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7/28/2019 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
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Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Abhilasha Manda (644)
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The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) -- called the "Ramsar Convention" -- is an
intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to
maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan
for the "wise use", or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories.
Unlike the other global environmental conventions, Ramsar is not affiliated with the United
Nations system of Multilateral Environmental Agreements, but it works very closely with
the other MEAs and is a full partner among the "biodiversity-related cluster" of treaties and
agreements.
Negotiated through the 1960s by countries and non-governmental organizations that were
concerned at the increasing loss and degradation of wetland habitat for migratory waterbirds, the treaty was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in
1975. It is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem, and
the Conventions member countries cover all geographic regions of the planet.
The Conventions mission is the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and
national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving
sustainable development throughout the world.
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The initial call for such a network of international
wetlands came in 1962 during a conference whichformed part of Project MAR (from MARshes,
MARcages, vMARismas), a programme
established two years earlier because of concerns at
the rapid destruction of European marshes and
other wetlands with a resulting decline in the
numbers of water birds.
Some 80 experts from non-governmental
environmental organizations, governments mostly
from European countries, and hunting associations
published their recommendations, in which they
called for a list of internationally important wetlands
to be protected and for the development of aninternational treaty to give that list legal force.
Over the next eight years, a wetland convention text
was painstakingly negotiated through a series of
international technical meetings (St. Andrews, 1963;
Noordwijk, 1966; Leningrad, 1968; Morges, 1968;
Vienna, 1969; Moscow, 1969; Espoo, 1970), drivenlargely by NGOs and the Netherlands
At first, the draft text was directed specifically
at the conservation of waterfowl through thecreation of a network of refuges, but as it
developed the conservation of wetland habitat
(rather than species)became the main focus.
Sichuan Rouergai Ramsar Site,
P.R. China
Towards an international treaty
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Finally, at an international meeting organized by Irans
Game and Fish Department, held in the Caspian sea sideresort of Ramsar, the text of the Convention was agreed
on 2 February 1971 and signed by the delegates of 18
nations the next day. The treaty entered into force in
December 1975, upon receipt by UNESCO, the
Convention Depositary, of the seventh instrument of
accession to or ratification of the Convention.
The text of the Convention was inspirational for its timein the way it strongly emphasized both the
interdependence of people and wetlands and the critical
roles that wetlands play in the hydrological cycle and
sustainable water management.
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In the treatys preamble, the drafters
recognized the interdependence of Man and
his environment, and they emphasized thefundamental ecological functions of wetlands
as regulators of water regimes and as habitats
supporting a characteristic flora and fauna.
Emphasizing that wetlands constitute a
resource of great economic, cultural, scientific,
and recreational value, the loss of which would
be irreparable, the framers expressed their
confidence that the conservation of wetlands
and their flora and fauna can be ensured by
combining farsighted national policies with
coordinated international action, and they
defined their ambitious objective to stem theprogressive encroachment on and loss of
wetlands now and in the future.
In addition to matters of administration and
governance, the Convention text addresses
three main subjects.
Each Contracting Party shall designate
suitable wetlands within its territory forinclusion in a List of Wetlands of International
Importance.
The Parties shall formulate and implement
their planning so as to promote the
conservation of the wetlands included in the
List, and as far as possible the wise use ofwetlands in their territory.
And the Parties shall consult with each other
about implementing obligations arising from
the Convention especially in the case of a
wetland extending over the territories of more
than one Contracting Party or where a water
system is shared by Contracting Parties.
What the Convention says
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The key parts of the treaty are now referred to as
the Three Pillars of the Convention, to which
all Parties have expressed their commitments
upon their accession.
First, Wise Use There is a general obligation
to include wetlandconservation in national land-
use planning, and the Parties have committed
themselves to implement this planning to
promote the wise use of all wetlands in their
territory..
Secondly, the List of Wetlands of International
Importance Each Party must designate at least one
wetland for the List and promote its conservation, andthen continue to designate suitable wetlands within
its territory.
And thirdly, International Cooperation Member
governments have agreedto consult with other Parties
about implementation of the Convention, especially in
regard to transboundary wetlands, shared water
systems, and shared or migratory species, and to share
expertise and resources with Parties less able to meet
their commitments.
In addition to these three pillars the Convention also
recognizes two additional goals that of enhancing
implementation capacity through capacity building andtraining, and achieving universal membership.
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Contracting Parties, or Member States,
of the Ramsar Convention
According to Article 9.2 of the Convention
on Wetlands, Any member of the UnitedNations or of one of the Specialized Agencies
or of the International Atomic Energy Agency
or Party to the Statute of the International
Court of Justice may become a Party to this
Convention.
Number of Contracting Parties: 165
Number of sites designated for the Ramsar
List: 2,118
Total surface area: 205,359,866 hectares
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The 1,011 European Ramsar Sites still represent 48% of the global number of all Ramsar
Sites (currently standing at 2,118). The European countries thus maintain their
numerically outstanding position in the globalcompetition of designating new Ramsar
Sites.
