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The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international
The list of wetlands of international importance included 2,531 Ramsar sites in February 2025 covering over . The countries with most sites are the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico with 142. The country with the largest surface area of listed wetland is Bolivia, with around .
The Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS) is a searchable database which provides information on each Ramsar site.
As of 2016 there are 18 transboundary Ramsar sites, and 15 Ramsar regional initiatives covering regions of the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa, and South America.
2 February is World Wetlands Day, marking the convention's adoption on 2 February 1971. Established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet, WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997, and has grown since then. In 2015 World Wetlands Day was celebrated in 59 countries.
DOI: 10.1628/avr-2022-0005
World Wetlands Day
{{Authority control Environmental treaties UNESCO treaties Treaties concluded in 1971 Treaties entered into force in 1975 1971 in the environment 1975 in the environment 1971 in Iran Wetland conservation Wildlife law Treaties of Albania Treaties of Algeria Treaties of Andorra Treaties of Antigua and Barbuda Treaties of Argentina Treaties of Armenia Treaties of Australia Treaties of Austria Treaties of Azerbaijan Treaties of the Bahamas Treaties of Bahrain Treaties of Bangladesh Treaties of Barbados Treaties of Belarus Treaties of Belgium Treaties of Belize Treaties of Benin Treaties of Bhutan Treaties of Bolivia Treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina Treaties of Botswana Treaties of Brazil Treaties of the People's Republic of Bulgaria Treaties of Burkina Faso Treaties of Burundi Treaties of Cambodia Treaties of Cameroon Treaties of Canada Treaties of Cape Verde Treaties of the Central African Republic Treaties of Chad Treaties of Chile Treaties of the People's Republic of China Treaties of Colombia Treaties of the Comoros Treaties of the Republic of the Congo Treaties of Croatia Treaties of Cuba Treaties of Cyprus Treaties of the Czech Republic Treaties of Denmark Treaties of Djibouti Treaties of the Dominican Republic Treaties of Ecuador Treaties of Egypt Treaties of El Salvador Treaties of Equatorial Guinea Treaties of Estonia Treaties of Fiji Treaties of Finland Treaties of France Treaties of Gabon Treaties of the Gambia Treaties of Georgia (country) Treaties of Ghana Treaties of Greece Treaties of Grenada Treaties of Guatemala Treaties of Guinea Treaties of Guinea-Bissau Treaties of Honduras Treaties of the Hungarian People's Republic Treaties of Iceland Treaties of India Treaties of Indonesia Treaties of Iraq Treaties of Ireland Treaties of Israel Treaties of Italy Treaties of Ivory Coast Treaties of Jamaica Treaties of Japan Treaties of Jordan Treaties of Kazakhstan Treaties of Kenya Treaties of Kiribati Treaties of Kuwait Treaties of Kyrgyzstan Treaties of Laos Treaties of Latvia Treaties of Lebanon Treaties of Lesotho Treaties of Liberia Treaties of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Treaties of Liechtenstein Treaties of Lithuania Treaties of Luxembourg Treaties of North Macedonia Treaties of Madagascar Treaties of Malawi Treaties of Malaysia Treaties of Mali Treaties of Malta Treaties of the Marshall Islands Treaties of Mauritania Treaties of Mauritius Treaties of Mexico Treaties of Moldova Treaties of Monaco Treaties of Mongolia Treaties of Montenegro Treaties of Morocco Treaties of Mozambique Treaties of Myanmar Treaties of Namibia Treaties of Nepal Treaties of the Netherlands Treaties of New Zealand Treaties of Nicaragua Treaties of Niger Treaties of Nigeria Treaties of North Korea Treaties of Norway Treaties of Oman Treaties of Pahlavi Iran Treaties of Pakistan Treaties of Palau Treaties of Panama Treaties of Papua New Guinea Treaties of Paraguay Treaties of Peru Treaties of the Philippines Treaties of the Polish People's Republic Treaties of Portugal Treaties of Romania Treaties of the Soviet Union Treaties of Rwanda Treaties of Saint Lucia Treaties of Samoa Treaties of São Tomé and PrÃncipe Treaties of Senegal Treaties of Serbia and Montenegro Treaties of Seychelles Treaties of Sierra Leone Treaties of Slovakia Treaties of Slovenia Treaties of South Africa Treaties of South Korea Treaties of South Sudan Treaties of Spain Treaties of Sri Lanka Treaties of the Republic of the Sudan (1985–2011) Treaties of Suriname Treaties of Eswatini Treaties of Sweden Treaties of Switzerland Treaties of Syria Treaties of Tajikistan Treaties of Tanzania Treaties of Thailand Treaties of Togo Treaties of Trinidad and Tobago Treaties of Tunisia Treaties of Turkey Treaties of Turkmenistan Treaties of Uganda Treaties of Ukraine Treaties of the United Arab Emirates Treaties of the United Kingdom Treaties of the United