Which of the following Ramsar site is NOT situated in Uttar Pradesh?
- (a)Sur Sarovar
- (b)Samaspur Bird Sanctuary
- (c)Sansai Nawar Jheel
- (d)Surinsar-Mansar Lakes
Correct — D, Surinsar-Mansar Lakes. The Surinsar-Mansar Lakes are a Ramsar Site (designated November 2005) in the Jammu region (Samba/Jammu area) — NOT in Uttar Pradesh. The other three options are all Ramsar wetlands within Uttar Pradesh: Sur Sarovar (Keetham Lake) near Agra, the Samaspur Bird Sanctuary in Rae Bareli district, and Sarsai Nawar Jheel (here spelt 'Sansai Nawar') in Etawah district. Since the question asks which is NOT in UP, the answer is Surinsar-Mansar Lakes.
- (a)Sur Sarovar — Wrong (it IS in UP) — Sur Sarovar, also called Keetham Lake, lies in Agra district, Uttar Pradesh, and is a Ramsar Site (designated 2020). Being inside UP, it cannot be the answer.
- (b)Samaspur Bird Sanctuary — Wrong (it IS in UP) — the Samaspur Bird Sanctuary is in Rae Bareli district, Uttar Pradesh, and was among the UP wetlands given Ramsar status (2019). Being in UP, it is not the odd one out.
- (c)Sansai Nawar Jheel — Wrong (it IS in UP) — this is Sarsai Nawar Jheel in Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, a Ramsar Site (designated 2019). It lies within UP, so it is not the answer.
The Ramsar Convention (1971, Ramsar, Iran) lists 'Wetlands of International Importance' as Ramsar Sites. Around 2019–2021 Uttar Pradesh's Ramsar tally grew rapidly (from 1 to nearly 10) as several bird sanctuaries and jheels were designated — Sur Sarovar (Keetham), Samaspur, Sarsai Nawar, Nawabganj, Saman, Sandi, Parvati Arga and others. Surinsar-Mansar, by contrast, is a twin-lake Ramsar Site in the Jammu region, not in UP.
This is an odd-one-out on location. Three names — Sur Sarovar, Samaspur and Sarsai/Sansai Nawar — are UP wetlands added to the Ramsar list in 2019–20. The unfamiliar 'Surinsar-Mansar' is the giveaway: 'Mansar' points to the Jammu region (like the well-known Mansar Lake near Jammu), so it is the one lying outside Uttar Pradesh.
- Surinsar-Mansar Lakes = Ramsar Site in the Jammu region (Samba/Jammu), designated 2005 — NOT in UP.
- Sur Sarovar (Keetham Lake), Agra district, is a UP Ramsar Site (2020).
- Samaspur Bird Sanctuary (Rae Bareli) and Sarsai Nawar Jheel (Etawah) are UP Ramsar Sites (2019).
- UP's Ramsar count rose sharply in 2019–21; its oldest site was the Upper Ganga River stretch (2005).
- Assuming every 'Sarovar / Jheel / Bird Sanctuary' in the list must be in UP — Surinsar-Mansar is in the Jammu region.
- Confusing the number of sites added to UP with the state's running total of Ramsar sites.
UPPSC often asks which listed wetland/Ramsar site is (or is not) in Uttar Pradesh, or the count added; UPSC tends to test the Convention's concepts (wise use, Montreux Record) — know both the UP site list and the treaty.
India is a party to the Ramsar Convention and has declared many areas as Ramsar Sites. Which of the following statements best describes how we should maintain these sites in the context of this Convention?
- (a) Keep all the sites completely inaccessible to man so that they will not be exploited.
- (b) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and permit tourism and recreation only.
- (c) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach for a period without any exploitation, with specific criteria and specific period for each site, and then allow sustainable use of them by future generations.
- (d) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and allow their simultaneous sustainable use.
Answer(d) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and allow their simultaneous sustainable use.
Same theme — India's Ramsar Sites. UPPSC asks which listed Ramsar site is not in UP; UPSC tests the Convention's core 'wise use' principle (conserve via an ecosystem approach while allowing sustainable use).
How many more 'Ramsar Sites' were added to Uttar Pradesh in January, 2020 ?
- (a) 3
- (b) 6
- (c) 9
- (d) 12
Answer(b) 6
Same concept — UP's Ramsar Sites. UPPSC 2020 asks how many were added to UP (six, taking it 1→7), while UPPSC 2021 asks which listed Ramsar site is NOT in UP (Surinsar-Mansar); both reward knowing the UP Ramsar list.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Sur Sarovar, a Ramsar Site in Uttar Pradesh, is better known by which name?
- (a)Keetham Lake
- (b)Renuka Lake
- (c)Sambhar Lake
- (d)Loktak Lake
Answer(a) Keetham Lake — Sur Sarovar (Keetham), in Agra district, is a UP Ramsar Site.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Surinsar-Mansar Lakes, a Ramsar Site designated in 2005, are located in which region/State?
- (a)Uttar Pradesh
- (b)Jammu & Kashmir
- (c)Rajasthan
- (d)Uttarakhand
Answer(b) Jammu & Kashmir — the twin lakes lie in the Jammu (Samba) area, not in Uttar Pradesh.