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List of parties to the Ramsar Convention

List of member states in the Ramsar Convention

List of parties to the Ramsar Convention

List of member states in the Ramsar Convention

Ramsar logo

This is a list of parties contracting to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat, also known as the Convention on Wetlands. The convention's mission is "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". It calls upon contracting parties to recognize the interdependence of humans and the environment as well as the ecological functions of wetlands, such as wildlife habitat, nutrient cycling, and flood control.

The Ramsar Convention is the oldest multilateral international conservation convention and the only one to deal with one habitat or ecosystem type, wetlands. The convention's headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland, and it works closely with the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The convention was held in the city of Ramsar, Iran, in February 1971 and was originally contracted by seven countries when it came into force on 21 December 1975. , there are 172 contracting parties and 2,520 designated sites covering 253,075,668 ha. All of the contracting parties have designated at least one Ramsar site, and 32 of the contracting countries have only one site. The country with the most sites is the United Kingdom with 175. To become a Ramsar site, a site must be nominated by a contracting country, meet at least one of nine criteria, and undergo scientific review.

Russia, which had 35 Ramsar sites, announced its withdrawal on 22 July 2025.

The table lists the countries contracting to the convention, the entry date of each country to the convention, the number of Ramsar sites in each country, and the total area of all Ramsar sites in each country.

CountryRegionEntry dateRamsar sitesAreahectaresacresAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBhutanBolivia (Plurinational State of)Bosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongoCosta RicaCôte d'IvoireCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDemocratic People's Republic of KoreaDemocratic Republic of the CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEstoniaEswatiniFijiFinlandFranceGabonThe GambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauHondurasHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran (Islamic Republic of)IraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorth MacedoniaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalRepublic of KoreaRepublic of MoldovaRomaniaRwandaSaint LuciaSamoaSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSlovakiaSloveniaSouth AfricaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTajikistanThailandTogoTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited Republic of TanzaniaUnited States of AmericaUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)VietnamYemenZambiaZimbabwe
Europe498181 ha
Africa503032813 ha
Europe36870 ha
Africa15,367,000 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean13600 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean246,085,995 ha
Europe3493511 ha
Oceania678,378,162 ha
Europe25125,198 ha
Europe299560 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean132600 ha
Asia26810 ha
Asia2611200 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean133 ha
Europe26777895 ha
Europe946944 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean223592 ha
Africa42587342 ha
Asia31225 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean1114842405 ha
Europe357192 ha
Africa15537400 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean2726794455 ha
Europe1149,397 ha
Africa251940481 ha
Africa478515 ha
Asia585235 ha
Africa7827060 ha
North America3713086767 ha
Africa42300 ha
Africa2376300 ha
Africa612405068 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean16363927 ha
Asia827,647,895 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean10814717 ha
Africa316030 ha
Africa1413813865 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean12569742 ha
Africa6127344 ha
Europe593590 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean61188411 ha
Europe11107 ha
Europe1460207 ha
Asia27241 ha
Africa411906617 ha
Europe432335939 ha
Africa13000 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean6225173 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean191064483 ha
Africa4415532 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean8228719 ha
Africa3136000 ha
Europe17306481 ha
Africa31183 ha
Oceania2135515 ha
Europe49799518 ha
Europe553,906,246 ha
Africa93001769 ha
Africa331244 ha
Europe436010 ha
Europe35869265 ha
Africa6176134 ha
Europe10163501 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean1518 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean7628592 ha
Africa169065446 ha
Africa41189633 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean12305927 ha
Europe29260668 ha
Europe6128666 ha
Asia961,361,331 ha
Asia81,375,426 ha
Asia271,494,371 ha
Asia4537900 ha
Europe4566994 ha
Europe2366 ha
Europe6381,091 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean437847 ha
Asia54166,134 ha
Asia213472 ha
Asia103188557 ha
Africa6265449 ha
Oceania11033 ha
Asia150948 ha
Asia3679408 ha
Asia214760 ha
Europe6150318 ha
Asia41075 ha
Africa1434 ha
Africa595879 ha
Africa283 ha
Europe1101 ha
Europe765581 ha
Europe217213 ha
Africa212147911 ha
Africa1286356 ha
Asia7134182 ha
Africa44204640 ha
Europe2117 ha
Oceania270119 ha
Africa41240600 ha
Africa3401 ha
North America1448721911 ha
Europe123 ha
Asia111439530 ha
Europe321627 ha
Africa38316086 ha
Africa24534872 ha
Asia7278,913 ha
Africa5676564 ha
Asia1060561 ha
Europe58928,513 ha
Oceania767186 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean9406852 ha
Africa147534289 ha
Africa171,077,468 ha
Europe346821 ha
Europe63909134 ha
Asia3213,876 ha
Asia191343627 ha
Oceania1500 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean6285,487 ha
Oceania2594924 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean6785970 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean146789685 ha
Asia10431,890 ha
Europe19152964 ha
Europe32133,527 ha
Asia2620,265 ha
Europe394705 ha
Europe201177748 ha
Africa16736 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean285 ha
Oceania35,767 ha
Africa123 ha
Asia110,609.0 ha
Africa9159137 ha
Europe
(ratified as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
11130411 ha
Africa344025 ha
Africa1295000 ha
Europe1440697 ha
Europe38205 ha
Africa31584,790 ha
Africa15700000 ha
Europe76313083 ha
Asia6198172 ha
Africa43436009 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean112000 ha
Europe68665474 ha
Europe1114690 ha
Asia110000 ha
Asia594600 ha
Asia16406,699 ha
Africa41210400 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean315919 ha
Africa42844685 ha
Europe14184487 ha
Asia1267124 ha
Africa12454303 ha
Europe50802604 ha
Asia1039166 ha
Europe1751283040 ha
Africa44868424 ha
North America411884551 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean3435837 ha
Asia4674,400 ha
Oceania18,248.1 ha
Latin America and the Caribbean5265668 ha
Asia9120549 ha
Asia1580 ha
Africa84030500 ha
Africa7453828 ha

References

References

  1. (27 October 2011). "A brief history of the Ramsar Convention". The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
  2. "Contracting Parties of the Ramsar Convention".
  3. Heinen, Joel. (20 June 2007). "Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat". Encyclopedia of Earth.
  4. (2025-10-17). "Russia Abandons a Treaty: Environmental Protection During Armed Conflict".
  5. (13 February 2013). "Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands". The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
  6. This is the date the Convention came into force for the state, not the date of the ratification of the treaty.
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