Glaw Lake in Arunachal Pradesh has been designated as India's 101st Ramsar Site, making it the state's first ever Ramsar-listed wetland. The announcement was made by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. Glaw Lake is located in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. India now holds one of the largest counts of Ramsar Sites globally. The Ramsar Convention, signed in 1971 in Iran, governs the designation of wetlands of international importance for conservation and sustainable use.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (1971) is the oldest intergovernmental environmental treaty. Named after the Iranian city of Ramsar where it was signed, it entered into force in 1975. India ratified it in 1982. A site is listed under the Ramsar Convention when it meets at least one of nine criteria covering ecological, botanical, zoological, limnological, or hydrological significance.

Glaw Lake's designation carries multiple exam-relevant dimensions. First, the count: India now has 101 Ramsar Sites — the examiner will blank this out. Second, geographic specificity: Glaw Lake is in Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh — a biodiversity-rich, ecologically sensitive Himalayan frontier zone. Third, institutional context: the nodal ministry is the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC); the nodal agency for Ramsar implementation in India is the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) under MoEFCC.

India has consistently expanded its Ramsar network — from 26 sites in 2014 to 101 now. Tamil Nadu has the highest number of Ramsar Sites among Indian states. The Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) were India's first two Ramsar Sites, designated in 1981. UPSC has repeatedly tested 'first', 'largest', 'highest count' distinctions around Ramsar Sites, making this milestone directly exam-relevant.