Pala wetland is located at an altitude of 275-589 meters (above mean sea level) in Siaha district, Mizoram. The wetland falls under the Phura forest range of the Mara autonomous district council region. Spreading across 1850 ha., Pala, is the largest natural wetland in the State of Mizoram. The size of the waterbody is roughly about 135 ha with an average depth of about 20 m. The site was declared a wetland reserve in 1998 by the Government of India (Nohro and Jayakumar, 2020). The wetland and its surrounding forest are officially part of the Pala Wetland Reserve Forest, which covers 1850 ha, Including the lake’s catchment area (Nohro et al., 2019). Pala wetland is surrounded by hillocks of Xerospermum, Dipterocarpus and Ficus dominated forests, including 227 floral species. The wetland supports several faunal species, including 7 species of mammals, 222 species of birds, some of which are migratory, 11 species of amphibians, 21 species of reptiles, and three known species of fish. Pala wetland also supports globally threatened species such as the endangered hoolock gibbon and slow loris as well as critically endangered species such as elongated tortoise, Asian brown tortoise, and black soft-shelled turtle. Pala wetland is revered by the inhabitants (Mara people) and has a deep connection with their history. The wetland is the major source of freshwater for the fringe villages and plays a vital role in maintaining the hydrological regime of the area.

A wetland should be considered internationally important if it contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region.

A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.

A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region.

A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions.

A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds.

A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird.

A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contributes to global biological diversity.

A wetland should be considered internationally important if it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend.

A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland-dependent nonavian animal species.