The status of sites on the 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 VII.11 (1999), 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 55 Contracting Parties that since the close of COP10 (4 November 2008) have designated a total of 217Ramsar Sites covering a total of 14,679,990 hectares as of 13 July 2012 (Algeria, Argentina, Armenia1, Austria, Belarus, Bhutan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, France, Gabon, Hungary, Indonesia, Islamic Rep. of Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea Rep. of, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Romania, Serbia, Seychelles, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, and Viet Nam), and ALSO CONGRATULATING the 28 Contracting Parties that have designated or are preparing to designate a further 78 Ramsar Sites which are being finalized with the Secretariat for adding to the List (Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Georgia, Iceland, Iraq, Kenya, Mali, Madagascar, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Philippines, Romania, United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Yemen);1Armenia designated one Ramsar Site on 25 January 2007, but sent the finalized documents to the Secretariat for its listing only in September 2011.4.NOTING, however, that despite the fact that this represents a 10% increase in the number of sites in the List since COP10, there remain significant gaps in the comprehensiveness and representativeness of the global network of Ramsar Sites and that the total of 2026 sites on the Ramsar List as of late June 2012 falls below the target 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 1385 Ramsar Sites (68% of all Ramsar Sites) in 149 countries (see Annex 1 to this Resolution), 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;6.NOTING that changes to Ramsar Site boundaries and areas reported to the Secretariat in the 2009-2012 period in updated Ramsar Information Sheets (RIS) concern only extensions or recalculations of areas including through more precise boundary delineations;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 Conference of the Parties expressed concern that many Contracting Parties do not have in place the mechanisms to fulfil Article 3.2, and that it urged Parties to promptly "put in place mechanisms in order to be informed at the earliest possible time, including through reports by national authorities, [indigenous peoples and local 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.NOTING that 12 Contracting Parties provided information only in their National Reports to COP11, rather than by reporting to the Ramsar Secretariat without delay as stipulated in Article 3.2 of the Convention, concerning ecological character change issues to a further 15 Ramsar Sites;10.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 (11 Parties for 18 sites as listed in Annex 2a to this Resolution), 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 which have come from third parties, as reported to this meeting in the Report of the Secretary General pursuant to Article 8.2 (d);11.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";12.CONCERNED that of the 48 Ramsar Sites included in the Montreux Record as of 13 July 2012 only six sites have been removed from the Record since COP10, and NOTING that Contracting Parties have placed one further Ramsar Site on the Montreux Record since COP10 (Iraq); and13.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 Parties14.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 and establish a clear picture of the status and trends of the Ramsar Site network;15.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), in order to be able to report change or likely change in the ecological character of Ramsar Sites in line with Article 3.2;16.EXPRESSES ITS APPRECIATION to those 11 Contracting Parties that have provided Article 3.2 reports to the Secretariat about 18 Ramsar Sites where human-induced changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or may occur (Annex 2a);17.ALSO EXPRESSES ITS APPRECIATION to those 12 Contracting Parties that in their National Reports to this meeting provided information on a further 15 Ramsar Sites where human-induced changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or may occur;18.CONTINUES TO ENCOURAGE Contracting Parties, when submitting a report in fulfilment of Article 3.2, to consider whether the site would benefit from listing on the Montreux Record, and to request such listing as appropriate;19.REQUESTS Contracting Parties with sites on the Montreux Record to regularly provide the Secretariat with updates on their progress in addressing the issues for which those Ramsar Sites were listed on the Record, including reporting on these matters in their National Reports to each meeting of the Conference of the Parties;20.REQUESTS the Ramsar Secretariat, in conjunction with the Scientific and Technical Review Panel’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;21.ALSO REQUESTS the Secretariat and the STRP