A brief history of the Ramsar Convention
Background
The initial call for an international convention on wetlands came in 1962 during a conference which formed part of Project MAR, a programme established in 1960 following concern at the rapidity with which large stretches of marshland and wetlands in Europe were being "reclaimed" or otherwise destroyed, with a resulting decline in numbers of waterfowl.
The MAR Conference was organized by Mr Luc Hoffmann, with the participation of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (now IUCN–The World Conservation Union), the International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau, IWRB (now Wetlands International), and the International Council for Bird Preservation, ICBP (now BirdLife International), and was held in Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the French Camargue, 12-16 November 1962.
Over the next eight years, a convention text was developed through a series of international and technical meetings (St. Andrews, 1963; 
Noordwijk, 1966; Morges, 1967; Vienna, 1969; Moscow, 1969; Espoo, 1970), held mainly under the auspices of IWRB, the guidance of Prof. G.V.T. Matthews, and the leadership of the Government of the Netherlands. Initially the envisaged convention was directed specifically at the conservation of waterfowl through the creation of a network of refuges, but as the text developed, especially with the expert advice of legal consultant Mr Cyrille de Klemm, conservation of wetland habitat (rather than species) took prominence.
Adoption of the Convention
Finally, at an international meeting organized by Mr Eskander Firouz, Director of Iran’s Game and Fish Department, and held in the Caspian seaside resort of Ramsar in Iran, the text of the Convention was agreed on 2 February 1971 and signed by the delegates of 18 nations the next day.
The Convention entered into force in December 1975, upon receipt by UNESCO, the Convention Depositary, of the seventh instrument of accession to or ratification of the Convention, which came from Greece. The Convention celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1996 and now has Contracting Parties from all regions of the world.
Since its adoption, the Ramsar Convention has been modified on two occasions -- by a protocol (a new treaty which amends the original treaty) in December 1982; and by amendments to the original treaty, known as the "Regina Amendments" of 1987.
The Paris Protocol
The Paris Protocol, adding Article 10 bis to the text of the Convention, was adopted at an Extraordinary Conference of the Contracting Parties held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris in December 1982. The Protocol, which came into force in 1986, established a procedure for amending the Convention and adopted official versions of the treaty in Arabic, French, English, German, Russian and Spanish. Almost all Contracting Parties have now accepted the Paris Protocol, and new Contracting Parties normally join the Ramsar Convention as amended by the Paris Protocol and the Regina Amendments.
The Regina Amendments
A series of amendments, specifically to Articles 6 and 7, were accepted at an Extraordinary Conference of the Contracting Parties held in Regina, Canada, in 1987. These did not affect the basic substantive principles of the Convention, but related to its operation: powers of the Conference of the Parties, establishment of a Standing Committee, a budget, and a permanent Bureau or secretariat. These amendments came into force on 1 May 1994, although the Parties, in the spirit of Resolution 3.4 from the 1987 meeting, observed the provisions of the amendments on a voluntary basis throughout the interim period.
A Ramsar chronology – key events
2 February 1971
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat is agreed by representatives of 18 nations meeting in the Iranian town of Ramsar, and signed the following day.
January 1974
Australia becomes the first State to deposit an instrument of accession to the Convention.
December 1974
International Conference on the Conservation of Wetlands and Waterfowl is held in Heiligenhafen, Germany, and adopts the first "Criteria to be used in identifying Wetlands of International Importance" as a recommendation; the conference was intended to be the first meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, but an insufficient number of countries had ratified the Convention to bring it into force in time.
21 December 1975
The Ramsar Convention comes into force four months after the seventh nation, Greece, deposits its instrument of accession. (The first six were Australia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, and Iran.)
August 1979
Contracting Parties are invited to prepare the first National Reports on the implementation of the Convention in their territories, for presentation to the First Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties.
November 1980
First Meeting of the Conference of Contracting Parties, Cagliari, Italy:
- adopts criteria for identifying wetlands suitable for designation to the List of Wetlands of International Importance;
- approves the elaboration of a protocol (later to become the Paris Protocol) to amend the treaty.