However, Europe is a small continent compared to Africa, Asia and the Americas, and one
with a high human population density that has lost more than half of its wetland territory
since last century. This explains probably to a large extent why European Ramsar Sites are
rather small and cover together only slightly less than 27 million hectares, or a mere 13%
of the global surface of 205 million hectares of all Ramsar Sites.
Still, all European Ramsar Sites taken together cover a surface larger than the size of
the United Kingdom.
And Albania, Austria, Belarus, Iceland, Montenegro and Sweden are currently in the
process of listing another 24 Ramsar Sites. This augurs rather well for our ability to
reach our target for 2015, as outlined in Ramsars Strategic Plan, of a global network of2,500 Ramsar Sites covering together 250 million hectares.
7/28/2019 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
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310 254
939
161 191 77
1932
Africa Asia Europe Neotropics North
America
Oceania World wide
Number of Ramsar Sites per region (2011)
85
14 2533 23 8
189
Africa Asia Europe Neotropics North
America
Oceania World wide
Total Area of Ramsar Sites per Region (Mn Ha, 2011)
Source: Ramsar Database
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Source: Ramsar Database
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Source: Ramsar Database
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Source: Ramsar Database
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The Montreux Record
The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of
International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are
occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution orother human interference. It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.
The Changwon Declaration
"Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting
Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) Changwon, Republic ofKorea, 28 October - 4 November 2008
The primary purpose of the Changwon Declaration on human well-being and
wetlands, adopted by Resolution X.3 of the recent meeting of the Conference of the
Parties, is to transmit key messages concerning wetland-related issues to the many
stakeholders and decision-makers beyond the Ramsar community who are relevant to
the conservation and wise use of wetlands, to inform their actions and decision-making.At the COP, the Parties agreed to disseminate the Declaration as widely as possible, and
the Republic of Korea generously agreed to help with the translations and logistics of
that task.
http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/res/key_res_x_03_e.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/res/key_res_x_03_e.pdf7/28/2019 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
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The Ramsar Convention in operation today: Bodies
of the Convention The implementation of the Ramsar Convention is a continuing
partnership between the Contracting Parties, the Standing
Committee, and the Convention Secretariat, with the advice of
the subsidiary expert body, the Scientific and Technical Review
Panel (STRP), and the support of the International
Organization Partners (IOPs).
The Conference of
the Contracting Parties
The Standing Committee
Scientific & TechnicalReview PanelThe Ramsar Secretariat
The scope and focus of the
Convention's work is coordinated by
means of a Strategic Plan and associated
Work Plan which set out, in the contextof the priority objectives, the actions
expected or requested of the Parties, the
Standing Committee, the Secretariat, the
STRP, the IOPs, and other collaborators.
The Convention is presently operating
under its third Strategic Plan, for the
period 2009-2015.
Every three years, representatives of the Contracting Parties
meet as the Conference of the Contracting Parties, the policy-
making organ of the Convention which adopts decisions
(Resolutions and Recommendations) to administer the work of theConvention and improve the way in which the Parties are able to
implement its objectives.
http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-parties/main/ramsar/1-36-123_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-bodies-standing/main/ramsar/1-36-71-73_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-bodies-standing/main/ramsar/1-36-71-73_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-bodies-secr/main/ramsar/1-36-71-77_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-bodies-strp/main/ramsar/1-36-71-74_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-bodies-strp/main/ramsar/1-36-71-74_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-partners/main/ramsar/1-36-57_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-partners/main/ramsar/1-36-57_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strat-plan-2009-e-adj.pdfhttp://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-partners/main/ramsar/1-36-57_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-partners/main/ramsar/1-36-57_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-bodies-strp/main/ramsar/1-36-71-74_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-bodies-strp/main/ramsar/1-36-71-74_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-bodies-secr/main/ramsar/1-36-71-77_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-bodies-standing/main/ramsar/1-36-71-73_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-bodies-standing/main/ramsar/1-36-71-73_4000_0__http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-about-parties/main/ramsar/1-36-123_4000_0__7/28/2019 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
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Over the years, the Conference of the Parties has
adopted a large body of scientific, technical, andpolicy guidance, prepared by the STRP.
The range of guidance for the Wise Use pillar
includes such key planning matters as developing
National Wetland Policies and reviewing national
laws and institutions to embody wetland wise-use
principles; practical advice on wetland inventory andmonitoring and standards for impact assessment;
people-related advice on communicating wetland
values to the public and encouraging stakeholder
participation in wetland management
Most importantly, there is considerable water-
related guidance on water allocation and
management to maintain the ecological functions
of wetlands, river basin management, and the
management of coastal areas and groundwater
resources.
