Ramsar Convention On Wetlands

•    Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971 that establishes a framework for national action and international cooperation in the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

 

•    The Convention currently has 162 Contracting Parties, with 2,040 wetland sites totaling 193 million hectares designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Internationally Significant Wetlands.

•    The Convention's mission is to "conserve and wisely use all wetlands through local, regional, and national actions, as well as international cooperation, as a contribution to global sustainable development."

 

•    The Convention includes swamps and marshes, lakes and rivers, wet grasslands and peat lands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, near-shore marine areas, mangroves and coral reefs, and human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs, and salt pans among the types of wetlands covered by its mission.

 

 

WHY WETLANDS?
1.    Wetlands provide essential ecological services, such as regulating water regimes and providing biodiversity at all levels, including species, genetics, and ecosystems.

 

2.    Wetlands are a valuable resource for the community in terms of economics, science, culture, and recreation.

 

3.    Wetlands are crucial in the adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

 

4.    Progressive encroachment on wetlands and their loss result in serious and sometimes irreversible environmental damage to ecosystem services.

 

5.    Whenever possible, wetlands should be restored and rehabilitated. Wetlands should be protected by ensuring that they are used wisely.

 

 

WISE USE OF WETLANDS
“The maintenance of their ecological character, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context of sustainable development,” according to the definition of wise use of wetlands. The conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and their resources, for the benefit of humanity, is at the heart of wise use.

1.    Through national land-use planning, appropriate policies and legislation, management actions, and public education, work toward the wise use of all their wetlands;

 

2.    Add suitable wetlands to the List of Wetlands of International Importance and ensure effective management of those wetlands.

 

3.    International cooperation in the areas of transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems, shared species, and development projects that may have an impact on wetlands.

 

 

HOW DOES THE CONVENTION WORk
•    Every three years, the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP) meets to promote policies and guidelines to further the Convention's application.

 

•    The Standing Committee, made up of Parties representing the world's six Ramsar regions, meets once a year to guide the Convention in between COP meetings.

 

•    The Scientific and Technical Review Panel advises the Convention on key issues.

 

•    The Ramsar Secretariat oversees the Convention's day-to-day operations.

 

•    With its Secretariat in Athens, the MedWet Initiative serves as a model for regional wetland cooperation that is now being copied by regional initiatives under the Convention in many parts of the world.

 

•    Each Contracting Party appoints an Administrative Authority to serve as its focal point for implementing the Convention on a national level.

 

•    All government sectors dealing with water resources, development planning, protected areas, biodiversity, tourism, education, development assistance, and other issues are encouraged to form National Wetland Committees. NGO and civil society participation is also encouraged.

 

•    Ramsar sites that are having difficulty maintaining their ecological character can be placed on a special list, the Montreux Record, by the country in question, and technical assistance to help solve the problems can be provided. 

 

•    Eligible countries can apply for financial assistance from the Ramsar Small Grants Fund and the Wetlands for the Future Fund to implement wetland conservation and wise use projects.

 

 

MONTREUX RECORD
•    The Montreux Record is a list 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, or other human interference, as defined by the Convention. 

 

•    As part of the Ramsar List, it is kept up to date. Recommendation 4.8 of the Conference of the Contracting Parties established the Montreux Record (1990). 

 

•    The Montreux Record should be used to identify priority sites for positive national and international conservation attention, according to Conference Resolution 5.4 (1993). 

 

•    Sites may only be added to or removed from the Record with the consent of the Contracting Parties in whose territory they are located. The Montreux Record lists 59 Ramsar sites as of September 2007. The Montreux Record has since been updated to remove 23 sites that were previously listed.

 

 

WORLD WETLAND DAY
•    Every year on February 2, World Wetlands Day commemorates the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the Caspian Sea's shores on February 2, 1971. 

 

•    On the 16th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention, World Wetlands Day was first observed on February 2, 1997. Since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and citizen groups at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to engage in activities aimed at raising public awareness of the value and benefits of wetlands in general, and the Ramsar Convention in particular.