BharatNotes What is Wetland City Accreditation?
Wetland City Accreditation (WCA) is a voluntary recognition scheme of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. It accredits cities that contain or lie adjacent to Ramsar Sites or other significant wetlands and that demonstrate strong commitment to conserving those wetlands while integrating them into urban planning and civic life. The scheme was established by Resolution XII.10 at COP12 in 2015. Accreditation is awarded by the Convention (through an independent Advisory Committee) and is valid for six years, after which a city must reapply and continue to meet the criteria.
The Six Criteria
A city must satisfy six international criteria, broadly requiring that it:
| # | Criterion (summarised) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Contains a Ramsar Site or other significant wetland providing ecosystem services |
| 2 | Has adopted measures to conserve its wetlands and their ecological functions |
| 3 | Has implemented wetland restoration and/or management measures |
| 4 | Considers wetlands in integrated spatial and land-use planning |
| 5 | Raises public awareness and enables public participation in wetland decision-making |
| 6 | Has established a local committee to prepare and implement WCA measures |
Global Status (as of January 2025)
The scheme has grown in three main rounds:
| Round | Year | Cities accredited | Cumulative total |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | 2018 | 18 | 18 |
| Second (COP14) | 2022 | 25 | 43 |
| Third | Jan 2025 | 31 | 74 |
The January 2025 list was announced at the 64th meeting of the Convention's Standing Committee, held ahead of World Wetlands Day (2 February). This raised the global tally to 74 accredited Wetland Cities.
India and Wetland City Accreditation
Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Udaipur (Rajasthan) became India's first two accredited Wetland Cities in the January 2025 round, a milestone announced by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- Indore — home to Sirpur Lake, a Ramsar Site recognised as an important waterbird congregation area and being developed as a bird sanctuary. Indore is also widely noted as India's cleanest city.
- Udaipur — the "City of Lakes", surrounded by five major wetlands: Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Rang Sagar, Swaroop Sagar and Doodh Talai, which are central to its ecology and water security.
India had nominated three cities; Bhopal (Bhoj Wetland) did not secure accreditation, reportedly due to ecological concerns over a proposed road project affecting the wetland. India's broader wetland push is significant — the country had 96 Ramsar Sites in 2025, up from 26 in 2014 (per the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change).
Why It Matters for UPSC
WCA illustrates the ecology-economy balance in urban governance and the role of international conventions in shaping domestic policy. It connects the Ramsar Convention, the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, and India's urban-environment agenda — a recurring GS3 theme on conservation and sustainable urban development.
