● Wular Lake is the largest freshwater lake in India. ● Wular is also winter home and a breeding ground to innumerable migratory birds . ● The lake is also one of the Kashmir Valley’s important tourist attractions. ● It is for all these and other various reasons that in 1990 Wular was designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention . ● As a large wetland, Wular constitutes an important ecosystem in the valley and supports a lot of biodiversities. ● Besides being a rich repository of Macrophytic vegetation , the lake plays an important role in the local economy. It is an important fish habitat . ● The livelihood of thousands of fishermen and others depends upon the lake as it contributes sixty per cent to the total fish catch in the valley. ● Local villagers also harvest a type of grass from the lake as a raw material for use in the mat- making cottage industry besides procuring waterlily-like plants for animal fodder. ● They also harvest a major part of the valley’s water-nut produce, locally known as ‘Gaare’ (Singaras) from the lake