ramsar convention on wetlands

7/28/2019 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

1/25

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Abhilasha Manda (644)


2/25

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.


3/25

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


4/25

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.


5/25

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


6/25

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.


7/25

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


8/25

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.


9/25Source: Ramsar Database


10/25

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


11/25



12/25



13/25



14/25

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.pdf


15/25

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__


16/25

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


17/25

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.


18/25

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.


19/25

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


20/25

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


21/25


22/25


23/25


24/25

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.


25/25

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.

ramsar convention on wetlands

Documents