The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971, and came into force in 1975. As of 1 January 2004, 138 states were Contracting Parties and many others were poised to join. Ramsar is the only global environmental treaty dealing with a particular ecosystem.The Convention's mission is:
- Designate at least one site that meets the Ramsar criteria for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar List), and ensure the maintenance of the ecological character of each Ramsar site. Countries are expected to include in the List as many wetlands that meet the criteria as possible. As of 1 January 2004, the List included 1,328 wetlands (with a surface area of 112 million ha). Listed sites do not necessarily require protected area status, provided their ecological character is maintained through a wise use management approach;
- Include wetland conservation within their national land-use planning, so as to promote the wise use of all wetlands within their territory;
- Establish nature reserves on wetlands, and promote training in wetland research, management and wardening;
- Consult with other Parties about the implementation of the Convention, especially with regard to transfrontier wetlands, shared water systems, shared species, and development projects affecting wetlands.
Forest-related reporting under Ramsar Convention
From the first meeting of the Ramsar Conference of the Contracting Parties in 1980, countries have submitted National Reports on their implementation of the Convention. National Reports constitute a vital source of information on the implementation of the Convention at the country, regional, and global levels, and once submitted to the Bureau become public documents.National Reports prepared for
COP 7 (1999), COP 8 (2002) and COP 9 (2005) are available on the official site.Last updated: april 2006