ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty that provides
the framework for national action and international cooperation
for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their
resources. It was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar by the
Caspian Sea in 1971 and has been signed by 168 countries. The
basic condition for participation is to designate internationally important
wetlands as “Ramsar Sites”.
Ramsar Sites now cover all geographic regions of the planet and
the list of contracting states increases every year due to the importance
of Ramsar’s mission: Wetland conservation is crucial to ensuring
sustainable access to fresh water!
The Convention has progressed from prioritizing the conservation
of water- and shorebirds to now protecting entire habitats. This
process lead to extending the convention’s goals to match some of
the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity (protection –
sustainable use – equitable sharing of benefits). The Convention
seeks to establish management plans, ecological moni toring and
collaborations with other regional and global conventions and institutions.
Another important aim is to include local communities
through public outreach.