States Treaties of Uruguay Treaties of Uzbekistan Treaties of Venezuela Treaties of Vietnam Treaties of West Germany Treaties of Yemen Treaties of Zaire Treaties of Zambia Treaties of Zimbabwe Treaties extended to Akrotiri and Dhekelia Treaties extended to Aruba Treaties extended to Bermuda Treaties extended to British Antigua and Barbuda Treaties extended to British Honduras Treaties extended to British Hong Kong Treaties extended to the British Indian Ocean Territory Treaties extended to the British Solomon Islands Treaties extended to Brunei (protectorate) Treaties extended to the Cayman Islands Treaties extended to the Cook Islands Treaties extended to the Falkland Islands Treaties extended to the Faroe Islands Treaties extended to Gibraltar Treaties extended to Greenland Treaties extended to Guernsey Treaties extended to Jersey Treaties extended to Montserrat Treaties extended to the Netherlands Antilles Treaties extended to Niue Treaties extended to the Pitcairn Islands Treaties extended to Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Treaties extended to Tokelau Treaties extended to the Turks and Caicos Islands Treaties extended to West Berlin
treaty
A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...
for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetland
A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
s). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, where the convention was signed in 1971.
Every three years, representatives of the contracting parties meet as the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP), the policy-making organ of the convention which adopts decisions (site designations, resolutions and recommendations) to administer the work of the convention and improve the way in which the parties are able to implement its objectives. In 2022, COP15 was held in Montreal, Canada.
List of wetlands of international importance
The list of wetlands of international importance included 2,531 Ramsar sites in February 2025 covering over . The countries with most sites are the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico with 142. The country with the largest surface area of listed wetland is Bolivia, with around .
The Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS) is a searchable database which provides information on each Ramsar site.
International cooperation
As of 2016 there are 18 transboundary Ramsar sites, and 15 Ramsar regional initiatives covering regions of the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa, and South America.
International organization partners
The Ramsar Convention works closely with six other organisations known as international organization partners (IOPs). These are: *BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
* International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...
(IUCN)
* International Water Management Institute
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is a non-profit international water management research organisation under the One CGIAR with its headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and offices across Africa and Asia. One CGIAR is a reformulat ...
(IWMI)
* Wetlands International
* WWF International
* Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)
These organizations support the work of the convention by providing expert technical advice, helping implement field studies, and providing financial support. The IOPs also participate regularly as observers in all meetings of the conference of the parties and as full members of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel.
Other partners
The convention collaborates with a network of partners: * Biodiversity-related conventions including theConvention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of its ...
(CBD), the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the World Heritage Convention (WHC), and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
Convention may refer to:
* Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct
** Treaty, an agreement in international law
** Convention (political norm), uncodified legal or political tradition
* Convention (meeting ...
(CITES);
* Project funding bodies including global environmental funds, multilateral development banks and bilateral donors;
* UN agencies such as UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...
, UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
, UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
, and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and specific programmes such as UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme
Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments.
MAB engages w ...
(MAB);
* Non-governmental organizations including the Nature Conservancy, Conservation International
Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Virginia, in Arlington County, Virginia.
CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and co ...
