Which of the following wet lands are designated as Ramsar sites 1) Chilka Lake 2) Loktak 3) Keoladeo 4) Wuller Lake Select the correct answer from the code given below:

All four are Ramsar sites, so the answer is D. Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur, Rajasthan) were listed in 1981, while Loktak Lake (Manipur) and Wular Lake (Jammu and Kashmir) were listed in 1990. The Ramsar list keeps growing, so check the current count if a question is framed in present terms.

Why the other options fail: option A drops Keoladeo (3) and Wular (4), both of which are listed. Option B misses Chilika (1) and Wular (4). Option C leaves out Wular Lake (4). Only D captures all four.

Core concept: the Ramsar Convention (1971, Ramsar, Iran) protects wetlands of international importance, especially as waterfowl habitat. Designation carries the obligation of 'wise use'. For Mains GS-3 (environment), this links to wetland degradation, the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, and community-based conservation, as seen in the phumdis of Loktak.

Trap: many aspirants assume that a bird sanctuary or national park cannot also be a wetland site. Keoladeo is designated under Ramsar as a wetland, and its national park status does not cancel that.