Wetlands Convention

The Ramsar Convention or Wetlands Convention was closed in 1971. Currently, there are more than 150 member states. These countries have pledged to protect all wetlands of international importance. The Convention was initially aimed at the protection of water birds whose migration behaviour virtually connects countries. Today, the Convention’s mission is to preserve the ecological character of wetlands of international importance and to promote sensible and sustainable use of the wetlands. In the Netherlands, 50 wetlands were selected, e.g. large areas such as the Wadden Sea and the IJsselmeer, but also smaller wetlands such as the Naardermeer and the Bargerveen.