Ramsar Convention at 41 shows new dimensions

When Donald Campbell broke the land speed record on 17 July 1964, travelling 649 kilometres per hour across a parched desert landscape, he likely climbed out of the specially designed Bluebird- Proteus CN7 car, stepped out onto the salty ground, and took a deep breath of the dry desert air.

There were probably many things on his mind at that moment, but one thing almost certainly wasn't: wetlands. It would have probably surprised him to know that he was standing in one at that very moment.

As a dry salt flat, could the place where the land speed record was broken someday be included on the List of Wetlands of International Importance? It seems impossible, yet Australia's Lake Eyre Basin seems to break records and rules.

Then again, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) has always been a little different. While international conventions often coalesce around action led by major states, the Ramsar Convention arose from intense dialogue among three NGOs, namely the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the International Waterfowl Wetlands Research Bureau (now, Wetlands International) and the International Council for Bird Preservation (now BirdLife International).

During a 1962 conference in the area of French Camarque, the three NGOs called for the creation of an international convention to address the decrease in the world's wetlands and the associated threats to waterfowl.

Eight technical meetings followed and, in 1971, 18 nations met in Ramsar, Iran, to sign the Convention. Today, there are 160 signatories to the Ramsar Convention and, as it celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, it is clear that it has found lasting resonance in the global community. A total of over 2,000 Ramsar sites now exist around the world and cover over 1.9 million square kilometres.

More signatories, more sites, more activities. At the core of the convention is its mission of promoting conservation and wise use of wetlands "as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world". The heavy focus on the establishment of sites has also been crucial, with each new signatory being required to designate at least one wetland for inclusion on the Ramsar List at the time of its accession. Few things remain unchanged after 41 years though, and the Ramsar Convention is no exception.

The text of the Convention includes a strong focus on waterfowl and their habitats, leading some people to believe that the Convention is mostly about birds. Over the years, however, the Convention has evolved and the scope of its activities has broadened.

A crucial development started in the mid-1990s at the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Ramsar Convention held in Brisbane, Australia, as focus shifted away from simple wetland management for waterfowl. At COP 7 in San Jose, Costa Rica, increasing focus was placed on issues such as integrated river basin management and improving environmental quality in waters. By COP 8, held in Spain in 2002, a suite of new issues emerged under the umbrella of Ramsar, namely water allocation, climate change and wetlands, integrated coastal zone management, and the cultural value of wetlands.

From "wetlands for birds" to "water for people"This expansion in the range of issues being considered by the parties to the Ramsar Convention is perhaps evidence of a deeper understanding that humankind and communities are inextricably linked with the health of the wetlands that surround them. The ecosystem services provided by wetlands have shaped human civilisation from its earliest stages.

Water is one of the most critical environmental issue in the world today, and, if anything, it will only grow in importance as the global population expands and the forecast effects of climate change generate increasingly unpredictable and severe weather patterns.Indeed, the increased societal demands on wetlands - as a source of drinking water, food, transportation, hydropower, etc. - means that even if the parties to the Ramsar Convention wanted to limit its focus exclusively to waterfowl habitats, there would be no feasible way to ignore the communities surrounding these ecosystems and their basic needs. It therefore seems both reasonable and useful that the Ramsar Convention has broadened its scope to consider these issues in a more holistic sense. - Our World