Ramsar site

A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The Convention on Wetlands, known as the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental environmental treaty established in 1971 by UNESCO, which came into force in 1975. It provides for national action and international cooperation regarding the conservation of wetlands, and wise sustainable use of their resources. Ramsar identifies wetlands of international importance, especially those providing waterfowl habitat. As of 2016, there were 2,231 Ramsar sites, protecting 214,936,005 hectares (531,118,440 acres), and 169 national governments are currently participating. Ramsar sites are recorded on the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance. The non-profit organisation Wetlands International provides access to the Ramsar database via the Ramsar Sites Information Service. A wetland can be considered to be internationally important if any of the following nine criteria apply: The Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Type is a wetland classification developed within the Ramsar Convention intended as a means for fast identification of the main types of wetlands for the purposes of the Convention.