The signing of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) Convention, as far back as 1964, was already a clear sign of the riparian countries’willingness to address issues relating to sustainable management of the lake and its catchment area. While other international environmental agreements have been signed by all five member countries, few of these have been backed by relevant national legislation to make their implementation effective. However, as described below, great strides have been made recently under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. As of July 2003, three countries (Chad, Niger, Nigeria) are Contracting Parties, while Cameroon and Central African Republic are expected to join in the near future.