How many more ‘Ramsar Sites’ were added to Uttar Pradesh in January, 2020?

The answer is B) 6. In January 2020, six more wetlands in Uttar Pradesh were notified as Ramsar sites, taking the state's tally to ten. The six were Bakhira, Haiderpur, Parvati Agra, Saman, Sarsai Nawar and Sur Sarovar (Keetham), and they joined earlier sites such as Nawabganj, Sandi, Samaspur and Upper Ganga.

The core concept is the Ramsar Convention (1971), an international treaty for conserving wetlands, especially as waterfowl habitat. Sites are designated on the basis of ecological character and biodiversity, and India's domestic obligations are set out in the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. For Mains, this links to wetland conservation, urban and agricultural pressure on water bodies, and the livelihoods of communities that depend on them.

• A) 3, C) 9 and D) 12 do not match the number of sites notified in that batch.

The national and state totals have changed since 2020 as more sites were added, so quote the figure as of the exam year.

Trap: Candidates pick the total number of Ramsar sites in UP instead of the number added in that particular month.