Asan Conservation Reserve

The Supreme Court recently clarified that a direction banning mining activities within a 10-km radius of the Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve, a Ramsar site in Uttarakhand, would also apply to other wetland conservation reserves across the country to ensure parity.

​About Asan Conservation Reserve

Location and Area

The Asan Conservation Reserve is located in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, and covers an area of 444.4 hectares. It lies at the confluence of the Asan and Yamuna Rivers.

The Asan River is notable for flowing in a west-to-east direction, unlike the general north-to-south flow of many rivers.

Formation and Establishment

The reserve comprises the Asan Barrage and the wetland formed by damming the Asan River in 1967. The barrage created a freshwater reservoir that provides suitable habitats for a variety of resident and migratory birds.

The area was declared a Conservation Reserve in 2005 under Section 36A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

In 2020, it was declared a Ramsar site, becoming the first Ramsar site in Uttarakhand.

​Ecological Significance

Important Bird Area and Central Asian Flyway

The Asan Conservation Reserve is recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and BirdLife International.

The wetland lies along the Central Asian Flyway, an important migratory bird route. Its freshwater habitats support numerous migratory and resident bird species.

Avian Diversity

The reserve is home to approximately 330 bird species, including birds belonging to different IUCN conservation categories.

Critically Endangered species include the White-rumped Vulture and Baer’s Pochard.

Endangered species include the Egyptian Vulture, Steppe Eagle and Black-bellied Tern.

Vulnerable species include the Marbled Teal, Common Pochard and Indian Spotted Eagle.

The wetland is particularly known for hosting large flocks of Ruddy Shelduck during winter.

​Other Biodiversity

Beyond its rich avian diversity, the reserve supports a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial organisms. It contains approximately 78 invertebrate species, 49 fish species, 4 amphibian species, 1 reptile species and 20 mammal species.

Golden Mahseer

The Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora) is an important fish species found in the reserve. Classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, it benefits from the wetland’s role as a feeding, migration and spawning habitat.