The Ramsar Sites Criteria
The nine criteria for identifying Wetlands of International Importance
Group A of the Criteria. Sites containing representative, rare or unique wetland types
Criterion 1: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it contains a representative,
rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the
appropriate biogeographic region.
Group B of the Criteria. Sites of international importance for conserving biological diversity
Criteria based on species and ecological communities
Criterion 2: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports vulnerable,
endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.
Criterion 3: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports populations of
plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a
particular biogeographic region.
Criterion 4: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports plant and/or
animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse
conditions.
Specific criteria based on waterbirds
Criterion 5: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 20,000
or more waterbirds.
Criterion 6: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of
the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird.
Specific criteria based on fish
Criterion 7: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports a significant
proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species
interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values
and thereby contributes to global biological diversity.
Criterion 8: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it is an important source of
food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks,
either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend.
Specific criteria based on other taxa
Criterion 9: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of
the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland-dependent nonavian
animal species.