Tso Kar Wetland Complex added as 42nd Ramsar site, the second one in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

The Ramsar list aims to develop and maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes, and benefits.

CEC, Hill Council, Leh, Advocate Tashi Gyalson termed the decision of GoI a significant achievement for Ladakh and congratulated the people of Ladakh in general and people of Changthang region in particular.

He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UT Administration Ladakh headed by L-G, R.K. Mathur, and MP Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal for their endeavor in designating Tso Kar Wetland in the Ramsar site.

The Tso Kar Basin is a high-altitude wetland complex, which includes two connected lakes, the freshwater Startsapuk Tso and the larger hypersaline Tso Kar. It presents a notable example of two such lakes existing nearby. The name Tso Kar refers to the white salt efflorescence on the margins of the lake caused by the evaporation of the saline waters. The local climate is arid, and glacial meltwater is the primary water source for the lakes.

The lakes and in particular the presence of freshwater attract biodiversity in a biologically sparse region. Inhabiting the Site are numerous threatened species including the endangered saker falcon (Falco cherrug) and Asiatic wild dog or dhole (Cuon alpinus laniger), and the vulnerable snow leopard (Panthera uncia). The Site also acts as an important stopover ground for migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway and is one of the most important breeding areas in India for the black-necked crane (Grus)