The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance
The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance, according to Article 2 of the treaty text, is the keystone of the Ramsar Convention, and, in the Strategic Framework’s “Vision for the List”, its chief objective is to “develop and maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and benefits/services”.
According to Article 8.2 of the treaty, the maintenance of the Ramsar List is one of the two original, fundamental duties of the Ramsar Secretariat (the other being the organization of meetings of the COP).
The basic Ramsar List records the name of each of these “Ramsar Sites”, its date of designation, geographical position in-country, surface area, and centre-point coordinates, and it is available in Word and PDF formats.
The Annotated Ramsar List also includes a ca.200-word description of the most interesting features about each site. Click here to access the List by country.
The list of Ramsar Sites in order of their designation, with their sequential Ramsar Site numbers, is available in PDF format.
The original Ramsar Information Sheets and accompanying sites maps, normally updated by the Parties every six years, are available on the Ramsar Sites Information Service maintained by Wetlands International in the Netherlands.
The Montreux Record 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 list of Ramsar Sites that have been declared by their governments as part of Transboundary Ramsar Sites.
List of Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance that are also inscribed (all or partly) on the World Heritage List under the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
List of Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance as they correlate to the List of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.
