Gandhinagar: More than 80 per cent of visitors to the Chhari-Dhand wetland in Gujarat’s Kutch district are foreign nationals, according to tour operators and ornithologists, highlighting the site’s growing international profile even as conservation efforts at the wetland continue to expand.
Spread across 22,700 hectares and covering 12 villages, Chhari-Dhand is located between desert terrain and grasslands and supports one of the densest concentrations of migratory birds in western India.
Tour operators involved in wildlife tourism said visitors from more than 52 countries have travelled to the wetland so far, with regular arrivals from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Nordic countries such as Finland and the Netherlands.
Forest officials said that at peak periods, more than 2,00,000 birds can be observed at the wetland at a single time.
A total of 187 bird species have been recorded within the Chhari-Dhand wetland, while 283 species have been documented in the surrounding area.
Among these are 11 globally threatened species and nine near-threatened species, indicating the ecological significance of the region.
One of the most notable features of the wetland is the congregation of more than 40,000 Common Cranes at a single location.
Chhari-Dhand is also recognised as an important wintering ground for the Grey Hypocolius (Hypocolius ampelinus), a globally significant migratory bird species.
During surveys conducted in April 2025, between 500 and 600 Grey Hypocolius were recorded at the site.
Chhari-Dhand was declared Gujarat’s first Conservation Reserve in August 2008 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The decision was taken during Narendra Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, following which structured conservation measures were introduced to protect the wetland’s biodiversity.
These long-term conservation efforts were formally acknowledged on January 31, when Chhari-Dhand was notified as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.
With this, it became Gujarat’s fifth Ramsar site and the first such site in Kutch. On Friday, Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia presented the Ramsar Site certificate to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar.
The Chief Minister congratulated the Forest Department team for their role in conserving the wetland.
Officials said the Ramsar designation strengthens ongoing conservation planning for Chhari-Dhand, which continues to attract researchers, birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts from India and abroad.
(IANS)
