Ontario's Natural Heritage Areas - Ministry of Natural Resources

4.2 Ramsar Convention Sites
Introduction
In 1971, at the invitation of the Government of
Iran, representatives from 18 countries and several
international organizations met in the town of Ramsar
to review global wetland issues. The delegation
drafted the Convention on Wetlands of International
Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (commonly
referred to as the Ramsar Convention), which came
into effect in December 1975. In January 1981 Canada
became the 29th Contracting Party to the Ramsar
Convention. The Ramsar Convention’s mission “is the
conservation and wise use of all wetlands through
local, regional and national actions and international
cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving
sustainable development throughout the world”
(Ramsar Convention Secretariat, 1996:3).
The Conference of the Contracting Parties is the
Ramsar Convention’s governing body, which meets
every three years to address program logistics and
financing, review implementation of the convention,
and set priorities. Under the Ramsar Convention,
contracting parties designate sites for inclusion in the
List of Wetlands of International Importance (CWS,
1998; Environment Canada, 1997; Gillespie et al.,
1991; Rubec and Kerr-Upal, 1996; Taylor, 2002). At
present, the Ramsar Convention has 155 contracting
parties with 1,674 wetland sites (totaling 150 million ha)
designated for inclusion on the Ramsar List (Ramsar
Convention Secretariat, 2007).
The Ramsar Convention’s definition of a wetland
encompasses ecosystems ranging from rivers to
coastal areas, and includes coral reefs and humanmade
wetlands. Wetlands can incorporate riparian and
coastal zones adjacent to the wetland area, estuarine
waters, and islands or bodies of marine water. Ramsar
defines a wetland as any “marsh, fen, peatland or
water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or
temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh,
brackish or salt, including areas of marine water
the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six
metres” (Ramsar Convention Secretariat, 2005). In
Canada, 37 wetlands covering over 13 million ha are
designated as Ramsar Convention Sites. There are
eight Ramsar Convention sites in Ontario (Ramsar
Convention Secretariat, 2007) (Table 4-1, Fig. 4-7).
Legislation and Policy Basis
The Ramsar Convention is intended to support, not
override, the legislation of provincial/territorial or
federal governments, and emphasizes sustainability
(‘wise use’) by encouraging uses that are compatible
with, and sustain, the wetland’s natural properties.
For example, permitted activities should not alter or
destroy the ecological character of the wetland.
The Canadian Wildlife Service is responsible for the
administration of Canada’s participation in the Ramsar
Convention, and works cooperatively with municipal,
provincial, and territorial government agencies, NGOs,
as well as private landowners. In Ontario, for example,
Ramsar Convention Sites are protected by federal and
provincial agencies under the auspices of a number
of statutes including the Canada Wildlife Act, the
Migratory Birds Convention Act, and the Provincial
Parks and Conservation Reserves Act. Portions of some
Ramsar Convention Sites also are located on private
land.
Protection Goal and/or Objectives
The vision for the Ramsar List is “to develop and
maintain an international network of wetlands which
are important for the conservation of global biological
diversity and for sustaining human life through
the maintenance of their ecosystem components,
processes and benefits/services” (Ramsar Convention
Secretariat, 2005). Four objectives are outlined by the
strategic framework:
• Establish national networks of Ramsar Sites in
each Contracting Party which fully represent the
diversity of wetlands and their key ecological and
hydrological functions.
• Contribute to maintaining global biological
diversity through the designation and
management of appropriate wetland sites.
• Foster cooperation among Contracting Parties,
the Convention’s international organization
partners, and local stakeholders in the selection,
designation, and management of Ramsar Sites.
• Use the Ramsar Site network as a tool to promote
national, supranational/regional, and international
cooperation in relation to complementary
environment treaties (Ramsar Convention
Secretariat, 2005).
97 Ontario’s Natural Heritage Areas