Ramsar Sites are wetlands of international importance that have been designated under the criteria of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands for containing representative, rare or unique wetland types or for their importance in conserving biological diversity.
It provides the only international mechanism for protecting sites of global importance and is thus of key conservation significance. It has three main 'pillars' of activity:.
Current details of Contracting Parties to the Convention, and the number and extent of Ramsar Sites designated globally, are available from the Ramsar website.
While the initial emphasis was on selecting sites of importance to waterbirds, now non-bird features are increasingly taken into account, both in the selection of new sites and when reviewing existing sites. Government and the devolved administrations have also issued policy statements relating to Ramsar Sites which extend to them the same protection at a policy level as Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas.
In addition each member state designates a government body to be responsible for implementing the Convention at the national level. They are also expected to train wetland researchers, managers and wardens, for example, and to contribute to the core budget of the Convention. Yes, the Convention entered into force in the UK in More than any other member state, though they tend to be relatively small.
Currently we have sites, as well as another 16 in our Overseas Territories and Crown Dependences, covering nearly 13,km2. For comparison, the US has 38 sites totalling 18,km2. Today, the Convention has 2, listed wetlands — from the Camargue to the Pantanal — covering 2.
Though Ramsar has no teeth it cannot punish member states for violations , it is often instrumental in protecting sites under threat. And it has raised the profile of wetland conservation immeasurably.
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