Ramsar site

The non-profit organisation Wetlands International provides access to the Ramsar database via the Ramsar Sites Information Service. ==Criteria for Ramsar sites==

A wetland can be considered internationally important if any of the following nine criteria apply: • Criterion 1: "it contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region." • Criterion 2: "it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities." • Criterion 3: "it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region." • Criterion 4: "it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions." • Criterion 5: "it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds." • Criterion 6: "it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird." • Criterion 7: "it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contributes to global biological diversity." • Criterion 8: "it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend." • Criterion 9: "it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland-dependent non-avian animal species." ==Classification System==

The Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Type is a wetland classification developed within the Ramsar Convention intended as a means for fast identification of the main types of wetlands for the purposes of the Convention. Marine/coastal wetlands • Saline water: • Permanent: • (A) Permanent shallow marine waters: Less than 6m deep at low tide; including sea bays and straits • (B) Marine subtidal aquatic beds: Underwater vegetation; including kelp beds and sea grass beds, and tropical marine meadows • (C) Coral reefs • Shores: • (D) Rocky marine shores • (E) Sand, shingle or pebble shores • Saline or brackish water: • Intertidal: • (G) Intertidal mud, sand or salt flats • (H) Intertidal marshes • (I) Intertidal forested wetlands • Lagoons: • (J) Coastal brackish/saline lagoons • Estuarine waters: • (F) Estuarine waters • Saline, brackish, or fresh water: • Subterranean: • (Zk(a)) Karst and other subterranean hydrological systems • Fresh water: • Lagoons: • (K) Coastal freshwater lagoons Inland wetlands • Fresh water: • Flowing water: • Permanent: • Permanent inland river deltas (L) • Permanent rivers/creeks/streams (M) • Freshwater springs, oases (Y) • Seasonal/intermittent rivers/creeks/streams (N) • Lakes/pools: • Permanent >8 ha (O) • Permanent 8 ha (P) • Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) • Marshes on inorganic soils: • Permanent (herb dominated) (Tp) • Permanent / Seasonal / Intermittent (shrub dominated)(W) • Permanent / Seasonal / Intermittent (tree dominated) (Xf) • Seasonal/intermittent (herb dominated) (Ts) • Marshes on peat soils: • Permanent (non-forested)(U) • Permanent (forested)(Xp) • Marshes on inorganic or peat soils: • Marshes on inorganic or peat soils / High altitude (alpine) (Va) • Marshes on inorganic or peat soils / Tundra (Vt) • Saline, brackish or alkaline waters: • Lakes • Permanent (Q) • Seasonal/intermittent (R) • Marshes/pools • Permanent (Sp) • Seasonal/intermittent (Ss) • Fresh, saline, brackish or alkaline waters: • Geothermal (Zg) • Subterranean (Zk(b)) Human-made wetlands • (1): Aquaculture ponds • (2): Ponds (farm and stock ponds, small stock tanks, or area less than 8 ha) • (3): Irrigated land • (4): Seasonally flooded agricultural land • (5): Salt exploitation sites • (6): Water Storage areas/Reservoirs • (7): Excavations • (8): Wastewater treatment areas • (9): Canals and drainage channels or ditches • (Zk(c)): human-made karst and other subterranean hydrological systems ==See also==