All of the guidance is published on
CDROM and the Ramsar website as The
Ramsar Handbooks for the Wise Use of
Wetlands (the Ramsartoolkit), blending
the official guidelines with illustrative
materials and case studies that provide
additional practical help.
Additional STRP material that is useful to
the Parties is published in the RamsarTechnical Reports series, now covering
such matters of valuing wetlands, choosing
GIS software, and adopting a wetland
inventory meta database
Guidance for the Parties
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Support on the ground Project funding
The Secretariat maintains three funding assistance programmes for small projects (or parts of larger
projects) for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. The Secretariat staff evaluates project
proposals, makes recommendations on their suitability, and performs the monitoring and follow-up
to ensure that chosen projects are implemented successfully.
The Ramsar Small Grants Fund (SGF) was established by the Parties in 1990 to provide financial
assistance in the form of small grants of up to 40,000 Swiss francs for wetland projects that help
to fulfill the Ramsar Strategic Plan in developing countries and countries with economies in
transition.
Since 1991, the SGF has provided some 7.5 million Swiss francs directly to more than 200projects in over 100 countries, and the Secretariat also publishes an annual portfolio of well-
evaluated proposals for possible adoption by other donors
Since 1997, the Secretariat has also managed the Wetlands for the Future Fund (WFF),
generously funded by the United States State Departmentand the US Fish and Wildlife Service,
to benefit Latin American and Caribbean institutions and individuals through capacity building
and training in the conservation and wise use of wetlands. More than 250 projects have beensupported so far, and more than 3.3 million US dollars have been disbursed.
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Working together with the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs)
The Ramsar Convention has been a pioneer in developing collaborative relationships, beginning
with its first MOU with the Convention on Biological Diversity back in 1996.
Over the years, Ramsar has developed close, mutually beneficial relationships
with global intergovernmental bodies such as the Convention on Migratory Species, the UNESCO
World Heritage Convention and the Man and the Biosphere Programme;
with regional conventions and programmes (Caribbean, Mediterranean, Carpathians, South Pacific)
and basin commissions (Lake Chad, Niger, Congo); and
with such international bodies as the World Bank, UN World Tourism Organization, European
Environment Agency, European Space Agency, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Organization of
American States, and so on.
Ramsar also participates actively with the other biodiversity-related conventions CBD, CITES,
CMS, and World Heritage in the Biodiversity Liaison Group (BLG) and as an observer in the work ofthe Joint Liaison Group (JLG) of Rio conventions. Ramsar is also an active member of the
Environment Management Group (EMG) of specialized agencies,
programmes and organs of the United Nations, including secretariats of the MEAs, all of which
groups are working to increase cooperation and eliminate duplication in global environmental and
related activities.
And finally, Ramsar is active in the CSAB, the group of Chairs of the MEAs subsidiary scientific
advisor bodies.
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In 1999, the four NGOs that were historically associated with continuing Ramsar
collaboration were confirmed in the formal status of International Organization
Partners (IOPs) of the Convention, and in 2005 the Conference of the Parties added the
International Water Management Institute (IWMI) as the fifth official partner.
The five IOPs are Bird Life International, IUCN the International Union forConservation of Nature, IWMI, Wetlands International, and WWF International.
A large number of other NGOs have also signed memoranda of cooperation with the
Ramsar Secretariat, and their collaboration has frequently proved invaluable
Working together with the NGOs
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The Convention has welcomed opportunities to expand its resource base and activities by
developing mutually beneficial relationships with the business sector. Most notably, the
Danone Group has provided generous financial support for the Conventions efforts to raise
awareness of the importance of water resources amongst decision-makers and the public.
15 years of close collaborationThe relationship between the Ramsar Convention and
the Danone Group dates back to 1998. The first partnership agreement, signed on 27
January 1998, resulted in the creation of the DanoneEvian for Water Fund for the
protection of wetlands. This Fund is intended to raise awareness among a wider public ofglobal water and wetlands-related challenges.
The Star Alliance Network of airlines has established Biosphere Connections, a
partnership with the Ramsar Convention, the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme,
and IUCN under which the Convention benefits by subsidized travel for those traveling to
Ramsarrelated
workshops and meetings
Working together with the private sector
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Role of Ramsar Convention
The Convention on Wetlands is well-placed to provide significant help to meeting
these worldwide challenges as the only global treaty focused exclusively on the
ecosystem type that is at the heart of nearly all of the required responses.
Thus, policymaking, planning, and management action by all of the influential
sectors at all levels will benefit from the global consensus that the Convention
provides.
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What is World Wetlands Day?
2 February each year is World Wetlands Day. This day marks the date of the adoption of
the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on theshores of the Caspian Sea. Each year since 1997, the Ramsar Secretariat has provided
materials so that government agencies, non-governmental organizations, conservation
organizations, and groups of citizens can help raise public awareness about the
importance and value of wetlands.