Aghanashini Estuary

The Aghanashini Estuary lies in Uttara Kannada district on Karnataka’s west coast, where the Aghanashini River enters the Arabian Sea. The Ramsar Sites Information Service describes it as an estuarine system with shallow marine waters, intertidal mudflats, tidal channels and mangrove-associated habitats. The site covers 4,801 hectares and was designated a Ramsar Site on 14 February 2023.

The estuary’s changing mix of river water and seawater creates brackish habitats used by aquatic and coastal species. Its mudflats and mangroves provide habitat for birds, fish and invertebrates; mangroves also help buffer shorelines from storms and cyclones. India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change reported that the site regularly supports more than 43,000 waterbirds and over 66 waterbird species, including several species whose regional populations use the estuary in significant numbers.

Communities around the estuary depend on its waters and wetlands for fishing, agriculture, shrimp aquaculture, and the collection of edible bivalves, crabs and shells. The Government of India’s 2024 Ramsar-site announcement reported that the estuary supports livelihoods for 6,000–7,500 families. Traditional farming in estuarine rice fields, locally known as gazni fields, and salt production are also part of the local economy.

Ramsar designation recognizes the estuary’s international importance as a wetland. The site combines ecological functions—such as supporting biodiversity and mitigating flood and erosion risks—with livelihoods and traditional resource use. Its tidal mudflats, mangroves and brackish waters are interconnected, so maintaining the estuary’s natural water exchange and habitats is important to both wildlife and the communities that rely on them.