, the Society of Wetland Scientists, the International Association for Impact Assessment, and many others;
* Since 1998 the convention has also benefited from a strong partnership with Danone
Danone S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, multinational food-products corporation based in Paris. It was founded in 1919 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. It is listed on Euronext Paris, where it is a component of the CAC 40 stock mark ...
including the Évian brand, and since 2007 from the Biosphere Connections partnership with the Star Alliance
Star Alliance is an airline alliance headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Founded on 14 May 1997, it was the world's first global airline alliance. Star Alliance has 25 member airlines that operate a combined fleet of over 5,000 aircraft, servi ...
airline network.
Bodies established by the convention
Conference of the Contracting Parties
This is the convention's governing body consisting of all governments that have ratified the treaty. This ultimate authority reviews progress under the convention, identifies new priorities, and sets work plans for members. The COP can also make amendments to the convention, create expert advisory bodies, review progress reports by member nations, and collaborate with other international organizations and agreements.The Standing Committee
The Standing Committee is the intersessional executive body which represents the COP between its triennial meetings, within the framework of the decisions made by the COP. The contracting parties that are members of the Standing Committee are elected by each meeting of the COP to serve for the three years.The Scientific and Technical Review Panel
The Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) provides scientific and technical guidance to the Conference of Contracting Parties, the Standing Committee, and the Ramsar Secretariat.The Secretariat
The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day coordination of the convention's activities. It is based at the headquarters of theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...
(IUCN) in Gland, Switzerland.
The implementation of the Ramsar Convention is a continuing partnership between the Conference of Contracting Parties, the Standing Committee, and the 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).
Musonda Mumba Musonda is a surname.
This is a list of people with this surname:
* Charly Musonda (footballer, born 1969), Charles Musonda (born 22 August 1969), a Zambian former professional footballer
* Charly Musonda (footballer, born 1996), Charly Musonda (b ...
is the seventh secretary general of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
World Wetlands Day
2 February is World Wetlands Day, marking the convention's adoption on 2 February 1971. Established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet, WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997, and has grown since then. In 2015 World Wetlands Day was celebrated in 59 countries.
History
The convention was co-founded by Eskandar Firouz (former environment minister of Iran), Luc Hoffmann of Tour du Valat research station in the Camargue in France, and Geoffrey Matthews of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge, England in the late 1960s. The conference, which adopted the terms of the agreement, was held in the IranianCaspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...
resort of Ramsar on 2 February 1971. The convention turned 50 in 2021.
Implementation
Despite its quasi-universal application, the domestic response to this treaty is often half-hearted and inadequate. By way of example, Germany joined the Convention in 1976 and has, " s of 2022 failed to give effect to the Ramsar Convention in the manner set out by the constitution of Germany."Bury, Zur Verknüpfung überkommener Vorstellungen völkerrechtlicher Normativität mit der unterlassenen Übernahme der Ramsar-Konvention von 1971 in den deutschen Rechtsraum (2022) 60(1) Archiv des VölkerrechtsDOI: 10.1628/avr-2022-0005
See also
* Ramsar classification system * Montreux Record – threat classification for wetlands * Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award * List of international environmental agreements *World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
– international agreement on historic site recognition
References
External links
*World Wetlands Day
