Peatlands and the Ramsar Convention

Under-represented wetland types in the Ramsar "List of Wetlands of International Importance"

Peatlands and the Ramsar Convention

For more than 30 years, the Ramsar Convention has been the principal instrument for international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. Adopted in Iran in 1971, it was the first of the modern global conservation treaties, and is still the only one dedicated to a particular ecosystem type. Parties to the Convention have committed themselves to designating all of their "suitable wetlands", based upon criteria developed over the years, for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance (the "Ramsar List") and maintaining their ecological character through management planning for their conservation and sustainable use.

Peatlands

Covering some 400 million hectares in total, peatlands represent approximately 50% of the world's terrestrial and freshwater wetlands. Despite being the most extensive single wetland type in the world, less than 10% of the global peatland area is represented on the Ramsar List.

Peatlands are made up of mainly semi-decayed plant material accumulated over some five to eight thousand years. They are major contributors to the biological diversity of regions in many parts of the world and provide a variety of goods and services, both directly and indirectly, in the form of forestry and fishery products, energy, flood mitigation, water supply and groundwater recharge. They also have a functional significance far beyond their actual geographical extent - the carbon stored in peat represents some 25% of the world soil carbon pool which would contribute to global warming and climate disruption if released.

The world's peatlands are under increasing pressure from development such as agricultural conversion, forestry and mining, for both energy and horticultural supplies. In recent years, working with the Global Peatland Initiative and organizations such as the International Mire Conservation Group, the International Peat Society, and others, the Ramsar Convention has developed Guidelines for Global Action on Peatlands and, in November 2003, has taken the lead in forming a Coordinating Committee for Global Action on Peatlands.

(These lists are current as of March 2004.)

For detailed and up-to-date information on Ramsar Sites, use the Ramsar Sites Information Service search facilities on the Ramsar Sites Database (http://www.wetlands.org/rsis/) maintained by Wetlands International.

Additional background

About the List of Wetlands of International Importance

The Criteria for Identifying Wetlands of International Importance

Strategic Framework and guidelines for the future development of the List

-- Photo at the top of the page, W. J. Cooper:
Cushion bog, Waituna, New Zealand

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail

). Posted 16 March 2004, updated 11 June 2004, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.

Recommendation 6.1	Conservation of peatlands
Recommendation 7.1	A global action plan for the wise use and management of peatlands
Resolution VIII.11	Additional guidance for identifying and designating under-represented wetland types as Wetlands of International Importance
Resolution VIII.17	Guidelines for Global Action on Peatlands

Adobe PDF format	No. Sites	Surface Area (hectares)
Ramsar Sites in which non-forested peatlands (type U) are present	316	30,110,733
Ramsar Sites in which forested peatlands (type Xp) are present	127	11,222,919
*which include*
Ramsar Sites in which non-forested peatlands (type U) are dominant	145	4,318,788
Ramsar Sites in which forested peatlands (type Xp) are dominant	30	610,255