Ramsar Convention

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 Bureau web site.

The Ramsar Convention Bureau, 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.

As of September 2006, there are 1,616 Ramsar wetland sites listed throughout the world, which cover an area of more than 145.2 million hectares

Download information about individual Ramsar Sites in other countries.