Ramsar convention (1)

Ramsar Convention is a convention work for conservation of wetlands.

1. PRESENTATION ON RAMSAR CONVENTION ON WETLANDS PRESENTED TO PRESENTED BY DR.MEENAKSHI NANDAL ANU GAHLAWAT ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR 1903 DEPARTMENT-ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES MSC-4 TH SEM SUB- ENV. MANAGEMENT & PLANNING MDU ROHTAK

2. Ramsar Convention Ramsar Convention or the Convention of Wetlands was signed on 2 nd  February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar . This is where it gets its name from-The Ramsar Convention. 2 nd  February is celebrated as World Wetlands Day every year . It came into force in the year 1975, upon receipt by UNESCO. There are 171 contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention. India signed the Ramsar Convention on 1 February 1982. Ramsar Convention is not legally binding .

3. What is the purpose of the Ramsar Convention? The convention works on three pillars that define the purpose of the Ramsar Convention ;

4. What are wetlands? As per the broad definition of Ramsar Convention, “Wetlands are “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres .” Examples of Wetlands are : Marine and coastal areas Estuaries Marshes and peatlands IMAGE SOURCE- https://m.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/ramsar-sites-in-india-1605708327-1

5. Ramsar Classification System for Wetlands:

6. 1.Marine wetlands-  are saltwater  wetlands  exposed to waves, currents and tides in an oceanic setting. •  Marine wetlands  include coral reefs, and aquatic subtidal beds with sea grass and kelps. •   Coastal  and  marine wetlands  are important nursery and feeding areas for animals such as fish, dugongs, and  marine  turtles . 2. Inland wetlands- include marshes and wet meadows dominated by herbaceous plants, swamps dominated by shrubs, and wooded swamps dominated by trees. 3. Human-made Wetlands- Any type of wetland constructed or maintained by humans for e.g. water storage, irrigation, aquaculture.

7. The main threats to wetlands- 1.Pollution- 80 % of our global wastewater is released into wetlands untreated. Pollution from factories, fertilizers, pesticides or from major spills, all pose serious threats to wetlands . 2.Invasive species- The introduction of invasive species like the common water hyacinth and animals like the killer shrimp have had a devastating impact on wetlands. Wetland wildlife is particularly vulnerable to INNS because water provides easy pathways for them to spread and grow. 3. Climate change- The relationship between wetlands and climate change is complex. Changes in rainfall and temperature pose a significant threat to wetlands, causing them to dry out. This is just one of the reasons that wetland species like amphibians, migratory birds and corals are among the first and hardest hit by climate change.

8. Why wetlands are important ?

9. 1. Wetlands purify our water Wetlands are great filters! They trap sediments and remove pollutants, which helps to purify water. This certainly beats expensive, human-made filtration systems. 2. Wetlands help to control erosion Sediments are also trapped by wetlands. In a semi-arid country like South Africa, the role of wetlands in trapping sediments, before the sediment-laden water joins a river course and just washes away, is really useful . 3. Wetlands provide homes for animals and plants Biodiversity is high around wetlands habitats. These areas provide food and shelter for many animals, in particular bird species such as herons, spoonbills and flamingos, and amphibians such as frogs.

10. 4.Wetlands provide food for livestock Wetlands provide good areas for grazing, and the variety of grasses, along with a supply of running water, can be beneficial to farming livestock. 5. Wetlands protect biodiversity Many different kinds of creatures depend on wetlands – and on each other. The insects that are attracted to the plants provide food for other animals like fish, frogs and birds, who in turn attract other predators. The biodiversity of wetlands has produced some incredible specialist species that are only found in these habitats.

11. • International organization partners: The Ramsar Convention works closely with six organizations. These are:

12. OTHER PARTNERS: • Biodiversity-related conventions including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the World Heritage Convention (WHC). • Project funding bodies including global environmental funds, multilateral development banks and bilateral donors. • UNEP, UNDP, UNESCO and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and specific programmers such as UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme

13. Timeline of Ramsar Convention: 1962:  MAR Conference called for an International Treaty for Wetlands which was held from 12-16 November 1962.  1971 :   Ramsar Conference was held (2-3 February 1971) where 18 nations agreed to Convention on Wetlands of International importance. The treaty was signed on 3 February 1971 . 1975:   Ramsar convention came into force on 1 December 1975 . 1980:  First meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP1) was held in Cagliari, Italy from 24-29 November 1980. The Convention had 28 member states . 1984:  By COP2 was held in Groningen, the Netherlands from 7-12 May 1984. The Convention had 35 Contracting Parties . .

14. 1987:  COP3 was held in Regina, Canada from 27 May - June 5, 1987, 44 Parties joined the Convention. 1990:  56 out of 59 Contracting Parties took part in COP4 held in Montreux, Switzerland from 26 June- 4 July 1990 . 1993:  COP5 was held in Kushiro, Japan from 9-16 June 1993. The Convention had 77 Contracting Parties .  1994:  Regina Amendments entered into force after being ratified by two-thirds of the Contracting Parties on 1 May 1994. 1995:  Delmar Blasco (Argentina) became the Convention's second Secretary-General on 26 August 1995. 1996:  COP6 was held in Brisbane, Australia from 19-27 March 1996. 93 countries joined the Convention .

