Convention acts as the guiding light for the declaration of a Ramsar site. Any nation, desirous of declaring a wetland as a Ramsar Site has to adhere to the criteria (Table 2.4) laid down for this purpose. The process starts with the compilation of baseline information related to the area, altitude, wetland type, legal jurisdiction as well as important aspects related to hydrology, biology, land‐use, sociocultural aspects, conservation measures, and threats. The information is compiled in prescribed formats called the Ramsar Information Sheets (RIS). The RIS are submitted to Ramsar Secretariat. After the information provided in the RIS is verified and is believed to be correct and complete, the process for designation of the Ramsar site is moved forward. The RIS of the wetland is added further to the Ramsar Sites Database. As per Resolution VI.13 (1996), Ramsar Information Sheets for all the Ramsar Sites must be updated and resubmitted to the Secretariat, at least every six years (Matthews 1993).
Table 2.4 Criteria for the designation of Wetlands of International Importance.
| Group A of the criteria Sites containing representative, rare, or unique wetland types | Criterion 1: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near‐natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region. | |
| Group B of the criteria Sites of international importance for conserving biodiversity | Criteria based on species and ecological communities | Criterion 2: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities. |
| Criterion 3: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region. | ||
| Criterion 4: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles or provides refuge during adverse conditions. | ||
| Specific criteria based on waterbirds | Criterion 5: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 20 000 or more waterbirds. | |
| Criterion 6: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbirds. | ||
| Specific criteria based on fish | Criterion 7: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species, or families, life‐history stages, species interactions, and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and, thereby, contribute to global biological diversity. | |
| Criterion 8: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend. | ||
| Specific criteria based on other taxa | Criterion 9: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland‐dependent non‐avian animal species. |
Out of all the world’s wetlands designated as Ramsar sites, 20.3% have been designated under criterion 2, i.e. such wetlands which support vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities. About 17.7% of the Ramsar sites have been designated under criterion 1 which has been reserved for those wetlands which “contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near‐natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region” (Figure 2.3). Lake Tsomoriri in Ladakh (India) has also been categorized under criterion 1. Only a miniscule percentage of 0.6 of the total Ramsar sites has been designated under criterion 9, which recognizes such wetlands which “regularly support 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland‐dependent non‐avian animal species” (Ramsar Sites Information Service 2020).
Figure 2.3 Percentage of Ramsar sites designated under different criteria.
Source: Data from Ramsar Sites Information Service https://rsis.ramsar.org/?pagetab=2. © John Wiley & Sons.
2.7.2 Ramsar Regions
For ease of management and implementation, the convention has divided the world into six Ramsar regions. This system of regionalization was adopted under Resolution 3.3 (in 1987). It has significant implications for effective operations, especially in terms of the structure of the Standing Committee and for the Contracting Parties to cooperate through regional meetings. The six regions under Ramsar Convention are:
1 Africa
2 Asia
3 Europe
4 Neotropics (Central and South America and the Caribbean)
5 North America (Canada, Mexico, and the US)
6 Oceania
Out of all the Ramsar regions, Europe has the most number of Ramsar sites (1116) followed by Africa (413), Asia (352), North America (219), Neotropics, (208) and Oceania (82) (Figure 2.4). The Ramsar Secretariat has four 2‐member “Regional Advisory Teams,” each consisting of a Senior Advisor and an Intern/Assistant Advisor, for the following regions: Africa, Asia‐Pacific, Europe, and the Americas (Neotropics and North America). Before every meeting of the Conference of Parties, regional or sub‐regional meetings are organized to prepare for the COP meeting (Ramsar Sites Information Service 2020).
Figure 2.4 Number and percentage of Ramsar sites in Ramsar Regions.
Source: Data from Ramsar Sites Information Service https://rsis.ramsar.org/?pagetab=2. © John Wiley & Sons.
2.7.3 National Ramsar Committees
Based on recommendation 5.7 of the Conference of Parties as well as Ramsar Strategic Plan, every member nation has to establish its National Ramsar Committee (often known as National Wetland Committee). The National Ramsar Committee of a Ramsar member provides help in the implementation of the Convention at the national level. A national Ramsar Committee particularly helps the different agencies, scientific and technical institutions, regional and local authorities, local communities, NGOs, and the private sector with regard to issues pertaining to the national wetland‐related policies; management of Ramsar Sites; application of the Montreux Record; designation of new Ramsar sites; and with those related to the Ramsar Small Grants Fund (Matthews 1993; Ramsar Convention Secretariat 2011, 2016).