to set up criteria for, and to streamline the procedure for, reporting cases of human-induced negative changes in the ecological character of a Ramsar Site according to Article 3.2, and ENCOURAGES Contracting Parties to consider limits of acceptable change in ecological character of Ramsar Sites as outlined in the COP11 DOC. 24;23.REQUESTS the STRP, with the support of the Secretariat, to promulgate specific examples of the efforts by Contracting Parties to develop and implement a strategic approach to Ramsar Site designation;24.REQUESTS those Contracting Parties with Ramsar Sites for which the Secretary General has received reports of change or likely change in their ecological character (Annex 2b to this Resolution) to advise the Secretary General at the earliest opportunity of the status of these sites and any steps taken to address any changes, or likely changes, in ecological character;25.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, and STRONGLY URGES those Contracting Parties who have not yet updated their Ramsar Information Sheets in the last six years to do so as soon as possible, as agreed in Resolution VI.13 (1996);26.STRONGLY URGES those Parties within whose territories lie 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, and INSTRUCTS the Ramsar Secretariat to contact the Contracting Parties listed in Annex 1a to this Resolution and request them to do so;27.WELCOMES the statements made in the National Reports to COP11 or during this meeting concerning planned extensions to existing Ramsar Sites and future designations of new or extended Ramsar Sites, from the following 88 Contracting Parties: Albania 1, Algeria 10, Antigua and Barbuda 2, Australia 1, Austria 3, Barbados 1, Belarus 3, Benin 1, Bolivia 1, Botswana 2, Brazil 6, Cameroon 5, Canada 1, Central African Republic 3, Chile 3, China 5, Colombia 3, Congo 3, Croatia 1, Cuba 3, Czech Republic 2, Dominican Republic 4, Ecuador 4, El Salvador 2, Estonia 9, Fiji 2, Finland 11, France 10, Gambia 3, Georgia 1, Ghana 5, Guatemala 2, Guinea-Bissau 2, Iceland 1, Indonesia 3, Iran, Islamic Republic of 3, Italy 8, Jamaica 1, Kenya 2, Lao People's Democratic Republic 1, Lebanon 5, Lesotho 1, Libya 20, Madagascar 2, Malawi 3, Malaysia 1, Marshall Islands 2, Mauritania 10, Mongolia 1, Montenegro 1, Mozambique 1, Myanmar 1, Namibia 2, Nepal 10, New Zealand 2, Pakistan 5, Panama 1, Paraguay 3, Philippines 4, Portugal 2, Republic of Moldova 1, Romania 15, Rwanda 2, Senegal 2, Serbia 2, Seychelles 2, Sierra Leone 3, Slovakia 1, South Africa 3, Spain 4, Sri Lanka 3, Sudan 3, Suriname 2, Sweden 15, Switzerland 10, Thailand 6, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 6, Togo 1, Tunisia 20, Turkey 17, Turkmenistan 5, Uganda 3, Ukraine 13, United Kingdom 4, Uruguay 5, Venezuela 3, Viet Nam 4, and Yemen 3); andAnnex 1a
List of Ramsar Sites for which no RIS and/or adequate map has been submitted to the Secretariat
| COUNTRY | Site number | Site name | Date of designation | RIS | MAP |
| AZERBAIJAN | 1075 | Agh-Ghol | 21/05/2001 | No | No |
| | 1076 | Ghizil-Agai | 21/05/2001 | No | No |
| BHUTAN | 2032 | Bumdeling | 05/07/2012 | No | No |
| | 2033 | Khotokha | 05/07/2012 | No | No |
| CAPE VERDE | 1575 | Curral Velho | 18/07/2005 | Yes | No |
| | 1576 | Lagoa de Rabil | 18/07/2005 | No | No |
| | 1577 | Lagoa de Pedra Badejo | 18/07/2005 | No | No |
| CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC | 1590 | Les Rivières de Mbaéré-Bodingué | 05/12/2005 | Yes | No |
| DJIBOUTI | 1239 | Haramous-Loyada | 22/11/2002 | Yes | No |
| FIJI | 1612 | Upper Navua Conservation Area | 11/04/2006 | No | No |
| GERMANY | 174 | Unteres Odertal, Schwedt | 31/07/1978 | No | No |
| | 175 | Peitzer Teichgebiet | 31/07/1978 | No | No |
| IRAQ | 1718 | Hawizeh Marsh (Haur Al-Hawizeh) | 10/07/2007 | Yes | No |
| IRELAND | 440 | Tralee Bay | 10/07/1989 | No | Yes |
| | 840 | Bannow Bay | 11/06/1996 | No | Yes |
| | 841 | Trawbreaga Bay | 11/06/1996 | No | Yes |
| | 842 | Cummeen Strand | 11/06/1996 | No | Yes |
| KAZAKHSTAN | 108 | Lakes of the lower Turgay & Irgiz | 11/10/1976 | Yes | No |
| KYRGYZ REPUBLIC | 1231 | Isyk-Kul State Reserve with the Lake Isyk-Kul | 10/11/1976 | No | No |
| MYANMAR | 1431 | Moyingyi Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary | 17/11/2004 | No | No |
| NETHERLANDS | 198 | Het Spaans Lagoen | 23/05/1980 | No | Yes |
| | 578 | Alde Feanen | 07/01/1993 | No | Yes |
| | 579 | De Deelen | 07/01/1993 | No | Yes |
| | 580 | Deurnese Peelgebieden | 07/01/1993 | No | Yes |
| | 581 | Bargerveen | 07/01/1993 | No | Yes |
| PAKISTAN | 97 | Thanedar Wala | 23/07/1976 | Yes | No |
| | 98 | Tanda Dam | 23/07/1976 | Yes | No |
| | 99 | Kinjhar (Kalri) Lake | 23/07/1976 | Yes | No |
| | 100 | Drigh Lake | 23/07/1976 | Yes | No |
| | 101 | Haleji Lake | 23/07/1976 | Yes | No |
| | 816 | Chashma Barrage | 22/03/1996 | No | No |
| | 817 | Taunsa Barrage | 22/07/1976 | No | No |
| PALAU | 1232 | Lake Ngardok | 18/10/2002 | No | No |
| SAMOA | 1412 | Lake Lanoto'o | 10/07/2004 | No | No |
| SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE | 1632 | Ilots Tinhosas | 21/08/2006 | Yes | No |
| TAJIKISTAN | 1082 | Karakul Lake | 18/07/2001 | No | No |
| | 1083 | Kayrakum Reservoir | 18/07/2001 | No | No |
| | 1084 | Lower part of Pyandj River | 18/07/2001 | No | No |
| | 1085 | Shorkul and Rangkul Lakes | 18/07/2001 | No | No |
| | 1086 | Zorkul Lake | 18/07/2001 | No | No |
| YEMEN | 1736 | [Detwah Lagoon] | 08/10/2007 | No | No |
Annex 1b
List of Contracting Parties from which one or more updated Ramsar Information Sheets are needed as a matter of priority
(as at 13 July 2012)| Country | Number of sites with outdated information | *Number of sites for which updated information has been submitted | Total number of sites per country |
| Albania | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Algeria | 42 | 26 | 50 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Argentina | 11 | 2 | 20 |
| Australia | 24 | 28 | 64 |
| Austria | 14 | 7 | 20 |
| Azerbaijan | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Bahrain | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Barbados | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Belarus | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Belgium | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Belize | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Benin | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Bolivia | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Bulgaria | 9 | 1 | 11 |
| Burkina Faso | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Burundi | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cambodia | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Cameroon | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Canada | 36 | 1 | 37 |
| Cape Verde | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Central African Republic | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Chad | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| China | 0 | 31 | 41 |
| Colombia | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Comoros | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Congo | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Croatia | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Czech Republic | 10 | 7 | 12 |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Denmark | 38 | 38 | 42 |
| Djibouti | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Dominican Republic | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Ecuador | 3 | 11 | 14 |
| Egypt | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| El Salvador | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Estonia | 6 | 0 | 17 |
| Fiji† | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Finland | 49 | 0 | 49 |
| France | 16 | 9 | 41 |
| Gambia | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Georgia | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Germany | 32 | 1 | 34 |
| Ghana | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Greece | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Guatemala | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Guinea | 14 | 0 | 16 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Honduras | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Hungary† | 6 | 0 | 29 |
| Iceland | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| India | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| Indonesia | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Iran, Islamic Rep. of | 21 | 0 | 24 |
| Iraq | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ireland | 45 | 0 | 45 |
| Israel | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Italy | 44 | 44 | 52 |
| Jamaica | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Japan | 32 | 3 | 37 |
| Jordan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Kenya | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Kyrgyz Republic | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Latvia | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Lebanon | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Lesotho | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Liberia | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Libya | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Liechtenstein | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Lithuania | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Luxembourg | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Madagascar | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Malawi | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Malaysia | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Mali | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Malta | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Marshall Islands | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mauritania | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Mauritius | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Mexico | 55 | 9 | 138 |
| Mongolia | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Montenegro | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Morocco | 24 | 0 | 24 |
