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The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e. to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.

The official title is The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat. The convention was developed and adopted by participating nations at a meeting in Ramsar, Iran on February 2, 1971 and came into force on December 21, 1975.

The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance now includes 1,708 sites (known as Ramsar sites) covering around 1,530,000 km², up from 1,021 sites in 2000. The nation with the highest number of sites is the United Kingdom at 166; the nation with the greatest area of listed wetlands is Canada with over 130,000 km², including the Queen Maud Gulf site at 62,800 km².

Presently there are 157 contracting parties, up from 119 in 2000 and from 18 initial signatory nations in 1971. Signatories meet every three years as the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP), the first held in Cagliari, Italy in 1980. Amendments to the original convention have been agreed to in Paris (in 1982) and Regina (in 1987).

There is a standing committee, a scientific review panel and a secretariat. The headquarters is located in Gland, Switzerland shared with the IUCN.

Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, former USSR

New contracting parties: Antigua and Barbuda (02.10.05) , Cape Verde (18.11.05), Central African Republic (05.04.06), Lesotho (01.11.04), Marshall Islands (13.11.04), Mozambique (03.12.04), Myanmar (17.03.05), Rwanda (01.04.06), Samoa (06.02.05), Seychelles (22.03.05), Sudan (07.05.05), Kazakhstan (15.01.07).

Source: http://www.ramsar.org/key_cp_e.htm

• Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance

• World Wetlands Day
• Environmental agreements

• The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
• United States National Ramsar Committee