ABSTRACT
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat, known as the Ramsar Convention, is a wetland conservation treaty with more than 165 parties. Concluded in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, it entered into force in 1975. As an early multilateral environmental agreement, its obligations are general in nature (Bowman 1995). Each party is expected to comply with three primary duties (referred to as the three Ramsar pillars) (see Compliance and implementation): designation and conservation of at least one site as a Wetland of International Importance (called a Ramsar site); the wise use (sustainable use) of all wetlands within its territory; and international cooperation with respect to wetland matters. The Ramsar Convention endorses ecosystem approaches to protecting the environment. Indeed, Ramsar parties have defined wise use as “the maintenance of their ecological character, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context of sustainable development.”
