Ramsar Secretary General, Martha Rojas Urrego, represented the Ramsar Convention at the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development held in New York, United States, from 9 July to 18 July 2018.

Deputy Secretary General, Jonathan Barzdo, addressed the GEF Assembly saying: “As much as wetlands are vital to us and our survival and are key for achieving SDGs, they face many challenges. Up to 87% of the global wetland resource has been lost since 1700. We lose wetlands three time faster than natural forests"

In an unprecedented move to protect the Cuvette Centrale region in the Congo Basin, the world’s largest tropical peatlands, from unregulated land use and prevent its drainage and degradation, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Republic of Congo and Indonesia jointly signed the Brazzaville declaration that promotes better management and conservation of this globally important carbon store.

Jay Aldous, Director of Resource Mobilization and Outreach represented the Ramsar Convention at the Third Meeting of the Partners of the Global Peatlands Initiative held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo from 21-23 March. Ramsar as one of the founding partners works with other organizations to improve the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of peatlands. In this way the Initiative contributes to achieving a number of Sustainable Development Goals.

The decision follows years of collaboration among the governments that are securing a prosperous future for one of the most biologically rich ecosystems on the planet.

The Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka have recently conducted gap assessments on mainstreaming the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and their resources into their national planning processes with funds generously provided by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

Ramsar Regional Initiative SenegalWet held a meeting of its governing bodies from 9 to 10 April 2018 in Conakry, Guinea. This was a follow up meeting after an earlier conference held 15 - 16 February 2017 in Dakar to validate Initiative’s governing bodies, communication tools, statutes and rules of procedure.

This report highlights the critical role of wetlands in relation to the SDGs, and more specifically underscores the importance of conserving, using wisely and restoring this precious resource. The wise and sustainable use of wetlands as guided by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands will be critical in helping countries achieve their SDG targets.

The 2018 edition of the World Water Development Report (WWDR 2018) seeks to inform policy and decision-makers, inside and outside the water community, about the potential of nature-based solutions (NBS) to address contemporary water management challenges across all sectors, and particularly regarding water for agriculture, sustainable cities, disaster risk reduction and water quality.

Colombia has designated the Lakes of Tarapoto Wetlands Complex (Complejo de humedales Lagos de Tarapoto) as its seventh Wetland of International Importance. The Site, located on the River Amazon in the far south of the country, consists of several lakes interconnected by rivers and creeks.

Brazil has designated three new Wetlands of International Importance: the Rio Negro, the largest tributary to the Amazon basin; the Amazon Estuary and its Mangroves, one of the biggest continuous mangrove formations in the world, and Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, an oceanic archipelago with the only known oceanic mangrove in the South Atlantic.

Poland has designated three diverse mountain wetland complexes as Wetlands of International Importance. It now boasts 19 Ramsar Sites.

Spain has designated Marjal de Almenara as its 75th Wetland of International Importance.

Argentina has declared Villavicencio Natural Reserve as its 23rd Wetland of International Importance. The Site is located in the Province of Mendoza. The Reserve has been designated as a Natural Voluntary Reserve of Multiple Use by the Ministry of Environment and Public Works of Mendoza Province; it belongs to Danone and provides the resources for its mineral water brand.

Ecuador has designated Complejo de Humedales Cuyabeno Lagartococha Yasuní as its 19th Wetland of International Importance. The Site (Ramsar Site no. 2332) is located in the Amazon biogeographic region, and provides a corridor connecting the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve with the Yasuní National Park, one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world.

Welcome to Charlene Knoetze who has joined the Ramsar Secretariat as the Conference Assistant. Read more

Welcome to Veronique Charles who has joined the Ramsar Secretariat as the Administrative Communications Assistant. Read more