RamsarC71
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental Treaty. It aims to provide a framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources, through local and national actions as well as international cooperation to achieve a sustainable development throughout the world. The Convention uses a broad definition of wetlands. It includes all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans. The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. It is the oldest of modern global intergovernmental environmental agreements. Almost 90% of the UN member states have since then acceded to become “Contracting Parties”. The Contracting Parties commit to three pillars of the convention: 1) to work towards the wise use of all their wetlands; 2) to designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands of International Importance and ensure their effective management; 3) to cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species. Parties need to implement the Ramsar Convention in their territories and collaborate on shared projects. Every three years the state parties meet at the Conference of the Contracting Parties (the COP), where decisions to administer the Convention and guide its implementation are made.