Wetlands of international importance- Ramsar Convention 

Mullet Lake, Lake Warden System Ramsar Site, photo taken by Jennifer Higbid

The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), better known as the Ramsar Convention, is an international treaty that focuses on the conservation of internationally important wetlands. It also promotes the wise use (defined by the Convention as "...sustainable utilisation for the benefit of humankind a way compatible with the maintenance of natural properties of the ecosystem") of wetlands through both international cooperation and action at a national level as a means of achieving global sustainability.

The Convention was signed in 1971 at a meeting in the town of Ramsar, in Iran. In June 2002, more than 120 countries were Contracting Parties to the Convention. Australia was among the first five countries to become Contracting Parties to the Convention.

The Convention created a List of Wetlands of International Importance. Countries nominate wetlands to be placed on the list against nine criteria. The criteria for identifying wetlands of international importance can be downloaded from the Ramsar Convention web site.

The Ramsar Convention Secretariat, based in Switzerland, administers and supports the implementation of the Convention. The Contracting Parties meet every three years in order to review implementation of the Convention and to agree upon new policies and initiatives. The Parties present a report of their activities over the previous three years that may include the records of additional sites that have been listed as Wetlands of International Importance.

The Ramsar Convention Secretariat have produced a series of guidelines on wetland management issues, to assist managers in maintaining the ecological character of their Ramsar site and includes, the New Guidelines for management planning for Ramsar sites and other wetlands (2002) . 

Please check the Ramsar Convention website for the current list of Ramsar wetland sites around the world.

Australian Ramsar Wetland Sites

Being a Contracting Party to the Ramsar Convention, Australia has given an undertaking to ensure that its internationally important wetlands are conserved. These obligations are met through Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation and administrative arrangements made within the State/Territory Governments. Australia's national environmental legislation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), aims to ensure that Australia's Ramsar wetlands are protected by applying consistent management principles and robust arrangements between the Commonwealth and the States. It establishes a strong and efficient process for assessing activities that could have a significant impact on Ramsar wetlands.

Any activity that is likely to have a significant impact on a Ramsar wetland is required to go through a rigorous environmental assessment and approvals process under the EPBC Act. The Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts is the Commonwealth agency responsible for administering Australia's obligations to conserve its internationally important wetlands.

In September 2006, Australia had 64 listed Ramsar wetlands, which cover a total of 7.4 million hectares. The Commonwealth, State and Territory governments are all involved in managing Ramsar sites within their respective jurisdictions..

Download information about individual Ramsar sites in Australia.