Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance–improving conservation outcomes
Kingsford, R.T., Bino, G,, Finlayson, C.M., Falster, D., Fitzsimons, J.A., Gawlik, D.E., Murray, N.J., Grillas, P., Gardner, R.C., Regan, T.J., Roux, D.J., and Thomas, R.F. (2021) Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance–improving conservation outcomes. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 9. 643367.
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Abstract
The Ramsar Convention (or the Convention on Wetlands), signed in 1971, was one of the first international conservation agreements, promoting global wise use of wetlands. It has three primary objectives: national designation and management of wetlands of international importance; general wise use of wetlands; and international cooperation. We examined lessons learnt for improving wetland conservation after Ramsar’s nearly five decades of operation. The number of wetlands in the Ramsar Site Network has grown over time (2,391 Ramsar Sites, 2.5 million km2, as at 2020-06-09) but unevenly around the world, with decreasing rate of growth in recent decades. Ramsar Sites are concentrated in countries with a high Gross Domestic Product and human pressure (e.g., western Europe) but, in contrast, Ramsar Sites with the largest wetland extent are in central-west Africa and South America. We identified three key challenges for improving effectiveness of the Ramsar Site Network: increasing number of sites and wetland area, improved representation (functional, geographical and biological); and effective management and reporting. Increasing the number of sites and area in the Ramsar network could benefit from targets, implemented at national scales. Knowledge of representativeness is inadequate, requiring analyses of functional ecotypes, geographical and biological representativeness. Finally, most countries have inadequate management planning and reporting on the ecological character of their Ramsar Sites, requiring more focused attention on a vision and objectives, with regular reporting of key indicators to guide management. There are increasing opportunities to rigorously track ecological character, utilizing new tools and available indicators (e.g., remote sensing). It is critical that the world protect its wetlands, with an effective Ramsar Convention or the Convention on Wetlands at the core.
| Item ID: | 70489 |
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| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 2296-665X |
| Keywords: | ecological character, International agreement, Ramsar Convention, risk assessment, river conservation |
| Copyright Information: | Copyright © 2021 Kingsford, Bino, Finlayson, Falster, Fitzsimons, Gawlik, Murray, Grillas, Gardner, Regan, Roux and Thomas. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
| Funders: | Australian Research Council (ARC) |
| Projects and Grants: | ARC LP180100159, ARC DE190100101 |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Nov 2021 00:03 |
| FoR Codes: | 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310304 Freshwater ecology @ 100% |
| SEO Codes: | 19 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURAL HAZARDS > 1902 Environmental policy, legislation and standards > 190211 Water policy (incl. water allocation) @ 50% 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1803 Fresh, ground and surface water systems and management > 180301 Assessment and management of freshwater ecosystems @ 50% |
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