The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
The Convention’s Outreach Programme
Wetland Information
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| The World Wetlands Day stickers produced in 2008 by the Ramsar Secretariat. <more information here. |
This section of the CEPA mini-Web site provides background information on wetlands for anyone interested in finding out about the basics. What is a wetland? What are the functions and values of wetlands? What is the role of wetlands in the water cycle? What are Ramsar sites? Where are Ramsar sites located? Where are the world's wetlands located? It includes materials produced by the Ramsar Secretariat, all of which can be obtained from the Secretariat, some of these are available online and some are also available as design files so that text can be translated into other languages (contact the Secretariat for further information). Also included in this section are useful facts and figures on water and wetlands from other sources, some of them at a national scale and others at the global level.
Please let us know about good Web sites or other sources of basic wetland information (contact hails@ramsar.org).
| FROM THE CONVENTION | |
| What is the Ramsar Convention? | |
| How does the Ramsar Convention define a wetland? What wetland types are recognized by the Convention? What criteria are used to define Ramsar sites? Where are Ramsar sites located? Read about it here. |
Definition & wetland types |
| Produced for World Wetlands Day 2008, a poster with the theme Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People and two stickers on this them. Available in English, French and Spanish in hard copy. Design files are available for those wishing to customize and print their own copies. A series of 10 fact sheets were also produced on the theme as well as a Do-it-yourself turtle. | |
| Produced for World Wetlands Day 2007, a poster with the theme Fish for Tomorrow? Available in English, French and Spanish in hard copy. Design files are available for those wishing to customize and print their own copies. Also produced, a 12-page leaflet on Fish For Tomorrow?, a web animation on the same theme and a Do-it-yourslef fish. | |
| Produced for World Wetlands Day 2006, two posters with the theme In the face of poverty - wetlands are lifelines. All available in English, French and Spanish in hard copy and as Quark Xpress files for those wishing to customize and print their own copies. |
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| Produced for World Wetlands Day 2005, a poster with the theme There's wealth in wetland diversity - don't lose it. Available in English, French and Spanish in hard copy and as Quark Xpress files for those wishing to customize and print their own copies. | |
| Produced for World Wetlands Day 2004, a poster with the theme From the Mountains to the Sea: Wetlands at Work for us and a three-page leaflet Working for Wetlands. All available in English, French and Spanish in hard copy and as Quark Xpress files for those wishing to customize and print their own copies. | |
| Produced for World Wetlands Day 2003, a poster with the theme No Wetlands - No Water. Available in English, French and Spanish in hard copy and as Quark Xpress files for those wishing to customize and print their own copies. | |
| Cultural Heritage of Wetlands poster, produced for World Wetlands Day 2002, in English, French and Spanish. | |
| Produced for World Wetlands Day, 2002, the Ramsar Secretariat's fact sheets on the Cultural Heritage of Wetlands. Available in hard copy and can also be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat PDF format from the Convention's Web site. | |
| Produced for World Wetlands Day, 2001, the Ramsar Secretariat's fact sheets on Wetland Values & Functions. Available on-line and in hard copy. | |
| Ramsar Sites Leaflet - what are Ramsar sites, how and why are they designated, distribution of sites etc. Available in hard copy and as Quark Xpress files for those wishing to customize and print their own copies. | |
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The Ramsar Site Information Service provides information on wetlands designated as internationally important under the Ramsar Convention. Wetlands International manages and develops the Ramsar Sites Database (RSIS) under contract to the Ramsar Convention Secretariat. Looking for a Ramsar Site in particular country? Need to know all the Ramsar Sites that include mangroves? Or lakes? Or coral reefs? Search for your information here. |
Ramsar Sites Information Service |
| Ramsar video on Wetlands, water and sustainability. Available in hard copy in English, French and Spanish from the Bureau and can be downloaded in .MOV format, suitable for viewing with QuickTime and other media players. Also available in DVC PRO for production of multiple copies and as an international version (without commentary) for production in other languages. | |
| OTHER SOURCES | |
| Vital Water Graphics from UNEP gives a clear overview, through a set of graphics, maps and other illustrations, of the state of the world's fresh and marine waters. | |
| Facts and Trends, produced by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, is written to raise the awareness in the business sector of critical water issues - plenty facts and figures and good graphics. | |
| Web-based basic information on wetlands in Canada from the University of Guelph. There are four easy-to-read chapters (Introduction to wetlands, Classification of wetlands; Wetland regions in Canada; and the Ramsar Conventions. | |
| Water Science for Schools is a web-based source of basic information on all aspects of water in our environment. Aimed specifically at schools, it covers a very broad range of topics - surface water, groundwater, aquifers, water pollution and much, much more. Provides a downloadable diagram of the Water Cycle in 25 languages! | |
| This Watersheds of the World CD is the product of a collaboration between IUCN, IWMI, WRI and the Ramsar Convention. It provides maps of land cover, population density and biodiversity for 154 basins and sub-basins around the world. It lists indicators and variables for each of these basins and, where appropriate, provides links and references to relevant information. It further contains 20 global maps portraying relevant water resources issues. Available for download or on-line use. | |
| Wetland Fact Sheets from the USA's EPA provide a whole package of information for anyone interested in wetlands. The sheets, each downloadable in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, include Wetlands Overview, Funding Wetland Projects, Types of Wetlands, Wetland Monitoring & Assessment, Functions & Values of Wetlands, Sustainable Communities, Threats to Wetlands, Volunteering for Wetlands, Wetland Restoration, and Teaching about Wetlands. | |
| On-line training module on wetland values and functions provided by EPA's Water Academy Distance Learning Program. Well presented and concisely written, the material is intended as a self-paced training module for wetland managers but would be suitable for teachers and upper secondary students too. | |
| From basic information on estuaries in the USA - what is an estuary, estuary restoration, economic value of estuaries, major causes of habitat loss etc | |
| How many wetlands are there in the world? Where are they located? | |
| From the USA's EPA, a document that can be downloaded as a series of PDF files covering wetland science, wetland types, wetland functions. Aimed at teachers and includes classroom activities as well as basic wetland information. |
Return to the Outreach Programme index page
For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please
contact the Ramsar Convention
Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel
+41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted
16 April 2001, updated 28 January 2008, Sandra Hails, Ramsar.
