Nature : The Ramsar Convention

Wetlands of International Importance : The Ramsar Convention

Northern Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans melanota) Baie de les grenouilles, Lac Saint-François National Wildlife Area, Quebec, Canada. Ramsar site no. 361.

There are 2,513 Ramsar Sites scattered around the world. Designated Wetlands of International Importance, they are deemed as significant wetland ecosystems on a global scale. If you have photographed one of these beautiful Sites please enjoy the story. My most favourite Ramsar Sites are located in the United States of America and include in order: Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge; Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary & Everglades National Park. I been very fortunate to have visited a great number of the 220 Sites in North America and have been to most in my own country. I am just missing the ones in the High Arctic and have yet to explore those found in Mexico.

The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.

Wetlands are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems. They provide essential services and supply all our fresh water. However they continue to be degraded and converted to other uses. 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.

Under the “three pillars” of the Convention, the Contracting Parties commit to:

1. work towards the wise use of all their wetlands;
2. designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands of International Importance (the “Ramsar List”) and ensure their effective management;
3. cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species.

The Convention on Wetlands is the oldest of the modern global intergovernmental environmental agreements. The treaty was negotiated through the 1960s by countries and non-governmental organizations concerned about the increasing loss and degradation of wetland habitat for migratory waterbirds. It was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.

For more information on the Ramsar Convention and its Sites, please visit www.ramsar.org

To see more photos of Ramsar Sites check out : https://www.flickr.com/groups/2872685@N20/pool/

Shepody Bay International Shorebird Reserve Canada's first Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve—Shepody Bay National Wildlife Area, Mary's Point, New Brunswick, Canada. Ramsar site no. 236.

Wandering Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans ssp. vagrans) Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, British Columbia, Canada. Ramsar site no. 649.

Desert Oasis & Amargosa Pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis) Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada, United States. Ramsar site no. 347. Listed as Vulnerable : http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/62210/0 the little blue flecks in the water are the fish.