh's first. The same pattern has been asked for Nagaland (no sites), Ladakh (Tso Kar and Tsomoriri), and Mizoram (Pala Wetland, 2021).
The static anchor
The Ramsar Convention was signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, and came into force in 1975. India is a signatory since 1982. Designation criteria rest on the ecological significance of the wetland, waterfowl habitat, rare species, or representative wetland types. Ramsar listing does not change the ownership or legal status of the land; protection in India flows mainly from national laws (Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and wetland rules under the Environment Protection Act, 1986).
Prelims traps
| Statement | True or False |
|---|---|
| "Glaw Lake is India's 101st Ramsar site" | True |
| "Glaw Lake is in Arunachal Pradesh" | True, the state's first |
| "India has the most Ramsar sites in the world" | False. UK and Mexico have more; India is third |
| "Ramsar designation transfers wetland ownership to the Centre" | False. Ownership and legal status are unchanged |
Part of: Species in News and Protected Areas: January to June 2026
Read next: New Ramsar Sites: January to June 2026 · Tiger reserves and cheetah reintroduction
Source: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Ramsar Convention Secretariat (Site No. 2597).