In 1971, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands was signed at the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the Caspian Sea.
Known officially as ‘the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat’ (or, more recently, just ‘the Convention on Wetlands’), came into force in 1975.
Under this Convention, the Contracting Parties commit to:
- work towards the wise use of all their wetlands;
- designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands of International Importance (the “Ramsar List”) and ensure their effective management;
- cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species.
February 2 is celebrated as International Wetlands Day as the Ramsar Convention was signed on February 2, 1971.
There are currently over 2,300 Ramsar Sites around the world. Today, the Ramsar List is the world’s largest network of protected areas.
The world’s first Ramsar site was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia, designated in 1974.
The largest Sites are Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Queen Maud Gulf in Canada; these Sites each cover over 60,000 square kilometres.
The countries with the most Sites are the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico with 142.
Bolivia has the largest area with 148,000 km² under Ramsar protection.
The Ramsar convention entered into force in India on 1 February 1982.
India currently has 46 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 1,067,939 hectares. [List of Ramsar sites in India]
The Ramsar Convention works closely with six other organisations known as International Organization Partners (IOPs). These are:
- Birdlife International.
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
- International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
- Wetlands International.
- WWF International.
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT).
Montreux Record under the Ramsar Convention is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.
The Montreux Record was established by Recommendation of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (1990).
Currently, two wetlands of India are in Montreux record: Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake (Manipur). Chilka lake (Odisha) was placed in the record but was later removed from it.
