The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation of
- (a)fish
- (b)wildlife
- (c)wetland
- (d)art and culture
Correct — C, wetland. The Convention on Wetlands was adopted at Ramsar in Iran on 2 February 1971 and is the only global environmental treaty devoted to a single ecosystem type. Its stated mission is the conservation and wise use of wetlands through national action and international cooperation, and parties designate Wetlands of International Importance, known as Ramsar Sites, for the list it maintains. India acceded in 1982, and Chilika Lake in Odisha and Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan were its first two sites, both designated on 1 October 1981.
- (a)fish — No treaty of this name deals with fish as such. Fisheries are governed by regional fisheries bodies and by the law of the sea; migratory aquatic species come under the Convention on Migratory Species.
- (b)wildlife — The general wildlife trade convention is CITES, agreed in 1973, and migratory species have their own convention. Ramsar's subject is the habitat, and the birds it is famous for protecting are protected through their wetlands.
- (d)art and culture — Cultural and natural heritage is the subject of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention of 1972, which is a different treaty with a different list.
Ramsar defines wetlands broadly — marshes, lakes, rivers, mangroves, peatlands, coral reefs and even human-made sites such as reservoirs, salt pans and paddy fields. Parties commit to the wise use of all wetlands in their territory, to designating at least one Wetland of International Importance, and to international cooperation on shared wetland systems and migratory species. Where a listed site's ecological character is changing or likely to change through human interference, it can be placed on the Montreux Record, which flags it for remedial attention.
The commonest error is to read Ramsar as a bird treaty, because Ramsar Sites in India are so often bird sanctuaries. The Convention protects habitat, and the birds follow from that. Keep the environmental conventions apart by their subject: Ramsar for wetlands, CITES for trade in endangered species, the Convention on Biological Diversity for biodiversity as a whole, the UNFCCC for climate, and the World Heritage Convention for cultural and natural heritage sites.
- The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was adopted on 2 February 1971 at Ramsar in Iran; that date is now World Wetlands Day.
- India became a party in 1982; Chilika Lake and Keoladeo National Park, designated on 1 October 1981, were its first two sites.
- Ramsar's central obligation is the wise use of wetlands and the designation of Wetlands of International Importance.
- The Montreux Record lists sites whose ecological character has changed or is likely to change through human interference.
- Wetlands under the Convention include marshes, lakes, mangroves, peatlands, coral reefs and man-made sites such as reservoirs and salt pans.
- Reading Ramsar as a bird convention because so many Ramsar Sites are bird sanctuaries.
- Confusing the Montreux Record with a heritage listing; it is a warning register for ecological change.
- Assuming Ramsar obliges a country to protect every wetland in its territory rather than to use all wisely and list some.
A single-word convention-to-subject item, of the type that recurs across exams and is answered by keeping the environmental treaties separated by subject.
If a wetland of international importance is brought under the 'Montreux Record', what does it imply?
- (a) Changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur in the wetland as a result of human interference
- (b) The country in which the wetland is located should enact a law to prohibit any human activity within five kilometres from the edge of the wetland
- (c) The survival of the wetland depends on the cultural practices and traditions of certain communities living in its vicinity and therefore the cultural diversity therein should not be destroyed
- (d) It is given the status of 'World Heritage Site'
Answer(a) Changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur in the wetland as a result of human interference
The next layer of the same treaty. Once Ramsar is fixed as the wetlands convention, the Montreux Record is the mechanism most often asked about.
India is a party to the Ramsar Convention and has declared many areas as Ramsar Sites. Which of the following statements best describes how we should maintain these sites in the context of this Convention?
- (a) Keep all the sites completely inaccessible to man so that they will not be exploited.
- (b) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and permit tourism and recreation only.
- (c) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach for a period without any exploitation, with specific criteria and specific period for each site, and then allow sustainable use of them by future generations.
- (d) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and allow their simultaneous sustainable use.
Answer(d) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and allow their simultaneous sustainable use.
Explains what conservation under Ramsar actually requires — wise use rather than total exclusion, with the ecological character of the site preserved.
The ‘Ramsar Convention’ relates to which one of the following areas?
- (a) Wetland preservation
- (b) Promote afforestation
- (c) Action plan on climate change
- (d) Combat desertification
Answer(a) Wetland preservation
The same one-line question on an official key, with afforestation, climate and desertification standing in for the wrong subjects instead of fish and wildlife.
- practice — not a real PYQ
World Wetlands Day, marking the adoption of the Ramsar Convention, is observed on
- (a)2 February
- (b)22 April
- (c)5 June
- (d)16 September
Answer(a) 2 February — the Convention was adopted at Ramsar in Iran on that date in 1971.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Montreux Record maintained under the Ramsar Convention is a register of
- (a)wetlands of outstanding beauty
- (b)wetlands where ecological character has changed or is likely to change through human interference
- (c)wetlands that have been fully restored
- (d)wetlands shared between two or more countries
Answer(b) wetlands where ecological character has changed or is likely to change through human interference — it is a warning list, not an honours list.