Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention means the Convention on Wetlands, especially as a habitat for waterfowl and waders of International Importance, the Convention on Wetlands of International English Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat. It is an international treaty, the preparation of which was initiated by UNESCO.

History

The agreement was concluded on 2 February 1971, making it one of the oldest international instruments for nature conservation. The name comes from the town of Ramsar in Iran in which took place the contract negotiations. The Convention entered into force in 1975 and was signed by 21 founding countries. Germany has ratified the Convention in 1976. By 1999, a total of 119 States had ratified the treaty, currently there are 168

Although initiated by the UN, is the treaty outside the UNEP environmental treaties.

The World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year since 1997 on 2 February, the anniversary of the conclusion of the Ramsar Convention.

Concerns of the Ramsar Convention

Four main areas are to be implemented by the Parties:

It was preceded by the first large-scale conference and regional water bird counts in the 60s, which occupied a massive decline in the species concerned. The agreement commits the candidate States to take appropriate measures to conserve biodiversity in the designated areas. The aim is not a total ban on use - such would be for many of the poorer countries also hardly practical - but the principle of sustainable, ecologically balanced use ( " wise use " ) to be realized.

Legal Status of Ramsarabkommens

A declaration as a Ramsar site is not a protection category in the strict sense, that is, it is not a concrete legal recourse, but is a " predicate ( label ) ", the protection itself is on a voluntary basis of the signatory States. The implementation of the commitments made by the Convention for example, by a number of European Directives and environmental law at the national level.

Own office, the International Ramsar Secretariat ( Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands, Ramsar Secretariat ) in England, on the southwestern shore of Lake Geneva, at the headquarters of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN), the monitoring of the implementation of the Convention is and its further development. It is in principle sovereign, but works with IUCN and the UN and its affiliated organizations (UNESCO, UNEP) closely. Every three years, will be presented at conferences of States Parties reports on the status of wetland protection.

Ramsar sites

Currently enjoying 1,950 areas with more than 1.9 million km ² protection according to the guidelines of the Convention; they are spread over 160 countries (as of July 2011). The state, with most areas is the United Kingdom with 68, Canada has reported at 130,000 km ² the largest area, followed by Chad and the Russian Federation. The former lake area of Lake Chad since 2008 a protected area of ​​the Ramsar Convention, the first cross-border in Africa.

The world's 14 largest countries ( as of 2009) under the protection of the Convention are:

  • Ngiri - Tumba - Maindombe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.5 million ha
  • Queen Maud Gula, Canada, 6.2 Mha.
  • Grands Affluents, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 5.9 Mha.
  • Okavango Delta system in Botswana, 5.5 Mha.
  • Plaines d' inondation of Bahr et Aouk Salamat, Chad, 4.9 Mha.
  • Delta Intérieur du Niger, Mali, 4.1 Mha.
  • Pantanal Boliviano, Bolivia, 3.1 Mha.
  • Plaines d' inondation du Logone et les dépressions Toupouri, Chad, 2.9 Mha.
  • Reentrâncias Maranhenses, Brazil, 2.6 Mha.
  • Plaine de Massenya, Chad, 2.5 Mha.
  • Gueltas et de l' Oasis Aïr, Niger, 2.4 Mha.
  • Polar Bear Provincial Park, Canada, 2.4 Mha.
  • Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, Iles Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, Saint -Paul -et -Amsterdam French overseas possessions 2.2 Mha.

The European Member States are listed in the navigation bar at the bottom.

Wetland landscape in the national park Donau-Auen ( Austria )

Pelicans in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (Romania )

Wetland in the Parc Natural dels Empordà Marshes (Spain )

Ratification United Nations Environment Programme Gland, Switzerland Hectare Inner Niger Delta France Sylt List of Ramsar sites in Ukraine
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