Recommendations of the Montreux Conference

Recommendation 4.1 on Wetland restoration

4th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties
Montreux, Switzerland
27 June-4 July 1990

Recommendation 4.1: Wetland restoration

AWARE that wetland loss is still prevalent and that degradation threatens listed sites;

INFORMED that major restoration schemes are in operation or planned at several listed sites;

ADMITTING that existing manuals are of limited general applicability to wetland restoration schemes;

CONVINCED that maintenance and conservation of existing wetlands is always preferable and more economical than their subsequent restoration;

EMPHASIZING that degraded wetlands should be restored before destroyed wetlands;

RECALLING that restoration schemes must not weaken efforts to conserve existing natural systems;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

RECOMMENDS that

(a) all Parties examine the possibility of establishing appropriate wetland restoration projects;

(b) the Agency or Agencies responsible for wetlands in each Contracting Party should have wetland restoration in their mission; and

(c) opportunities for wetland restoration be sought and put into operation;

FURTHER RECOMMENDS that Contracting Parties provide the Bureau with available documentation on different stages of wetland restoration projects; and

FINALLY RECOMMENDS that the Standing Committee in its deliberations on necessary scientific work consider the need to prepare a technical manual on wetland restoration with emphasis on evaluation of case studies, and to consider the impact of global warming and sea level rise on wetlands.

For further information on the Ramsar Convention or the Montreux Meeting of the Conference of the Parties, 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 19 February 1997, updated 21 December 2004, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.