Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention, formally the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat, is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, which it designates as Ramsar sites. It is also known simply as the Convention on Wetlands and takes its name from the Iranian city of Ramsar, where it was signed in 1971. The contracting parties meet every three years as the Conference of the Contracting Parties, the policy-making organ that adopts site designations, resolutions and recommendations and improves how parties implement the treaty. The fifteenth such conference was held in Montreal, Canada, in 2022.