The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Ramsar Convention
 the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.
 an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international
cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
 The Ramsar Convention is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular
ecosystem. The treaty was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and the Convention's
member countries cover all geographic regions of the planet.
 2 February each year is World Wetlands Day. This day marks the date of the adoption of the
Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the
Caspian Sea.

Defining Wetlands

 Ramsar uses a broad definition of wetlands, including lakes and rivers, swamps and marshes,
wet grasslands and peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, near-shore marine areas,
mangroves and coral reefs, and human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs,
and salt pans.

To date
 Number of Contracting Parties/Members: 168
 Number of sites designated for the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International
Importance: 2,177; Total surface area: 208,518,409 hectares

Philippines:
 Entry into force: Nov 8, 1994
 No. of sites: 6; Surface area: 154,409 ha

Date of Area
Site Region/Province Coordinates
Designation (ha)
#0656 Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary 01/Jul/94
01/07/94 Cebu 5,800 10º16’N 124º03’E ha 10º1
Cebu5,800
#1008 Naujan Lake National Park 12/Nov/99 Oriental Mindoro 14,568 13º10’N 121º11’E
#1009 Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary 12/Nov/99 Mindanao 14,836 08º17’N 125º53’E
#1010 Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park 12/Nov/99 Sulu Sea 96,828 08º57’N 119º52’E
#2084 Puerto Princesa Subterranean River 10°10’00”N 118°55’00”E
30/Jun/12 Palawan 22,202
National Park
#2124 Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat 14°29’35”N 120°58’50”E
15/Mar/13 Manila 175
and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA)

The Ramsar mission

 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".

The Wise Use concept

At the centre of the Ramsar philosophy is the “wise use” concept. The wise use of wetlands is
defined as "the maintenance of their ecological character, achieved through the
implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context of sustainable development".
"Wise use" therefore has at its heart the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and their
resources, for the benefit of humankind.

The future of humanity depends on wetlands

They purify and replenish our water, and provide the fish and rice that feed billions. Wetlands act as
a natural sponge against flooding and drought, and protect our coastlines. They burst with
biodiversity, and are a vital means of storing carbon

Unfortunately, these benefits are not widely known. Often viewed as wasteland, 64% of our
wetlands have disappeared since 1900.

Help us turn the tide on the loss and degradation of our wetlands. Join us for World Wetlands Day
2015 – and beyond! Here's how you can get involved:
What drives wetland loss and degradation?

 Wetlands often viewed as wasteland

 Major changes in land use, specifically increases in:
• Agriculture
• Grazing animals
• Other harvesting such as logging
 Water diversion through dams, dikes and canalization
 Infrastructure development, particularly in river valleys and coastal areas
 Air and water pollution and excess nutrients

How can the trend be reversed?

 Make policies that consider wetlands carefully

• Understanding of ecosystem services that wetlands provide
• Integrate into land use planning
 Use all remaining wetland sites wisely
• Meet human needs while sustaining biodiversity and other wetland services
 Restore wetlands that have been degraded
 Develop financing sources for wetlands conservation
 Educate others about the benefits of wetlands

And what about wetlands?

Wetlands provide fundamental ecological services and are regulators of water regimes and sources
of biodiversity at all levels - species, genetic and ecosystem.
Wetlands constitute a resource of great economic, scientific, cultural, and recreational value for the
community.
Wetlands play a vital role in climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Progressive encroachment on, and loss of, wetlands cause serious and sometimes irreparable
environmental damage to the provision of ecosystem services.
Wetlands should be restored and rehabilitated, whenever possible.
Wetlands should be conserved by ensuring their wise use.

World Wetlands Day 2014: Wetlands and agriculture

 2014 is the UN International Year of Family Farming – so the Ramsar Convention chose
Wetlands & Agriculture as the World Wetlands Day theme for 2014. And what a great theme
for Ramsar, given that wetlands are so often intimately linked with agriculture. Our
slogan/theme: Wetlands and Agriculture: Partners for Growth, placing a focus on the
need for the wetland and agricultural sectors (and the water sector too of course) to work
together for the best shared outcomes.

 Wetlands have often been seen as a barrier to agriculture, and they continue to be drained and
reclaimed to make farming land available. But the essential role of wetlands in support of
agriculture is becoming clearer and clearer, and there are successful agricultural practices
which support healthy wetlands.

KEY MESSAGE 1
Wetlands serve as valuable natural infrastructure for agriculture, providing reliable water and fertile
soils, but they are at risk from agriculture’s growing demands for land and water. They are
increasingly threatened by population growth, large-scale development initiatives intended to
alleviate poverty, and the possible impacts of climate change. The functions and economic values of
wetlands must be considered in planning for the production of food and other agricultural products.

KEY MESSAGE 2
In many parts of the world water resources have already been utilized at or beyond their sustainable
limits. Agriculture will need more water to support more people in future, yet wetlands must still
have enough water to maintain their ecological character and essential ecosystem services.

KEY MESSAGE 3
Agriculture will need more land to support more people in the future, but conversion of wetlands for
agriculture will lead to the loss of vital wetland ecosystem services.

KEY MESSAGE 4
Improving the agricultural productivity of land and water can help to limit the amount of water that
is withdrawn from wetlands and discourage their conversion for agriculture.

KEY MESSAGE 5
Intensification of agricultural activities can provide some efficiency gains, and so too can adoption
of new technologies by farmers or the reintroduction of traditional practices with new technological
support.

KEY MESSAGE 6
Managing land and water to create multifunctional agro-ecosystems helps to provide diversity and
resilience for livelihoods and maintain a balance between provisioning, regulating, supporting, and
cultural wetland ecosystem services.
WETLAND S AND AGRICULTURE:
PARTNES FOR GROWTH