{{Authority control Environmental treaties UNESCO treaties Treaties concluded in 1971 Treaties entered into force in 1975 1971 in the environment 1975 in the environment 1971 in Iran Wetland conservation Wildlife law Treaties of Albania Treaties of Algeria Treaties of Andorra Treaties of Antigua and Barbuda Treaties of Argentina Treaties of Armenia Treaties of Australia Treaties of Austria Treaties of Azerbaijan Treaties of the Bahamas Treaties of Bahrain Treaties of Bangladesh Treaties of Barbados Treaties of Belarus Treaties of Belgium Treaties of Belize Treaties of Benin Treaties of Bhutan Treaties of Bolivia Treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina Treaties of Botswana Treaties of Brazil Treaties of the People's Republic of Bulgaria Treaties of Burkina Faso Treaties of Burundi Treaties of Cambodia Treaties of Cameroon Treaties of Canada Treaties of Cape Verde Treaties of the Central African Republic Treaties of Chad Treaties of Chile Treaties of the People's Republic of China Treaties of Colombia Treaties of the Comoros Treaties of the Republic of the Congo Treaties of Croatia Treaties of Cuba Treaties of Cyprus Treaties of the Czech Republic Treaties of Denmark Treaties of Djibouti Treaties of the Dominican Republic Treaties of Ecuador Treaties of Egypt Treaties of El Salvador Treaties of Equatorial Guinea Treaties of Estonia Treaties of Fiji Treaties of Finland Treaties of France Treaties of Gabon Treaties of the Gambia Treaties of Georgia (country) Treaties of Ghana Treaties of Greece Treaties of Grenada Treaties of Guatemala Treaties of Guinea Treaties of Guinea-Bissau Treaties of Honduras Treaties of the Hungarian People's Republic Treaties of Iceland Treaties of India Treaties of Indonesia Treaties of Iraq Treaties of Ireland Treaties of Israel Treaties of Italy Treaties of Ivory Coast Treaties of Jamaica Treaties of Japan Treaties of Jordan Treaties of Kazakhstan Treaties of Kenya Treaties of Kiribati Treaties of Kuwait Treaties of Kyrgyzstan Treaties of Laos Treaties of Latvia Treaties of Lebanon Treaties of Lesotho Treaties of Liberia Treaties of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Treaties of Liechtenstein Treaties of Lithuania Treaties of Luxembourg Treaties of North Macedonia Treaties of Madagascar Treaties of Malawi Treaties of Malaysia Treaties of Mali Treaties of Malta Treaties of the Marshall Islands Treaties of Mauritania Treaties of Mauritius Treaties of Mexico Treaties of Moldova Treaties of Monaco Treaties of Mongolia Treaties of Montenegro Treaties of Morocco Treaties of Mozambique Treaties of Myanmar Treaties of Namibia Treaties of Nepal Treaties of the Netherlands Treaties of New Zealand Treaties of Nicaragua Treaties of Niger Treaties of Nigeria Treaties of North Korea Treaties of Norway Treaties of Oman Treaties of Pahlavi Iran Treaties of Pakistan Treaties of Palau Treaties of Panama Treaties of Papua New Guinea Treaties of Paraguay Treaties of Peru Treaties of the Philippines Treaties of the Polish People's Republic Treaties of Portugal Treaties of Romania Treaties of the Soviet Union Treaties of Rwanda Treaties of Saint Lucia Treaties of Samoa Treaties of São Tomé and PrÃncipe Treaties of Senegal Treaties of Serbia and Montenegro Treaties of Seychelles Treaties of Sierra Leone Treaties of Slovakia Treaties of Slovenia Treaties of South Africa Treaties of South Korea Treaties of South Sudan Treaties of Spain Treaties of Sri Lanka Treaties of the Republic of the Sudan (1985–2011) Treaties of Suriname Treaties of Eswatini Treaties of Sweden Treaties of Switzerland Treaties of Syria Treaties of Tajikistan Treaties of Tanzania Treaties of Thailand Treaties of Togo Treaties of Trinidad and Tobago Treaties of Tunisia Treaties of Turkey Treaties of Turkmenistan Treaties of Uganda Treaties of Ukraine Treaties of the United Arab Emirates Treaties of the United Kingdom Treaties of the United States Treaties of Uruguay Treaties of Uzbekistan Treaties of Venezuela Treaties of Vietnam Treaties of West Germany Treaties of Yemen Treaties of Zaire Treaties of Zambia Treaties of Zimbabwe Treaties extended to Akrotiri and Dhekelia Treaties extended to Aruba Treaties extended to Bermuda Treaties extended to British Antigua and Barbuda Treaties extended to British Honduras Treaties extended to British Hong Kong Treaties extended to the British Indian Ocean Territory Treaties extended to the British Solomon Islands Treaties extended to Brunei (protectorate) Treaties extended to the Cayman Islands Treaties extended to the Cook Islands Treaties extended to the Falkland Islands Treaties extended to the Faroe Islands Treaties extended to Gibraltar Treaties extended to Greenland Treaties extended to Guernsey Treaties extended to Jersey Treaties extended to Montserrat Treaties extended to the Netherlands Antilles Treaties extended to Niue Treaties extended to the Pitcairn Islands Treaties extended to Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Treaties extended to Tokelau Treaties extended to the Turks and Caicos Islands Treaties extended to West Berlin