Ramsar Convention

These are species which are in danger of extinction. The survival of such species is difficult if the negative factors that led to decline in their population continue to operate.

Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was held at Ramsar (Iran) in 1971. It is an inter-governmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their wetlands of international importance and to plan for the ‘wise-use’ or sustainable uses, of all the wetlands in their territories. Unlike the other global environmental conventions, Ramsar is not affiliated with the United Nations System of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), but it works very closely with the other MEAs and is a full partner among the ‘biodiversity-related cluster’ of treaties and agreements.

Any wetland to be declared a wetland of international importance should support vulnerable, endangered or threatened species and should attract more than 20,000 water birds. The declaration would provide an opportunity to seek international technical support for conservation and sustainable use of wetland through participatory mechanism. It would also ensure international cooperation and financial assistance for wetland conservation