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The status of sites in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance

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Table of Contents

  1. Paragraph 1.
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  27. Paragraph 27.
  28. Paragraph 28.
  29. Paragraph 29.
  30. Paragraph 30.
  31. Paragraph 31.
  32. Paragraph 32.
  33. Paragraph 33.
  34. Annex 1

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28 Oct, 2008
13 Nov, 2022 en 28 Oct, 2008 en

The status of sites in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance

1.RECALLING Article 2.1 of the Convention, which states that "each Contracting Party shall designate suitable wetlands within its territory for inclusion in a List of Wetlands of International Importance", and Resolution VIII.11 (2002), in which the Parties established that the Vision of the Ramsar List is to be achieved through the designation of coherent and comprehensive national and international networks of Ramsar sites;
2.ALSO RECALLING Article 8.2 of the Convention on the duties of the Secretariat concerning reporting on the status of Ramsar sites for the consideration and recommendations by the Parties at ordinary meetings of the Conference of the Contracting Parties on these matters, and Article 6.2(d) concerning the competence of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to make general or specific recommendations to the Contracting Parties regarding the conservation, management and wise use of wetlands;
3.CONGRATULATING the 61 Contracting Parties that since the report (COP9 DOC. 6) for the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties have designated a total of 317 Ramsar sites covering a total of 42,254,951 hectares as at 4 November 2008: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Macedonia (the FYR of), Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, U.A.E., Uganda, UK, USA, Yemen, and Zambia; and ALSO CONGRATULATING the following 36 Contracting Parties that have designated or are preparing to designate a further 116 Ramsar sites (as at 4 November 2008) which are being finalised with the Secretariat for adding to the List: Bahamas, Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, China, Comoros, Congo, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Malawi, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Peru, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Uganda, UK, and Uzbekistan;
4.NOTING, however, that despite the fact that this represents a c. 25% increase in the number of sites being included in the List and a >25% increase in the total area designated since COP9, there remain significant gaps in the comprehensiveness and representativeness of the global network of Ramsar sites and that the total of 1,822 sites on the Ramsar List as of 4 November 2008 falls below the targets of 2,000 sites set for the year 2005 by Resolution VII.11 (1999) and of 2,500 sites by the year 2010 that the Parties established in the Strategic Framework and guidelines for the development of the Ramsar List (2005);
5.CONCERNED that for 1,057 Ramsar sites (58% of all Ramsar sites) in 123 countries, Ramsar Information Sheets (RISs) or adequate maps have not been provided or updated RISs and maps have not been supplied to the Secretariat for more than six years, so that information on the current status of these sites is not available;[paragraph 5 amended by Annex 1 of Review of Resolutions and Recommendations of the Conference of the Contracting Parties]
6.NOTING that changes to Ramsar site boundaries and areas reported to the Secretariat in updated Ramsar Information Sheets (RIS) concern only extensions or recalculations of areas including through more precise boundary delinerations;
7.AWARE that Article 3.2 of the Convention provides that "each Contracting Party shall arrange to be informed at the earliest possible time if the ecological character of any wetland in its territory and included in the List has changed, is changing or is likely to change as the result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference. Information on such changes shall be passed without delay to the [Ramsar Secretariat]";
8.RECALLING that in Resolution VIII.8 (2002) the Parties expressed concern that many Contracting Parties do not have in place the mechanisms to fulfil Article 3.2, and that they urged Contracting Parties to promptly "put in place mechanisms in order to be informed at the earliest possible time, including through reports by national authorities and local and indigenous communities and NGOs, if the ecological character of any wetland in its territory included in the Ramsar List has changed, is changing or is likely to change, and to report any such change without delay to the Ramsar [Secretariat] so as to fully implement Article 3.2 of the Convention";
9.CONCERNED that of the 56 Ramsar sites included in the Montreux Record as at 4 November 2008 only 3 sites have been removed from the Record since COP9, but AWARE that requests from five Contracting Parties (Algeria, Germany, Italy, Mauritania and Senegal) for the removal of a further six sites from the Montreux Record are presently under review by the STRP; ALSO AWARE that the STRP has, in the light of recent consultation experience concerning the removal of sites from the Record, expressed the need to review and revise Montreux Record procedures so as to accelerate and streamline them; and NOTING that Contracting Parties have placed two further Ramsar sites on the Montreux Record since COP9: Chile (Carlos Anwandter Sanctuary (Río Cruces)) due to the mortality of Black-necked Swans (Cygnus melanocoryphus) and Nicaragua (Sistema de Humedales de la Bahía de Bluefields) because of potential ecological changes as a consequence of the proposed construction of an all-weather road;
