The importance of global wetlands to sustainable development
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The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
Number of Contracting Parties: 171
Number of Wetlands of International Importance: 2,404
Total surface of designated sites: 254,341,568 ha
Kuannersuit Kuussuat is situated on the island of Qeqertarsuaq, west of Greenland. It consists of a broad valley with the channels of a braided river flowing through it. The Site features several hot springs and a glacier at the head of the valley; its ice cover has been constantly varying, and the Site has been influenced by glacier surges, in which the glacier advances very rapidly in a very short period. Between 1995 and 1999, the glacier covered the upper two kilometres (14%) of the Ramsar Site. The area is important for several species of breeding waterbird, which are also nationally and globally red-listed, such as the Greenland white-fronted goose. Local people harvest some of the area’s natural resources, but this has only a minor impact on the Site.
