The Ramsar Convention Manual.pdf

The Ramsar Convention Manual, 3" edition
1. The Ramsar Convention
1.1 What is the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty adopted on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the
southern shore of the Caspian Sea. Thus, though nowadays the name of the Convention is usually written "Convention on
Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)", it has come to be known popularly as the "Ramsar Convention". Ramsar is the first of the
modern global intergovernmental treaties on the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, but, compared with more
recent ones, its provisions are relatively straightforward and general. Over the years, the Conference of the Contracting Parties
has further developed and interpreted the basic tenets of the treaty text and succeeded in keeping the work of the Convention
abreast of changing world perceptions, priorities, and trends in environmental thinking.
The official name of the treaty, The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat, reflects
the original emphasis upon the conservation and wise use of wetlands primarily as habitat for waterbirds. Over the years,
however, the Convention has broadened its scope to cover all aspects of wetland conservation and wise use, recognizing
wetlands as ecosystems that are extremely important for biodiversity conservation and for the well-being of human
communities. For this reason, the increasingly common use of the short form of the treaty's title, the "Convention on Wetlands",
is entirely appropriate. (Changing the name of the treaty requires amending the treaty itself, a cumbersome process that for the
time being the Contracting Parties are not willing to undertake.)
The Convention entered into force in 1975 and now (as of February 2004) has 138 Contracting Parties, or member States, in all
parts of the world. Though the central Ramsar message is the need for the sustainable use of all wetlands, the "flagship" of the
Convention is the List of Wetlands of International Importance (the "Ramsar List") - presently, the Parties have designated
for this List more than 1,370 wetlands for special protection as "Ramsar Sites", covering 120 million hectares (1.2 million
square kilometres), larger than the surface area of France, Germany, and Switzerland combined.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) serves as Depositary 1 for the Convention, but
the Ramsar Convention is not part of the United Nations and UNESCO system of environment conventions and agreements.
The Convention is responsible only to its Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP), and its day-to-day administration has
been entrusted to a secretariat under the authority of a Standing Committee elected by the COP. The Ramsar Secretariat is
hosted by IUCN-The World Conservation Union in Gland, Switzerland.
The mission of the Ramsar Convention, as adopted by the Parties in 1999 and refined in 2002, 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".
1.2 What are wetlands
Wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and animal life. They
occur where the water table is at or near the surface of the land, or where the land is covered by shallow water.
The Ramsar Convention takes a broad approach in determining the wetlands which come under its aegis. Under the text of the
Convention (Article 1.1), wetlands are defined as:
"areas of 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".
In addition, for the purpose of protecting coherent sites, the Article 2.1 provides that wetlands to be included in the Ramsar List
of internationally important wetlands:
The Depositary receives, reviews, and accepts the instruments of accession of each county member of the treaty, keeps the official text of the Convention in six official languages, and
provides legal interpretations of the text when required. The Depositary does not have a role in the administration and/or implementation of the treaty.
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