10.RECOGNIZING the submission of Article 3.2 reports by the governments of 18Contracting Parties concerning 22 Ramsar sites:Argentina concerning the measures taken so far to improve the problem of overfishing at the Bahía de Samborombón Ramsar site, and concerning monitoring the possible impacts of a road construction near the Reserva Natural Otamendi Ramsar site;Australia for its October 2008 updated notification concerning the status of the Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Ramsar site and the measures and studies being implemented to address the effects of severe water shortage in that site;The Czech Republic and Austria concerning the proposed Danube-Oder-Elbe navigation canal and planned transport infrastructures which may significantly change the ecological character of three Czech Ramsar Sites (Floodplain of the Lower Dyje River, Litovelske Pomoraví, and Poodrí) and the Donau-March-Thaya-Auen and Untere Lobau Ramsar sites in Austria;Belarus concerning deterioration of ecological conditions and the reduction of water levels threatening the Osveiski Ramsar site;China concerning the potential threat of a proposed diversion of water, now suspended, from the Dalai Lake Ramsar site for mining purposes;Colombia reporting on progress in addressing ecological status issues of the Sistema Delta Estuarino del Río Magdalena, Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta Ramsar site;Denmark (Greenland) with preliminary information on the planned establishment of a runway, road and harbour possibly affecting Heden (Jameson Land) Ramsar site, Greenland’s most important moulting area for barnacle geese;Honduras concerning potential ecological change at the Parque Nacional Jeanette Kawas Ramsar site due to the construction of a golf resort, following a Secretariat visit to discuss solutions with the Administrative Authority;Iraq reporting concern that the Hawizeh Marsh is in imminent danger of becoming hydrologically and ecologically stressed due to natural as well as human-made impacts;Kenya concerning threats to Lake Naivasha Ramsar site, siltation in Lake Baringo Ramsar site, and conversion of the Tana delta and a proposed sugar project there;Lebanon, reporting on the implementation of a project at the Palm Island Nature Reserve Ramsar site intended to clean up the effects of an oil spill from a power plant during a war in 2006, and to assess the level of ecological impact to the site;Mexico concerning excessive water abstraction for agriculture and industrial activities, possibly affecting Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Cuatrociénagas Ramsar site;Nepal concerning severe flooding and a major change in river course through the breaching of artificial embankments which has damaged the ecological character of Koshi Tappu Ramsar site;Peru concerning activities to avoid ecological changes at the Reserva Nacional de Paracas Ramsar site;Slovenia concerning environmental impact assessments to avoid changes in the ecological character of Skocjan Caves Ramsar site due to new installations for drinking water supply;the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia concerning eutrophication and the overexploitation of natural resources at the Prespa Lake Ramsar site; andthe United Arab Emirates concerning proposals for canal contruction and major restoration of degraded areas of the Ras Al Khor Ramsar site;
11.NOTING the steps being taken to restore the ecological character of these Ramsar sites, and ENCOURAGING the establishment of an International Wetlands Restoration Award to encourage Contracting Parties to restore degraded wetlands by recognizing and disseminating best practices to restore wetlands;
12.ALSO NOTING that 26 Contracting Parties provided information in their COP10 National Reports, rather than without delay in reporting to the Ramsar Secretariat in line with Article 3.2 of the Convention, concerning ecological character change issues to a further 47Ramsar sites (as listed in Annex 2 to this Resolution);
13.AWARE, however, that in general few Parties have reported instances of change or likely change in the ecological character of their Ramsar sites in line with Article 3.2, and CONCERNED at the number of reports first received by the Secretariat of Ramsar sites facing human-induced change or likely change in their ecological character came from third parties, as reported to this meeting in the Report of the Secretary General pursuant to Article 8.2 (d) concerning over 70 sites in more than 20 countries;
14.NOTING that some of these sites are parts of transboundary wetlands and river systems, such that change in their ecological character may affect the status of those parts of the wetland, including any Ramsar sites, lying within the territory of neighbouring countries, and RECALLING that Article 5 of the Convention states that "the Contracting Parties shall consult with each other about implementing obligations arising from the Convention especially in the case of a wetland extending over the territories of more than one Contracting Party or where a water system is shared by Contracting Parties", but;
15.RECALLING that in Resolution IX.15 the Parties expressed concern that in the management of some transboundary wetlands that include Ramsar sites, such as those in the Danube Delta, in relation to developments causing or likely to cause change in ecological character, fruitful international cooperation has not been achieved;
16.ALSO EXPRESSING CONCERN that the lack of Article 3.2 reporting by the Parties has meant that the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) has been unable to prepare a report to COP10 on the status and trends in the ecological character of Ramsar sites, as requested by Resolution VIII.8, but NOTING that the STRP was able to prepare for COP10 an operational tool on Detecting, reporting and responding to change in ecological character: scientific and technical guidance (Resolution X.16) to help Parties to address and report upon these issues in an organized way; and
17.RECOGNIZING that the pressures on Ramsar sites are likely to increase, and that many Ramsar sites have undergone or are undergoing change in their ecological character, or are likely to undergo such change, by virtue of the land use and other pressures affecting them;
The Conference of the Contracting Parties
18.REAFFIRMS the commitment made by the Parties in Resolution VIII.8 to implement fully the terms of Article 3.2 on reporting change and to maintain or restore the ecological character of their Ramsar sites, including employing all appropriate mechanisms to address and resolve as soon as possible the matters for which a site may have been the subject of an Article 3.2 report; and, once those matters have been resolved, to submit a further report, so that both positive influences at sites and changes in ecological character may be fully reflected in the reporting to meetings of the Conference of the Parties in order to establish a clear picture of the status and trends of the Ramsar site network;
19.CONTINUES TO ENCOURAGE Contracting Parties to adopt and apply, as part of their management planning for Ramsar sites and other wetlands, a suitable monitoring regime, such as that outlined in the annex to Resolution VI.1 (1996), and to incorporate within these monitoring regimes the Convention’s Wetland Risk Assessment Framework (Resolution VII.10), so as to be able to report change or likely change in the ecological character of Ramsar sites in line with Article 3.2;