| Myanmar | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Namibia | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Nepal | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| Netherlands | 49 | 21 | 49 |
| New Zealand† | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Nicaragua | 8 | 7 | 9 |
| Niger | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Nigeria | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| Norway | 19 | 19 | 51 |
| Pakistan | 12 | 0 | 19 |
| Panama | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Papua New Guinea | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Paraguay | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Peru | 9 | 2 | 13 |
| Philippines | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Poland | 5 | 0 | 13 |
| Portugal | 17 | 0 | 28 |
| Republic of Korea | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| RePublic of Moldova | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Romania | 5 | 0 | 12 |
| Russian Federation | 35 | 21 | 35 |
| Rwanda | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Saint Lucia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Samoa | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Senegal | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Serbia | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| Seychelles | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Sierra Leone | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Slovakia | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Slovenia | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| South Africa | 17 | 8 | 20 |
| Spain | 47 | 2 | 74 |
| Sri Lanka | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Suriname | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sweden | 32 | 0 | 51 |
| Switzerland | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tajikistan | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Thailand | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| The FYR of Macedonia | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Togo | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Tunisia | 1 | 0 | 35 |
| Turkey | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Uganda | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| Ukraine | 33 | 33 | 33 |
| United Kingdom† | 163 | 1 | 169 |
| United Republic of Tanzania | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| United States of America | 14 | 8 | 34 |
| Uruguay | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Uzbekistan | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Venezuela | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Viet Nam | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Zambia | 1 | 0 | 8 |
*Numbers refer to the number of sites (included in the number of sites with outdated information) for which the Administrative Authorities have submitted updated information that is currently being checked by the Secretariat or for which further details are needed from the country.†The Contracting Party has advised the Secretariat that it will update its Ramsar Site information subsequent to any adoption of the RIS – 2012 revision at COP11 becoming operational.†The Contracting Party has advised the Secretariat that it will update its Ramsar Site information subsequent to any adoption of the RIS – 2012 revision at COP11 becoming operational.†The Contracting Party has advised the Secretariat that it will update its Ramsar Site information subsequent to any adoption of the RIS – 2012 revision at COP11 becoming operational.†The Contracting Party has advised the Secretariat that it will update its Ramsar Site information subsequent to any adoption of the RIS – 2012 revision at COP11 becoming operational.Annex 2a
Ramsar Sites with reports of human-induced negative changes having occurred, occurring or likely to occur (Article 3.2)
Open files2 where information was first received by the Secretariat from the Administrative Authority, and which have been followed up by the Secretariat. Files closed during the triennium are not included.2"Open files" refer to cases where there is on-going dialogue between the Secretariat and a Contracting Party about a Ramsar Site in respect of which a report has been received of human-induced negative change that has occurred, is occurring or is likely to likely to occur.| Armenia | Lake Sevan |
| Australia | Coorong and Lower Lakes, Gwydir Wetlands, Macquarie Marshes |
| Austria | Untere Lobau |
| Costa Rica | Caribe Nordeste |
| Germany | Mühlenberger Loch |
| Nicaragua | Refugio de Vida Silvestre del Rio San Juan |
| Norway | Giske Wetland System (new case based on information from 2012), Ilene & Pesterødkilen, Nordre Øyeren |
| Romania | Danube Delta, Small Island of Braila |
| Slovenia | Skocjan Caves, Secovlje salt pans |
| Thailand | Kuan Ki Sian of the Thale Noi Non Hunting Area Wetlands |
| The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia | Dojran Lake (Dojransko Ezero), Prespa Lake |