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| RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ramsar Convention on Wetlands |
| Caption | Logo of the Ramsar Convention |
| Formation | 1971 |
| Type | International environmental treaty |
| Headquarters | Ramsar, Iran |
| Membership | Contracting Parties |
| Website | Ramsar Secretariat |
RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, established in 1971 at a conference in Ramsar, Iran. The convention links waterfowl habitat conservation with broader environmental goals and interfaces with multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations Environment Programme, Convention on Biological Diversity, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, Ramsar Secretariat, and regional agreements like the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It fosters partnerships among national agencies, non-governmental organizations such as Wetlands International and IUCN, research institutions including Smithsonian Institution and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and funding bodies like the Global Environment Facility.
The convention was negotiated at a 1971 meeting in Ramsar, Iran, following initiatives by conservationists associated with IUCN, WWF, UNESCO, and national parks authorities such as US National Park Service and UK Nature Conservancy Council. Early signatories included states active in migratory bird protection like United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Australia, and Japan, reflecting influence from scholars at Cambridge University, Smithsonian Institution, University of Oxford, and practitioners from BirdLife International. Over subsequent decades the treaty expanded through Conferences of the Contracting Parties attended by delegations from European Union, African Union, ASEAN, Mercosur, and agencies like UNESCO and FAO, and through technical collaborations with institutions such as Ramsar Secretariat and Wetlands International.
The convention's core objective is the "wise use" of wetlands, a concept developed by experts from IUCN, Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel, UNEP, and academic groups at University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. Its principles integrate species-focused aims championed by Wetlands International and BirdLife International with landscape-scale approaches found in work by WWF, The Nature Conservancy, and Conservation International. The precautionary approach reflects precedents from Convention on Biological Diversity negotiations and doctrines promoted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and World Heritage Committee. Policy instruments draw on legal models from treaties like the Bern Convention and Convention on Migratory Species.
Contracting Parties include states and entities such as European Union members, India, China, Brazil, Canada, and South Africa, coordinated by the Ramsar Secretariat based in Gland, Switzerland and overseen by the triennial Conference of the Contracting Parties where delegations from UNEP, CBD Secretariat, UNESCO, FAO, and regional bodies convene. Decision-making is supported by bodies including the Scientific and Technical Review Panel, the Standing Committee with representatives from parties such as France, Mexico, Kenya, and technical partners like IUCN and Wetlands International. Funding mechanisms involve the Ramsar Small Grants Fund, contributions from national agencies like Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and donor programs such as the Global Environment Facility.
Ramsar Sites are wetlands designated under criteria developed by experts from IUCN, Wetlands International, BirdLife International, WWF, and national agencies like US Fish and Wildlife Service and Australian Department of the Environment. The criteria consider ecological character, biodiversity values recognized by Convention on Biological Diversity, and importance for species listed by bodies such as IUCN Red List and BirdLife International’s Important Bird Areas program. Examples of designated sites include transboundary or iconic areas managed by entities like Everglades National Park, Camargue Regional Nature Park, Okavango Delta, Sundarbans, and Wadden Sea, which intersect with UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Ramsar Resolutions addressing peatlands, mangroves, and coastal lagoons.
Implementation relies on national action plans coordinated by ministries analogous to Ministry of Environment (France), agencies such as US Fish and Wildlife Service and Environment Agency (England), and civil society actors like Wetlands International and The Nature Conservancy. Measures include protected-area designation, restoration projects modeled on initiatives at Everglades National Park and Okavango Delta, community-based management approaches used by indigenous organizations in regions such as Amazon rainforest and Mekong Delta, and policy tools harmonized with Convention on Biological Diversity national biodiversity strategies and UNFCCC adaptation plans. Financial support has been mobilized through partnerships with Global Environment Facility, bilateral donors such as Sweden and Netherlands, and philanthropic organizations like MacArthur Foundation.
Scientific guidance is provided by the Scientific and Technical Review Panel, collaborating with universities such as University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of California, Davis, research institutes like Smithsonian Institution and CSIC, and NGOs including IUCN and Wetlands International. Technical products include ecological character descriptions, Ramsar Information Sheets, monitoring frameworks aligned with IPBES assessments and IUCN Red List data, and tools for valuation influenced by economists at World Bank and OECD. Research covers hydrology, peatland carbon dynamics studied by groups at University of Leeds and Wageningen University, and climate resilience informed by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change findings.
Critiques include limited implementation capacity in low-income parties like some states in Africa and Small Island Developing States, tensions between development interests represented by ministries such as Ministry of Infrastructure and conservation agencies, and difficulties reconciling livelihoods in regions like the Mekong Delta and Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta. Other challenges involve coordination with multilateral regimes including UNFCCC and Convention on Biological Diversity, monitoring gaps noted by research from Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel and IUCN, and funding shortfalls addressed intermittently by donors like Global Environment Facility and bilateral partners.
Category:Environmental treaties