20.EXPRESSES ITS APPRECIATION to those 18 Contracting Parties that have provided reports to the Secretariat, fully in line with Article 3.2 of the Convention, on 22 Ramsar sites where human-induced changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or may occur, as listed in paragraph 10 above;
21.ALSO EXPRESSES ITS APPRECIATION to those 21 Contracting Parties that in their National Reports to this meeting provided information on a further 41 Ramsar sites where human-induced changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or may occur, as listed in Annex 2 to this Resolution;
22.CONTINUES TO ENCOURAGE Contracting Parties, when submitting a report in fulfillment of Article 3.2, to consider whether the site would benefit from listing on the Montreux Record, and to request such listing as appropriate;
23.REQUESTS Contracting Parties with sites on the Montreux Record to regularly provide the Secretariat with an update on progress in addressing the issues for which these Ramsar sites were listed on the Record, including reporting fully on these matters in their National Reports to each meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
24.REQUESTS the Ramsar Secretariat, in conjunction with the STRP’s task on redesigning the Montreux Record questionnaire, to consider desirable frequencies of progress reporting by Contracting Parties, concerning resolution of issues that led to the inclusion of sites in the Montreux Record, and so to allow the Record to be updated before each COP;
25.REQUESTS those Contracting Parties with Ramsar sites for which the Secretary General has received reports of change or likely change in their ecological character to advise the Secretary General at the earliest opportunity of steps taken to address these changes, or likely changes, in ecological character;
26.CONGRATULATES Contracting Parties for their reports and their statements made to the Secretariat or at this meeting concerning site-specific ecological character and boundary issues, notably:
a)the government of Australia for information concerning measures to recover and deliver increased environmental flows to six Ramsar sites along the River Murray to meet the environmental objectives for these six sites: Riverland, New South Wales Central Murray State Forests, Barmah Forest, Gunbower Forest, Hattah-Kulkyne Lakes, and The Coorong & Lakes Alexandrina and Albert;
b)the government of the Republic of Korea for providing information on the impacts of the major intertidal land-claim of Saemangeum, including on reported declines in the populations of migratory waterbirds;
c)the government of Italy for its successful application of the Montreux Record procedure and the subsequent removal of the Stagno di Molentargius Ramsar site from the Montreux Record, and for its stated intention and provision of information for removal of the Stagno di Cagliari Ramsar site as well;
d)the government of Poland for its successful application of the Montreux Record procedure and the subsequent removal of the Jezioro Siedmiu Wysp and Slonsk Reserve Ramsar sites from the Montreux Record;
e)the government of Senegal for its stated intention and provision of information for removal of the Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj Ramsar site from the Montreux Record;
f)the government of Algeria for its stated intention and provision of information for removal of the l’Oasis de Ouled Saїd and Lac Tonga Ramsar sites from the Montreux Record;
g)the government of Germany for its stated intention and provision of information for removal of the Wattenmeer, Ostfriesisches Wattenmeer & Dollart Ramsar site from the Montreux Record; and
h)the government of Mauritania for its stated intention and provision of information for removal of the Parc du Diawling Ramsar site from the Montreux Record;
27.***[paragraph 27 repealed by Annex 1 of Review of Resolutions and Recommendations of the Conference of the Contracting Parties]
28.REQUESTS the STRP to develop advice on appropriate procedures for the Secretariat and Contracting Parties to consider reports made by third parties of change or likely change to the ecological character of Ramsar sites;
29.REQUESTS Contracting Parties to use the most up-to-date format of the Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS) in their designations of new sites, extensions to existing sites, and updates on existing sites;
30.EXPRESSES APPRECIATION to those Contracting Parties that have brought their Information Sheets for Ramsar Wetlands (RISs) up to date for all the Ramsar sites within their territory;
31.STRONGLY URGES those Parties within whose territories lie designated Ramsar sites for which official descriptions have still not been provided, and/or for which suitable maps have still not yet been submitted, to provide as a matter of the greatest urgency the Ramsar Information Sheets and/or maps in one of the Convention’s official working languages.[paragraph 31 amended by Annex 1 of Review of Resolutions and Recommendations of the Conference of the Contracting Parties]
32.WELCOMES the statements made in the National Reports to COP10 or during this meeting concerning planned extensions to existing Ramsar sites, and future designations of new or extended Ramsar sites, from the following 68 Contracting Parties: Algeria (25 sites), Argentina (2 sites), Azerbaijan (4 sites), Belarus (2 sites), Belgium, Bolivia (3 sites), Botswana (2 sites), Bulgaria, Cambodia (3 sites), Chile (4 sites), China (44 sites by 2030), Colombia (1 site), Comoros (1 site), Congo (2 sites), Costa Rica (1 site), Côte d’Ivoire (6 sites), Croatia (1 site), Cyprus, Dominican Republic (2 sites), Ecuador (3 sites), El Salvador (15 sites), Estonia (12 sites), France (12 sites), Germany, Guatemala (6 sites), Honduras, Iceland (at least 2 sites), India (6 sites), Indonesia (3 sites), Islamic Republic of Iran ((5 sites), Israel (2 sites), Italy (5 sites), Japan (10 sites), Jordan (1 site), Kazakhstan (19 sites), Kenya (3 sites), Mali (2 sites), Mauritania (4 sites), Mauritius (1 site), Marshall Islands (2 sites), Moldova (1 site), Mongolia (26 sites), Montenegro, Nepal (5 sites), New Zealand (12 sites), Niger (5 sites), Pakistan (8 sites), Poland (at least 2 sites), Republic of Korea (5 sites), Romania, Slovenia, South Africa (2 sites), Spain (at least 5 sites), Sri Lanka (2 sites), Sudan (2 sites), Suriname (2 sites), Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan (3 sites), Tanzania (1 site), Turkey (8 sites), Uganda (2 sites), Ukraine, United Arab Emirates ( 3 sites) United Kingdom, Uzbekistan (1 site), Venezuela (14 sites), and Viet Nam (3 sites); and
33.INSTRUCTS the Ramsar Secretariat to consider options for assisting and encouraging Parties in their actions in response to change or likely change in ecological character.

