Q.Name two wetlands located in West Bengal that have been designated as Ramsar sites (Wetlands of International Importance).

Silent Valley Movement — to stop a hydroelectric dam that would have submerged the Silent Valley rainforest of Kerala. Ramsar site in West Bengal — East Kolkata Wetlands.

i) Reason for the Silent Valley Movement: The Silent Valley in Kerala is a pristine tropical evergreen rainforest of great biodiversity. A hydroelectric dam was proposed on the Kunthipuzha river, which would have flooded and destroyed this rich forest ecosystem. The movement was a public campaign to oppose the dam and conserve the rainforest — and it succeeded, the area later becoming a national park.

ii) One Ramsar site in West Bengal: the East Kolkata Wetlands, a wetland of international importance recognised under the Ramsar Convention. (The Sundarban Wetland is another Ramsar site in West Bengal.)

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