The

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It ...

(formally, the ''Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat'') is an international

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal per ...

for the conservation and sustainable utilization of

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

s,Ramsar official website
retrieved July 10, 2011 recognizing the fundamental

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value. It is named after the city of

Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed i ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, where the Convention was signed in 1971. The

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

enforced the Ramsar Convention in its whole territory on November 8, 1994. Since then, Ramsar has designated 7 Ramsar sites in the country. Two Ramsar sites in the Philippines have been declared by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

, namely Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park The Tubbataha Natural Park, also known as the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park ( fil, Bahurang Tubbataha), is a protected area of the Philippines located in the middle of the Sulu Sea. The marine and bird sanctuary consists of two huge atolls (named ...

. A national inventory of wetland resources, based on the best scientific information available, is mandated by the Convention since 1990 through Recom 4.6. A Framework for Wetland Inventory was also established by the Convention in 2002 to aid member states in establishing their own national inventory for wetland sites. The inventory makes it possible to prioritize appropriate wetland sites for designation on the Ramsar List, similar to the tentative list of UNESCO, where UNESCO sites must always come from the tentative list. There is currently no publicly disclosed wetland inventory in the Philippines, but it is assumed that such inventory exists as the Philippines, through the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources The Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( fil, Kagawaran ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Yaman, DENR or KKLY) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for governing and supervising the exploration, developmen ...

, has already nominated at least seven Philippine wetlands since 1994. The current representation of the Philippines in Ramsar wetland nominations is inactive compared with the Ramsar wetland nominations of its peers. By comparison, the Philippines has 7 sites, while Mexico has more than 140, the archipelagic country of Japan has more than 50, the African nation of Algeria has more than 50, and the small country of South Korea has 22. The Philippines, an archipelagic country, theoretically possesses more wetlands than South Korea and North Korea combined. This has prompted various scholars to push the government to participate more in the nominations of Philippine wetlands in the Ramsar Convention. By rule, the Philippines may nominate multiple sites as Ramsar sites like what Mexico did in 2008, where at least 45 of its nominated sites were specifically declared as new Ramsar sites.

Designated sites

References

{{Philippines topics

Ramsar sites A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) ** Marshes on inorganic soils: *** Permanent (herb dominated) (Tp) *** P ...

Designated sites

See also

References