Recommendations of the Regina Conference

Recommendation 3.1 on the Criteria for Identifying Wetlands of International Importance

The 3rd Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties
Regina, Canada
27 May - 5 June 1987

Recommendation 3.1: Criteria for Identifying Wetlands of International Importance and guidelines for their use

TAKING NOTE of the deliberations and conclusions of the Workshops on Criteria and on Flyways held at the present Meeting;

RECOGNIZING the concerns of the developing countries that further examination of the criteria and guidelines for identifying wetlands of international importance, and of application of the wise use provisions of the Convention, may be desirable;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

RECOMMENDS that the Criteria for identifying wetlands of international importance, as revised at Regina and included in the Annex to the Regina Recommendations [not included here], be used for identification of wetlands to be designated for the List under Article 2 of the Convention;

FURTHER RECOMMENDS that a working group shall be established in order to examine the ways in which the criteria and guidelines for identifying wetlands of international importance might be elaborated, and the wise use provisions of the Convention applied, in order to improve the worldwide application of the Convention; and

FINALLY RECOMMENDS that the members of the working group shall be agreed by the Standing Committee of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, that the working group shall select its own Chairman, that the Convention Bureau shall act as coordinator of the group, that the working group may consult with appropriate technical advisors and shall report its findings to the Bureau within 18 months for circulation to the Contracting Parties and observers for comment, that the Convention Bureau shall prepare a report based on comments received and a draft recommendation for consideration by the next ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, both of which shall be circulated to Contracting Parties and observers no later than 12 months before the next ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties.

For further information about the Regina COP or the Ramsar Convention, 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 11 March 1997, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.