NEW DELHI: Three more Indian sites have been added to the list of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, taking the total number of such highly-recognised waterlogged ecosystems in the country to 85, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Wednesday.

The Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and the Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, and the Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh are the three wetlands which have got the Ramsar site tag, he said.

The 85 Indian wetlands on the Ramsar list span over 1.35 million hectares. Tamil Nadu has the maximum number of Ramsar sites (18) followed by Uttar Pradesh (10).

Due to a significant policy push from the government, the number of Ramsar sites has increased from 26 to 85 in the last 10 years, of which 41 have been added in the last three years alone.

"As the nation gears up to celebrate its Independence Day, thrilled to share that we have added three Ramsar sites to our network. This takes our tally to 85 Ramsar sites, covering an area of 13,58,068 ha in India. The achievement reflects the emphasis PM Shri Narendra Modiji has laid on establishing harmony with nature, calling our wetlands Amrit Dharohars, and working relentlessly for their conservation," Yadav posted on X.

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.