December 1982
A Protocol modifying the original text of the Ramsar Convention is adopted by an Extraordinary Conference of the Contracting Parties at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris.
May 1984
Second Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Groningen, Netherlands:
- establishes the framework for implementing the Convention.
October 1986
Paris Protocol enters into force (after acceptance by two-thirds of the Contracting Parties in 1982).
May-June 1987
Extraordinary Conference of the Contracting Parties adopts the Regina Amendments to Articles 6 and 7 of the Convention.
Third (ordinary) Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Regina, Canada:
- adopts revised criteria for identifying wetlands of international importance;
- adopts guidelines for the implementation of the wise use of wetlands concept;
- establishes the Standing Committee, which meets for the first time;
- approves the establishment of the Ramsar Secretariat in two units, one within IUCN headquarters in Gland, Switzerland, and one within IWRB headquarters in Slimbridge, UK;
- establishes formal scientific and technical links with IUCN and IWRB;
- establishes a Wise Use Working Group.
January 1988
The Ramsar Secretariat (called the "Bureau") is formally established as the Convention’s permanent secretariat, with Mr Dan Navid (USA) as the first Secretary General.
The Ramsar Advisory Mission (then called the 'Monitoring Procedure', and later the 'Management Guidance Procedure') is established by the Ramsar Standing Committee at its fourth meeting in Costa Rica.
1989
Adoption of the first Ramsar logo (a soaring blue bird of unknown species, trailed by swathes of pastel blue and green)
January 1989
Vietnam becomes the 50th Contracting Party to the Convention.
August 1989
Ramsar publishes its first book, A Legal Analysis of the Adoption of the Implementation of the Convention in Denmark, by Veit Koester (in the IUCN Environmental Policy and Law Papers series).
July 1990
Fourth Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Montreux, Switzerland:
- approves the framework for the implementation of the Convention;
- develops and adopts revised criteria for identifying wetlands of international importance;
- expands the guidelines for the implementation of the wise use concept;
- consolidates the Ramsar Secretariat into a single unit within IUCN headquarters in Gland, Switzerland;
- continues to charge IWRB with responsibility for maintaining the Ramsar Sites Database;
- formalizes the Management Guidance Procedure (later renamed "Ramsar Advisory Mission", 1999);
- establishes the Montreux Record (though not formally known by this name until June 1993);
- establishes the Wetland Conservation Fund (later renamed the "Ramsar Small Grants Fund for Wetland Conservation and Wise Use");
- adopts Spanish as the third working language of the Convention, alongside English and French.
December 1991
First Ramsar Regional Meeting (Asia) takes place in Karachi, Pakistan.
June 1993
Fifth Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Kushiro, Japan:
- adopts the Kushiro Statement as the basis for the Contracting Parties’ priorities for the coming triennium;
- establishes the Scientific and Technical Review Panel;
- adopts additional guidance for the implementation of the wise use of wetlands concept;
- adopts management planning guidelines for wetland sites.
June 1993
Publication of The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: Its History and Development, by G.V.T. Matthews.
October 1993
Publication of Towards the Wise Use of Wetlands, the report of the Wise Use Project, edited by T.J. Davis.
December 1993
Lithuania becomes 80th Contracting Party to the Convention.
January 1994
First meeting the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) takes place in association with the IUCN General Assembly in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
May 1994
Regina Amendments to Articles 6 and 7 of the Convention enter into force.
December 1994
Mr James McCuaig, seconded from Environment Canada, serves for six months as Interim Secretary General, replacing Mr Dan Navid.
August 1995
Mr Delmar Blasco (Argentina) becomes the Convention’s second Secretary General.
January 1996
Memorandum of Cooperation signed between the secretariats of the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity, the first of many MOUs and MOCs between Ramsar and other MEAs. In subsequent years, Joint Work Plans are developed to increase synergies between the two conventions.
February 1996
The Ramsar Convention’s webite is inaugurated.
March 1996
Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Brisbane, Australia:
- adopts the Strategic Plan 1997-2002;
- adopts criteria based on fish for identifying wetlands of international importance;
- adopts working definitions of ecological character and guidelines for describing and maintaining the ecological character of listed sites;
- adopts a resolution on Ramsar and water.
