The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the Convention was signed in 1971. Every three years, representatives of the Contracting Parties meet as the Conference of the Contracting Parties, the policy-making organ of the Convention which adopts decisions to administer the work of the Convention and improve the way in which the Parties are able to implement its objectives. COP12 was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 2015. COP13 was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in October 2018.
The List of Wetlands of International Importance included 2,331 Ramsar Sites in May 2018 covering over. The countries with most sites are the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico with 142. And, the country with the greatest area of listed wetlands is Bolivia, with around. The Ramsar Sites Information Service is a searchable database which provides information on each Ramsar Site.
International cooperation
As of 2016 there are 18 Transboundary Ramsar Sites, and 15 Ramsar Regional Initiatives covering regions of the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa and South America.
International organization partners
The Ramsar Convention works closely with six other organisations known as International Organization Partners. These are:
These organizations support the work of the Convention by providing expert technical advice, helping implement field studies, and providing financial support. The IOPs also participate regularly as observers in all meetings of the Conference of the Parties and as full members of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel.
Since 1998 the Convention has also benefited from a strong partnership with the Danone Group including the Evian brand, and since 2007 from the Biosphere Connections partnership with the Star Alliance airline network.
Bodies established by the Convention
;Conference of contracting Parties This is the Convention's governing body consisting of all governments that have ratified the treaty. This ultimate authority reviews progress under the Convention, identifies new priorities, and sets work plans for members. The COP can also make amendments to the Convention, create expert advisory bodies, review progress reports by member nations, and collaborate with other international organizations and agreements. ;The Standing Committee The Standing Committee is the intersessional executive body which represents the COP between its triennial meetings, within the framework of the decisions made by the COP. The Contracting Parties that are members of the Standing Committee are elected by each meeting of the COP to serve for the three years until the next one. The Scientific and Technical Review Panel The Scientific and Technical Review Panel provides scientific and technical guidance to the Conference of the Parties, the Standing Committee, and the Ramsar Secretariat. ;The Secretariat The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day coordination of the Convention's activities. It is based at the headquarters of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in Gland, Switzerland. The implementation of the Ramsar Convention is a continuing partnership between the Contracting Parties, the Standing Committee, and the Convention Secretariat, with the advice of the subsidiary expert body, the Scientific and Technical Review Panel, and the support of the International Organization Partners. Martha Rojas Urrego is the sixth Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
The 2nd of February each year is World Wetlands Day, marking the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971. Established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet, WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and has grown remarkably since then. In 2015 World Wetlands Day was celebrated in 59 countries.
History
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance – the "Ramsar Convention", was co-founded by Ezkandar Firouz, Luc Hoffmann of Tour du Valat research station in the Camargue in France, and Geoffrey Matthews of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge in the late 1960s. The conference which adopted the terms of the agreement was held in the Iranian Caspian city of Ramsar on 2 February 1971.
