Wetlands of International Importance: Ramsar Sites

Written on: September 29th, 2026 in Education and Outreach, Natural Resources

By Olivia Allread, DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program

When is the last time you looked at a world map? Do you know where the country of Lesotho is located? Or what the Sao Tome and Principe flag looks like? Yeah, of course not, neither did we. This blog post started as a brain exercise to find mapped wetlands in different countries and turned into a quest to share the world’s largest network of protected areas. Yes, you heard that right – the world’s largest network of protected areas – and they’re all wetlands. From Albania to El Salvador, Fiji to Kyrgyzstan, wetlands of many shapes and sizes exist within an intergovernmental treaty that has been in place for over 50 years. Now we can’t visit every site across the globe in one blog, so let’s explore the “who”, “what”, and some of the “where” of Wetlands of International Importance.

*A wetland in Kyrgyzstan (Photo Credit: Lew Young)*

How it Came to Be and Getting Designations

Let’s go back to in time to when this whole idea started. From the 1960s until the early 1970s, there was major global concern about the increasing loss and degradation of wetland habitat, particularly in reference to migratory waterbirds. The concept of protecting these areas on a global scale came to fruition as a treaty at the first Ramsar Convention, also known as the Convention on Wetlands, that was held in 1971. Taking place in the Iranian City of Ramsar (hence the name), countries and non-governmental organizations signed and adopted the treaty that then went into effect in 1975. Since it took force, the Mission of the Convention has been “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world.”

This treaty is not a “set it and forget it” policy. Though it is based around voluntary commitments, the signing parties must abide by an official, globally recognized framework for identifying the wetlands they find most important as well as the proper management of said habitats. All parties or countries that join stick to core pillars of conservation and wise use of their sites that include sustainable practices, mapping boundaries, determining ecological value, national planning, education, international cooperation, and longevity of all wetlands in their territory – even outside of the designations. To receive a Ramsar wetland designation, you must fulfill at least 1 of 9 specific criteria, with the first being centered around rare or unique wetland types, while the other 8 focus on biological diversity and ecological communities within the wetland site. Though they read easily on paper, these criteria are based on highly developed scientific methods and specific evaluations of biological communities in wetland habitats. Or simply put, it’s based off serious science!

Logo for the Convention on Wetlands

Flash forward another 55 years and boom, designated wetlands galore! There are approximately 2,533 Ramsar Sites in 172 Convention contracting parties across the world, covering almost 625.5 million acres of land. This network of areas includes wetlands in over 40 specific types of habitat classifications, within 3 broad categories of marine/coastal wetlands, inland wetlands, and human-made wetlands.

Just Released Last Year! The Strategic Plan for 2025-2034

The Contracting Parties approved the Fifth Strategic Plan of the Convention on Wetlands for 2025-2034 at COP15 that lays out a new vision under the Convention mission, four overall goals, and 18 specific targets – check it out here.

*A map of all the Wetlands of International Importance from the Site Information Service mapping tool*

Zoom In to the United States

To date, there are 41 Ramsar Sites totaling over 4.6 million acres in the United States, with over half of these sites completely in or partially within our U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuges. These spaces are sanctuaries recognized for their uniqueness, rarity, and importance for conserving biological diversity. Like many countries, the United States has an International Affairs program, housed within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who oversees designating Ramsar Sites in our borders. Their main goal is to identify and nominate wetlands for designation, while including input from partners, then research and monitor them to ensure their longevity for the future. Someone needs to make sure we’re following the rules.

As of recently, the environment in our country is under siege. We’re up against major shifts in policy and regulation, experiencing impacts from the climate crisis, and seeing our natural resources on the chopping block. During these tough times, it’s easy to forget the incredible work that has been done, and is still being done, for the protection and conservation of our habitats. Luckily, at least for now, we’re still a contracting party to the Ramsar Convention…

A Quick and Dirty Tour

Since we can’t highlight the thousands of Ramsar Sites across the world, let’s look at some of the standout areas we discovered during our research.

Gulf of Mottama in Myanmar – where 4 vital ecosystems (grasslands, mudflats, rivers, and mangroves) coexist in an interconnected landscape
Delaware Bay Estuary in Delaware (we had to include this one!) – one of the 4 most important shorebird migration sites in the world and the second-highest concentration of shorebirds in North America
Cobourg Peninsula in Australia – the first ever Wetland of International Importance designated in 1974
Endla Freshwater Complex in Estonia – a combination of peat bogs, swamp forests, lakes and rivers that are species rich
Black River Lower Morass in Jamaica – the country’s largest freshwater wetland ecosystem with 207 species of plants and over 300 species of birds
Mubarak Al-Kabeer Reserve in Kuwait – the largest island in Kuwait with an intricate network of tidal channels and creeks, shallow salt marshes, and coastal nabkhas (vegetated sand dune)
Kabartal Wetland in India – also known as Kanwar Jheel, an extensive floodplain complex holding monsoon waters and is a major stopover along the Central Asian Flyway
Laguna de Llancanelo in Argentina – a large wetland system with great diversity of habitats including salt pans, spring freshwaters, rivers, streams and a saltwater lagoon; Argentina has the most Ramsar sites in South America with 24 designations
Margherita di Savoia Salina in Italy – one of the country’s largest wetlands with expansive salt marsh and the continents largest saltworks (salt producer)

Left: Researchers studying the Mottama wetlands (Photo Credit: Thae Eaindra Hsu), Middle: Dunlins at Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge (Photo Credit: Bill Corbet), Right: Wetlands in the Cobourg Peninsula (Photo Credit: Michelle McAulay)

Left: Endla peat bogs in autumn (Photo Credit: Maris Parn), Middle: An endangered American crocodile in the Black River Lower Morass, Jamaica’s largest wetland (Photo Credit: Sherard Little), Right: Mubarak Al-Kabeer Reserve tidal wetlands on Boubyan Island (Photo Credit: Ramsar)

Left: Locals using the flooded wetland during the rainy season in the Kabartal and Asan Conservation Reserve (Photo Credit: Wetlands International South Asia), Middle: Foraging groups of Baird’s sandpipers along the western shore of Laguna Llancanelo (Photo Credit: Heber Sosa), Right: A sunset view of Margherita di Savoia Salina (Photo Credit: Michele Todisco)

Now if you really want to dig into the Ramsar Sites, you can tour all of them on the Convention’s Site Information Service mapping tool. But make sure your brain is ready! It’s a hefty tool that provides everything from designation dates to management plans, wetland types to threats each one is facing. Being a part of the Convention on Wetlands is a lifetime commitment to the resource – it holds contracting parties to a standard of understanding and protection. When browsing these photos, reminders as to why wetlands are truly one of a kind popped up everywhere. The glimmers of wetland appreciation across the world shine bright through the Ramsar Sites and give wetlands of all types a platform to be seen.

Oh, and in case you were still wondering – the location of Lesotho and Sao Tome and Principe flag are below. You learn something new every day.