October 1996
The Standing Committee formally establishes 2 February as World Wetlands Day.
The Mediterranean Wetlands Committee (MedWet/Com) is established as the first regional arrangement under the Convention.
December 1996
Botswana designates the Okavango Delta System, at that time the world’s largest Ramsar site.
February 1997
Bahamas and Georgia both accede to the Convention on 7 February, becoming the 99th and 100th Contracting Parties. The first World Wetlands Day is celebrated in about 50 nations and becomes an annual event.
May 1997
The Ramsar Forum, a public e-mail discussion group issues Ramsar-related issues, is established by the Bureau.
The Ramsar Bureau’s Internship Programme begins with the arrival of the first group of four assistants to the Regional Coordinators.
Ramsar publishes The Economic Valuation of Wetlands in English, French, and Spanish.
October 1997
First three-year phase of the Wetlands for the Future initiative begins by agreement between the Ramsar Secretariat, the United States State Department, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service; later renewed.
December 1997
Wetlands, Biodiversity and the Ramsar Convention: the role of the Convention on Wetlands in the conservation and wise use of wetlands, edited by A.J. Hails, is published by the Ramsar Secretariat.
January 1998
The Evian Project, to assist communications and training activities under the Convention, is established by an agreement signed among the Ramsar Secretariat, the Groupe Danone from the private sector, the French GEF, and the Government of France.
October 1998
The Standing Committee adopts the new Ramsar logo (the word Ramsar on a blue-green background with two white lines suggesting waves).
May 1999
Seventh Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, San José, Costa Rica:
- adopts an array guidelines on National Wetland Policies, reviewing laws and institutions, river basin management, education and public awareness, international cooperation, and more;
- adopts a Strategic Framework for the development of the Ramsar List;
- revises the system of regional representation under the Convention and reconstitutes the membership of the Standing Committee and STRP;
- confers the first Wetland Conservation Awards upon five recipients;
- formally confirms BirdLife International, IUCN-International Union for Conservation of Nature, Wetlands International, and the WWF International as International Organization Partners (IOPs) of the Convention.
July 1999
Honduras designates the "Sistema de Humedales de la Zona Sur de Honduras", the Convention’s 1000th Ramsar site.
September 1999
The Society of Wetland Scientists inaugurates its annual Ramsar Support Framework grants programme, which runs until 2004..
May 2000
The Ramsar Handbooks for the Wise Use of Wetlands are published in nine pamphlets in a boxed set. A CD-ROM version is published by the United Nations University in September 2002.
February 2001
Inauguration of a joint website between Ramsar and UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme. A Programme of Joint Work is agreed between the two secretariats in March 2002.
August 2001
Hungary and Slovakia agree the collaborative management of the first Transboundary Ramsar Site, the "Baradla Cave System" and "Domica", respectively.
November 2001
The MedWet Coordination Unit is opened in Athens, Greece, a 5-member outposted branch of the Ramsar Secretariat, headed by new MedWet Coordinator Spyros Kouvelis and funded by the Government of Greece.
June 2002
Surface area coverage of the world's Wetlands of International Importance surpasses 100 million hectares with the designation of Peru's "Abanica del río Pastazo".
November 2002
Eighth Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Valencia, Spain:
- adopts further guidance for the Parties, covering allocation and management of water, site management planning, integrated coastal zone management, wetland inventory, under-represented wetland types, wetland restoration, peatlands;
- adopts a new Strategic Plan for the period 2003-2008;
- adopts a new modus operandi for the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP);
- adopts a Communications, Education, and Public Awareness (CEPA) programme for 2003-2008, as a successor to the Outreach Programme 1999-2002;
- adopts a revision of the Information Sheet for Ramsar Wetlands (RIS) and explanatory notes;
- confers the second set of Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award to three organizations.
August 2003
Peter Bridgewater (Australia) becomes the Convention's third Secretary General, succeeding Delmar Blasco.
