World Environment Day 2025: Rajasthan’s Menar & Khichan Declared Ramsar Sites

Jaipur: Good news came for Rajasthan on the World Environment Day with two of its villages, Udaipur's Menar and Phalodi's Khinchan have been included in the internationally recognized Ramsar site list. 

“On the eve of #EnvironmentDay, India has two new entrants to the list of Wetlands of International Importance. The latest to join the list of Ramsar sites in India are Khichan, in Phalodi and Menar in Udaipur, Rajasthan

This addition takes our tally to 91. The achievement is yet another testament to the fact that PM Shri @narendramodi ji's focus on environmental conservation is successfully helping India build a greener tomorrow.

Congratulations, India, especially the people of Rajasthan!,” posted the Union Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav on X. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the development on X, saying, “Great news! India's strides in environmental conservation are happening with great vigour and are powered by public participation.”

Notably, Menar village is located on the Udaipur-Mangalwad-Chittorgarh National Highway, about 55 km from Udaipur and  known as Bird Village as more than 200 species of birds come here. Species like the endangered Sarus Crane, Black Necked Stork, Woolly Necked Stork, Ferruginous Pochard, Dalmatian Pelican and Black Tailed Godwit can be seen in Menar. These migratory birds stay in the Menar pond for 5 to 6 months. 

While Khinchan village is known for a large number of demoiselle cranes that visit it every winter. This annual bird migration began with around a hundred cranes in the 1970s when a local couple started feeding pigeons. Other villagers joined their efforts, and Khichan now hosts over 30,000 demoiselle cranes during August to March.

With the addition of Menar and Khinchan, Rajasthan now has 4 Ramsar sites. Keoladeo Ghana National Park and Sambhar Lake are already there in the Ramsar site list. Keoladeo Ghana National Park was declared a Ramsar site in 1981 and Sambhar Lake in 1990.