Recommendations of the Groningen Conference

Recommendation 2.9 on Conservation of unlisted wetlands

2nd Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties
Groningen, the Netherlands
7-12 May 1984

Recommendation 2.9: Conservation action and protection of wetlands not designated for the List of Wetlands of International Importance

RECALLING that the Preamble to the Ramsar Convention points out the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands as regulators of water regimes; their status as a resource of great economic, cultural, scientific and recreational value; the desirability of stemming encroachment on wetlands; the need to regard waterfowl as an international resource; and the possibility of conserving wetlands by continuing far-sighted national policies with coordinated international action;

AWARE that the Ramsar Convention requires Contracting Parties to designate suitable wetlands within their territories for inclusion in a List of Wetlands of International Importance as well as to formulate and implement their planning so as to promote the conservation of the wetlands included in the List;

RECALLING Recommendation 1.3 of the Cagliari Conference that in order to achieve the aims of the Convention, Contracting Parties should designate as many as possible of their wetlands of international importance for the List;

NOTING that conservation action has been taken at many wetlands mentioned in the report and Recommendations of the Cagliari Conference, such as the Oostvaardersplassen in the Netherlands, Blar nam Faoileag in the United Kingdom, and Stagno di Molentargius, Italy;

WELCOMING statements at this Conference from numerous Contracting Parties on their intention to designate for the List and ensure conservation action at many wetlands of international importance such as the Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve in Australia, the St Clair National Wildlife Area and the Chignecto in the Bay of Fundy in Canada;

THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

RECOMMENDS that appropriate conservation action be taken by the Contracting Parties including where possible designation for the List of the unlisted sites mentioned in Conference document C.2.6 and in the Record of the present Conference, notably Oued Massa (Morocco), Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia), Lake Izunuma (Japan), the Venice Lagoon, the northern part of the Po Delta and Lake Trasimene (Italy), Lake Tata (Hungary), Lake Aleg and Lake of Mâl (Mauritania);

FURTHER SUGGESTS that effective protection is ensured of wetlands of international importance mentioned by observers and in the Record of the present Conference such as Rio Pilcomayo National Park (Argentina), the Inner Niger Delta (Mali), Lake Chad (Chad) and the Marais de l'ouest (France).

For more information about the Recommendations of the Groningen COP or the Ramsar Convention itself, 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 ). Posted 2 March 1997, updated 22 December 2004, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.