Annex 1

***[Annex 1 repealed by Annex 1 of Review of Resolutions and Recommendations of the Conference of the Contracting Parties]

Annex 1

List of Ramsar sites in which human-induced negative changes have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur (Article 3.2), as indicated in COP10 National Reports

[Annex 2 amended by Annex 1 of Review of Resolutions and Recommendations of the Conference of the Contracting Parties]Note. This annex includes only those cases reported in National Reports received by the time of this analysis (1 October 2008). For further information on a site listed in this Annex see the COP10 National Report of the Contracting Party concerned.
CountrySites
AlgeriaLac Tongo, Oasis d’Oule Said
ArmeniaLake Sevan
AustraliaCoorong and Lakes and AlbertGwydir Wetlands
AustriaDonau-March-Thaya-Auen, Stauseen am Unteren Inn
BelarusYelnia, Osveyski, Sporovsky, Zvanets
Bosnia & HerzegovinaHutovo Blato
BulgariaBelene Islands Complex, Srebarna Lake, Durankulak Lake
ComorosKhartala, Mt Ntrigui
CroatiaKopacki Rit
Denmark (Greenland)Heden (Jameson Land)
IcelandGrunnafjördur, Myvatn-Laxá region (part), Thjörsárver
IndiaKolleru Lake (positive change)
IraqHawizeh Marshes
KenyaLake Baringo, Lake Naivasha
LiberiaMesurado River, Lake Piso
MauritaniaParc National du Banc d’Arguin, Parc National du Diawling
LebanonPalm Islands Nature Reserve
MontenegroSkadar Lake
NigeriaNguru lake
NorwayFroan, Åkersvika, Ilene/Presterødkilen, Kurefjorden, Øra
RomaniaDanube Delta
SpainAlbufera de Valencia, Doñana, Las Tablas de Daimiel, Marjal de Pego-Oliva, s’Albufera de Mallorca, Txingudi
SwedenUmeälv delta
TanzaniaLake Natron
UkraineKyliiske Mouth
ZambiaFlats