The Ramsar Convention Manual.pdf

2.3 A Ramsar chronology - key events
2 February 1971
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat is agreed by representatives of 18
nations meeting in the Iranian town of Ramsar, and signed the following day.
January 1974
Australia becomes the first State to deposit an instrument of accession to the Convention.
December 1974
An International Conference on the Conservation of Wetlands and Waterfowl is held in Heiligenhafen, Germany, and adopts
the first "Criteria to be used in identifying Wetlands of International Importance" as a recommendation; the conference was
intended to be the first meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, but an insufficient number of countries had ratified
the Convention to bring it into force in time.
December 1975
The Ramsar Convention comes into force four months after the seventh nation, Greece, deposits an instrument of accession.
(The first six were Australia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, and Iran.)
August 1979
Contracting Parties are invited to prepare the first National Reports on the implementation of the Convention in their territories,
for presentation to the First Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties.
November 1980
First Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Cagliari, Italy:
□ adopts new criteria for identifying wetlands suitable for designation to the List of Wetlands of International Importance;
□ approves the elaboration of a protocol (later to become the Paris Protocol) to amend the treaty.
December 1982
A Protocol modifying the original text of the Ramsar Convention is adopted by an Extraordinary Meeting of the Conference of
the Contracting Parties at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris.
May 1984
Second Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Groningen, Netherlands:
□ establishes the framework for implementing the Convention, a list of agreed commitments and priorities for the next
triennium.
October 1986
Paris Protocol enters into force (after acceptance by two-thirds of Contracting Parties in 1982).
May-June 1987
Extraordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties adopts the Regina Amendments to Articles 6 and 7 of the
Convention.
Third (ordinary) Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Regina, Canada:
□ adopts revised criteria for identifying wetlands of international impor-tance;
□ adopts guidelines for the implementation of the wise use of wetlands concept;
□ establishes the Standing Committee, which meets for the first time;
□ approves the establishment of the Ramsar "Bureau" (or secretariat) in two units, one within IUCN headquarters in Gland,
Switzerland, and one within IWRB headquarters in Slimbridge, UK;
□ establishes formal scientific and technical links with IUCN and IWRB;
□ establishes a Wise Use Working Group.