The Ramsar Convention is a global agreement aimed at the protection and sustainable use of wetlands. Communication and further education on the importance of wetlands are also priorities.
The Ramsar Convention is a global agreement aimed at the protection and sustainable use of wetlands. In addition, communication and education on the importance of wetlands are priorities.
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty under international law. Upon accession, the member states undertake to nominate at least one wetland within their territory as a “wetland of international importance” according to specified classification criteria and to ensure the conservation of the ecosystem functions and services of this and, if possible, other nominated sites. In addition, the contracting states must ensure that the other wetlands within their borders are also used sustainably. The contracting states are also called upon to cooperate internationally. A detailed report on the implementation of the Convention in the respective member state must be submitted every three years.
Under the Ramsar Convention, guidelines and technical assistance are developed, resolutions on various aspects of wetland protection are adopted at global level and public relations work is carried out on the importance of wetlands.
The implementation of the Convention is essentially based on cooperation between the member states, the Standing Committee, the Secretariat and the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP). The Convention’s Strategic Plan (Ramsar Strategic Plan 2016-2024) sets out the direction for the work of the Convention bodies. The Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP) takes place every three years and provides a platform for discussing general trends and new developments and deciding on further measures for implementation.
Source: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