15. 1997:  The first World Wetlands Day was celebrated on 2 February 1997 in 50 nations, becoming an annual event.  1999:  COP7 was held in San José, Costa Rica from 10-18 May 1999, the Convention had 114 member states . 2002:  COP8 was held in Valencia, Spain from 18-26 November 2002. The Convention had 133 Contracting Parties.  2005:  COP9 which was held in Kampala, Uganda from 8-15 November 2005. 146 countries joined the Convention

16. 2008 : COP10 was held in Changwon, the Republic of Korea from 28 October - 4 November 2008. The Convention had 158 Contracting Parties .   2011:  The Convention celebrated its 40 years of activities from 1 February- 1 December 2011.   In addition to this, Ramsar joined Facebook on 20 August 2011.  2012:  The Convention's List of Wetlands of International Importance surpassed 2,000 Ramsar Sites worldwide.  Also, COP11 was held in Bucharest, Romania from 6-3 July 2012. The Convention had 160 contracting parties. 

17. 2015:  COP12 was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay from 1-9 June 2015. The Convention had 168 Contracting Parties . 2018:  The Convention's first report, Global Wetland Outlook was published on 22 September 2018.  Also, COP13 was held in Dubai, UAE from 21-29 October 2018.  2021- The COP14 will going to be held in Wuhan city of China in November.

18. How does Ramsar convention work? First of all a country joins the Ramsar Convention. Once a country has joined, there are three commitments which it has to fulfill as obligations : 1 • It has to designate at least one of its wetlands into the List of Wetlands of International Importance called “ Ramsar List” 2 • The country has to make all efforts for wise use and conservation of the Ramsar Sites in its territory. Being a part of Ramsar convention gives it access to know-how of conservation in different parts of the world. 3 • If the ecological character of any Ramsar wetland has changed, or is changing or is likely to change as the result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference, it will inform without delay to the Ramsar Secretariat. Once this information has been provided to Ramsar Secretariat, it will do the following • Enter the wetland into its Montreux Record • Send a Ramsar Advisory Mission to the country. This mission will analyse the situation and define how to tackle the threats to the wetland. • Once the appropriate measures have been taken, the site will be removed from Montreux Record.

19. Ramsar Site- A   Ramsar site  is a wetland  site  designated to be of international importance under the  Ramsar Convention . Designation Of Ramsar Site Criterion - The nine criteria for identifying Wetlands of International Importance Sites containing representative, rare or unique wetland types - Criterion 1 .The wetland must contain a representative, rare or unique example of natural or near natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region. Criterion 2 .The wetland must support vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.

20. Criterion 3. The wetland must support populations of plant and or animal species important to maintain the biodiversity of a particular biogeographic region. Criterion 4 .The wetland must support plant and or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions . Criterion 5 . The wetland must support 20,000 or more waterbirds . Criterion 6 . The wetland must regularly support 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbirds . Criterion 7 .The wetland must support a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies. Criterion 8 . The wetland must be an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery. Criterion 9 . The wetland must support 1% of the individuals in a population of one species of wetland dependent non-avian animal species

21. Interesting facts about Ramsar sites: The Ramsar sites are one of the major protected areas in the world.  There are 2,414 Ramsar sites in the world . In 1974, the world's first Ramsar site was identified (Cobourg Peninsula; Australia).  With 175 Ramsar sites, the United Kingdom has the largest number of such sites in the world .

22. • There are a total of 42 Ramsar Sites in India with a surface area of 1,081,438 hectares (as of December 2020). • Chilika Lake is the largest Ramsar Site of India with a surface area of 1,16,500 hectares. • Chilika Lake (Orissa) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) were recognized as the first Ramsar Sites of India. • Uttar Pradesh has the largest number of Ramsar Sites in India with 8 Indian Wetlands. • Renuka Wetland in Himachal Pradesh is the smallest wetland of India a surface area of 20 hectares .

23. Ramsar Sites of India Location Chilika Lake Odisha Harike Wetlands Punjab Hokera Wetland Jammu and Kashmir Keoladeo Ghana National Park Rajasthan Kolleru Lake Andhra Pradesh Loktak Lake Manipur Lonar Lake Maharashtra Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary Punjab Renuka Lake Himachal Pradesh Sambhar Lake Rajasthan Sunderbans Wetland West Bengal Wular Lake Jammu and Kashmir List of Some Important Ramsar Sites in India

24. Montreux Record • The Montreux Record is a register of listed Ramsar sites where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference. • The registered was established in 1990. • Keoladeo National Park and Loktak lake from India are included in the Montreux Record. Earlier Chilka Lake was part, but, it has been removed in 2002 .

25. References- 1.http ://sdg.iisd.org/commentary/guest-articles/ramsar-convention-on-wetlands-40-years-of-biodiversity-conservation-and-wise-use / 2. https://i.unu.edu/media/ourworld.unu.edu-en/article/4660/Ramsar_IEDSResearchSeries.pdf 3.https ://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/handbook1_5ed_introductiontoconvention_e.pdf 4. https://www.environment.gov.au/water/wetlands/ramsar 5.https ://www.researchgate.net/publication/282124983_The_Ramsar_Convention_a_review_of_wetlands_management_in_New_Zealand 6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/ramsar-convention 7. https:// www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2019.00021/full 8. https://m.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/ramsar-sites-in-india-1605708327-1 9. https://blog.ipleaders.in/ramsar-convention-wetlands/

26. Thank You