Bhubaneswar, Dec 05: The Bhitarkanika forests in Orissa`s Kendrapara district, known for its mangrove vegetation, birds and crocodiles, has been listed as a Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance, the second in the state after Chilka. The announcement was made at the eighth meeting of the conference of contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention recently, according to the chief executive of the Chilka Development Authority (CDA) Ajit Patnaik.

Patnaik was present at the meeting in Valencia to receive the Ramsar wetland conservation award on November 18 last in recognition of CDA`s efforts to retrieve the rapidly-deteriorating 1100 sq km Chilka Lake from dying out.
Chilka had also been removed from the Montreux record of Ramsar sites on November 11 last which recognised CDA`s efforts to improve the lagoon and protect its bio-diversity, he said.

As per the resolution arrived at the convention on wetlands held at the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971, wetlands of international importance and those significant for world ecology are included in the list.
The treaty has 134 countries as signatories and a total of 1229 wetlands figured in the list. Bureau Report