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{{COI|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox Treaty
|name                = Ramsar Convention
|long_name           =Convention on Wetlands
|image               =RAMSAR-logo.gif
|image_width         =160
|caption             =Ramsar logo
|type                =
|date_drafted        =
|date_signed         = 2 February 1971
|location_signed     = [[Ramsar, Mazandaran|Ramsar]] ([[Iran]])
|date_sealed         =
|date_effective      = 21 December 1975
|condition_effective = Ratification by 7 states
|date_expiration     =
|signatories         =
|parties             = 169
|depositor           = Director General of UNESCO
|language            =
|languages           = English, French and Spanish
{{url|http://www.ramsar.org/}}|wikisource          =
}}

The '''Ramsar Convention'''  is an international [[treaty]] for the conservation and sustainable use of [[wetland]]s.<ref name="ramsar">{{cite web|url=http://ramweb-uat.neox24.ch/about/the-ramsar-convention-and-its-mission|title=The Ramsar Convention and its Mission|access-date=11 October 2016}}</ref> It is also known as the '''Convention on Wetlands'''. It is named after the city of [[Ramsar, Mazandaran|Ramsar]] in [[Iran]], where the Convention was signed in 1971.

Every three years, representatives of the Contracting Parties meet as the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP), the policy-making organ of the Convention which adopts decisions (Resolutions and Recommendations) to administer the work of the Convention and improve the way in which the Parties are able to implement its objectives.

The most recent COP12 was held in [[Punta del Este]], [[Uruguay]], in 2015. COP13 will take place in [[Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]], in 2018. {{Main|List of Ramsar Convention contracting parties}}

[[File:Upper Navua Ramsar Site, Fiji.jpg|thumb|The Upper Navua Conservation Area Ramsar Site in Fiji]]

[[File:Wise use.jpg|thumb|Sustainable fishing in India, an example of wise use.]]

==List of Wetlands of International Importance (the "Ramsar List")==
[[File:Archipel Bolama-Bijagos Ramsar Site in Guinea-Bissau.jpg|thumb|Archipel Bolama-Bijagos Ramsar Site in Guinea-Bissau]]

The List of Wetlands of International Importance included '''2,231 Ramsar Sites''' in March 2016 covering over 2.1 million square kilometres. The country with the highest number of Sites is the United Kingdom with 170, and the country with the greatest area of listed wetlands is Bolivia, with over 140,000 square kilometres.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/|title=Ramsar Sites Information Service|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}</ref>

The Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS) is a searchable database which provides information on each Ramsar Site.

{{Main article|List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance}}

==International cooperation==
[[File:Ramsar transboundary Site Wadden Sea.jpg|thumb|Wadden Sea is a Transboundary Ramsar Site covering 13 Ramsar sites in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands]]
As of 2016 there are 18 Transboundary Ramsar Sites.

As of 2016 there are 15 Ramsar Regional Initiatives covering regions of the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa and South America.

=== International organization partners ===
The Ramsar Convention works closely with six other organisations known as International Organization Partners (IOPs). These are:
* [[BirdLife International|Birdlife International]]
* [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN)
* [[International Water Management Institute]] (IWMI)
* [[Wetlands International]]
* [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF International]]
* [[Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust]] (WWT)
These organizations support the work of the Convention by providing expert technical advice, helping implement field studies, and providing financial support. The IOPs also participate regularly as observers in all meetings of the Conference of the Parties and as full members of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel.

=== Other partners ===
The Convention collaborates with a network of partners:
* Biodiversity-related conventions including the [[Convention on Biological Diversity]] (CBD), the [[United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification|Convention to Combat Desertification]] (UNCCD), [[Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals|Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)]], the [[World Heritage Convention]] (WHC), and the [[CITES|Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species]] (CITES);
* Project funding bodies including global environmental funds, multilateral development banks and bilateral donors;
* UN agencies such as [[United Nations Environment Programme|UNEP]], [[United Nations Development Programme|UNDP]], [[UNESCO]] and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and specific programmes such as UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme;
* Non-governmental organizations including the [[The Nature Conservancy|Nature Conservancy]], [[Conservation International]], the Society of Wetland Scientists, the International Association for Impact Assessment, and many others;
* Since 1998 the Convention has also benefited from a strong partnership with the [[Danone|Danone Group]] including the [[Evian]] brand, and since 2007 from the Biosphere Connections partnership with the [[Star Alliance]] airline network.

== Bodies established by the Convention ==
'''Conference of the Parties (COP)'''

Conference of the Parties (COP) is the Convention's governing body consisting of all governments that have ratified the treaty. This ultimate authority reviews progress under the Convention, identifies new priorities, and sets work plans for members. The COP can also make amendments to the Convention, create expert advisory bodies, review progress reports by member nations, and collaborate with other international organizations and agreements.

'''The Standing Committee'''

The Standing Committee is the intersessional executive body which represents the COP between its triennial meetings, within the framework of the decisions made by the COP. The Contracting Parties that are members of the Standing Committee are elected by each meeting of the COP to serve for the three years until the next one.
[[File:Ramsar Convention.jpg|thumb|The Ramsar Secretariat offices in Gland, Switzerland]]
'''The Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP)'''

The Scientific and Technical Review Panel provides scientific and technical guidance to the Conference of the Parties, the Standing Committee, and the Ramsar Secretariat.

'''The Secretariat'''

The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day coordination of the Convention’s activities. It is based at the headquarters of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in [[Gland, Switzerland]].

The implementation of the Ramsar Convention is a continuing partnership between the Contracting Parties, the Standing Committee, and the Convention Secretariat, with the advice of the subsidiary expert body, the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), and the support of the International Organization Partners (IOPs).

== World Wetlands Day ==
[[File:World Wetlands Day.jpg|thumb|A wetland clean-up in Oman on World Wetlands Day]] {{Main|World Wetlands Day}}
The '''2nd of February''' each year is World Wetlands Day, marking the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971. Established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet, WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and has grown remarkably since then. In 2015 World Wetlands Day was celebrated in 59 countries.

== See also ==
* [[List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance]]
* [[Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Type]]
* [[World Wetlands Day]]
* [[Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award]]
* [[Environmental agreements]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|http://www.ramsar.org/}}
* [https://rsis.ramsar.org/?pagetab=1 Ramsar Sites Information Service: official list of all Ramsar Sites]
* [http://www.worldwetlandsday.org/World Wetlands day]
* [http://www.ramsar.org/activity/the-ramsar-awards The Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award]
{{Commons category|position=left}}

{{wetlands|state=collapsed}}
{{aquatic ecosystem topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Use British (Oxford) English|date=July 2013}}

{{Authority control}}

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