October 2005
Thirty-eight Ramsar sites are added to the List by Finland, which brings the total number to past the 1,500 mark.
November 2005
Ninth meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Kampala, Uganda:
- adopts further guidance for the Parties, covering groundwater management, river basin management, and rapid assessment of wetland biodiversity;
- adopts frameworks for understanding relationships among existing guidance on wise use, water-related issues, and wetland inventory, assessment, and monitoring;
- establishes a Management Working Group, an STRP Oversight Panel, and a CEPA Oversight Panel as functions of the Standing Committee;
- endorses eight regional initiatives within the framework of the Convention and authorizes financial assistance for five of them;
- adopts a new modus operandi for the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP);
- adopts topical Resolutions on fisheries resources, poverty reduction, and avian influenza;
- endorses a fifth member of the Convention's International Organization Partners; and
- confers the third set of Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award to four recipients.
December 2005
Barbados joins the Convention as its 150th Contracting Party.
May 2006
Launch of the Ramsar Technical Reports series, with its first title, Guidelines for the rapid assessment of inland, coastal and marine wetland biodiversity, published jointly with the Convention on Biological Diversity.
February 2007
The 11th annual World Wetlands Day is celebrated with the theme of "wetlands and fisheries".
April 2007
Benin's designation of the "Site Ramsar du Complexe W" and "Zone humide de la rivière Pendjari" brings the Convention's total area covered to over 150 million hectares.
May 2007
Launch of the "Biosphere Connections" partnership between the Star Alliance airline network and the Ramsar Convention, UNESCO MAB Programme, and IUCN.
August 2007
Mr Anada Tiéga (Niger) takes over as the Ramsar Convention's fourth Secretary General. The 3rd edition of the Ramsar Handbooks for the Wise Use of Wetlands, now grown to 17 volumes, is published on CD-ROM.
January 2008
The Danone Group's financial support for a succession of joint projects with the Ramsar Convention enters its 10th year.
February 2008
The 12th annual World Wetlands Day is celebrated with the theme of human health: "Healthy wetlands, healthy people".
July 2008
Designation by the Democratic Republic of Congo of the world's largest Ramsar Site, "Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe", at more than 6.5 million hectares.
October 2008
Gambia and Senegal agree the collaborative management of the Convention's 10th Transboundary Ramsar Site, called "Niumi-Saloum", and its first TRS outside of Europe.
October-November 2008
Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Changwon, Republic of Korea:
- adopts the "Changwon Declaration" on wetlands and human health and well-being;
- adopts guidance on principles for partnerships with the Convention, describing the ecological character of wetlands, wetlands and river basin management, and highly pathogenic avian influenza;
- adopts frameworks for guidance on Ramsar data and information needs and on detecting, reporting, and responding to change in ecological character;
- adopts Resolutions on wetlands and human health, climate change, "biofuels", extractive industries, urbanization, poverty alleviation, small island states, and biodiversity in rice paddies;
- adopts a new Strategic Plan and a new Communications, Education, Participation, and Awareness (CEPA) Plan for 2009-2015; and
- confers the fourth set of Ramsar Wetland Conservation Awards.
February 2009
The 13th annual World Wetlands Day is celebrated with the theme of river basins: "Upstream-Downstream: wetlands connect us all".
September 2009
Argentina designates the world's southernmost Ramsar Site, "Glaciar Vinciguerra y turberas asociadas", at 54º45'S 068º20'W.
February 2010
The 14th annual World Wetlands Day is celebrated with the theme of "Caring for wetlands - an answer to climate change".
February 2011
The 15th annual World Wetlands Day is celebrated with the theme of "Forests for water and wetlands". Publication of Ramsar's Liquid Assets, highlighting 40 years of the Convention's achievements and challenges, 40th anniversary celebrations continue throughout 2011.
July 2011
Publication of the 4th edition of the Ramsar Handbooks for the conservation and wise use of wetlands on the Ramsar website and CD-ROM.
February 2012
The 16th annual World Wetlands Day will be celebrated round the world with the theme of wetlands and tourism.
June 2012
The 11th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties is scheduled to take place in Bucharest, Romania.
