Ramsar Convention Secretariat

The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 159 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1847 wetland sites, totaling 181 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.