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Ramsar site information sheets and site maps: the latest updates

Status of RIS information and maps

The "Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands" (RIS) is the basic datasheet for Ramsar sites which was adopted by the 4th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP4) in 1990. The RIS format has been amended by the Parties several times since, in order to provide better quality descriptions of each site incorporated in the List of Wetlands of International Importance. It contains the justification for the inclusion of the wetland in the Ramsar List by assessing its international importance against agreed Criteria; it supplies additional data about ecological character, values, and threats that will be needed to manage the site effectively; and it provides a "snapshot" of the site to inform the public.

The 6th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (1996) requested, in Resolution VI.13, that all RISs be updated by the Parties at least every six years and additionally with every significant change in the ecological status of the site. The latest RIS versions are accessible on the Ramsar Sites Information Service: http://www.wetlands.org/rsis.

At their 9th meeting (2005), the Parties expressed concern "that for 619 Ramsar sites (41% of sites included in the List) in 104 countries [listed in the Annex], Ramsar Information Sheets (RISs) or adequate maps have not been provided or updated RISs and maps have not been supplied to the Secretariat for more than six years, so that information on the current status of theses sites is not available" (Resolution IX.15, paragraph 6).

COP9 therefore strongly urged "those Parties within whose territories lie Ramsar sites for which official descriptions have not been provided in one of the three working languages of the Convention, and/or for which suitable maps have not yet been submitted, to submit those materials to the Secretariat as a matter of the highest priority" (paragraph 29).

COP9 furthermore instructed "the Ramsar Secretariat to contact the Contracting Parties listed in the Annex to this Resolution and request them to provide or update, as a matter of high priority, Ramsar site descriptions (Ramsar Information Sheets and/or maps), using the Ramsar Information Sheet as revised to incorporate the amendments introduced by Resolution IX.1 Annex B, in one of the Convention's official working languages" (paragraph 30).

In order to support the efforts of Contracting Parties in providing and regularly updating Ramsar site information, the Ramsar Secretariat (following up on suggestions made during COP9) has prepared the attached progress chart on the provision of Ramsar site information. The chart will be updated each time new Ramsar site information is added to the List by the Secretariat; it will always show, therefore, the current state of Ramsar site information available.

Country and year of accession

Number of Ramsar sites

Ramsar sites with missing or outdated information

Albania / Albanie (1996)

3

1

Algeria / Algérie / Argelia (1984)

42

0

Antigua and Barbuda / Antigua-et-Barbuda / Antigua y Barbuda (2005)
1
0

Argentina / Argentine (1992)

17

6

Armenia / Armenie (1993)

2

2

Australia / Australie (1975)

65

47

Austria / Autriche (1983)

19

1

Azerbaijan / Azerbaïdjan / Azerbaiyán (2001)

2

0

Bahamas (1997)

1

1

Bahrain / Bahreïn / Bahrein (1998)

2

1

Bangladesh (1992)

2

0

Barbados / Barbade (2006)
1
0

Belarus / Bélarus / Belarús (1991)

8

1

Belgium / Belgique / Belgica (1986)

9

5

Belize / Belice (1998)

2

1

Benin / Bénin (2000)

4

2

Bolivia / Bolivie (1990)

8

2

Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bosnie-Herzégovine (1992)

3

1

Botswana (1997)

1

1

Brazil / Brésil / Brasil (1993)

8

7

Bulgaria / Bulgarie (1975)

10

2

Burkina Faso (1990)

3

3

Burundi (2002)
1
1

Cambodia / Cambodge / Camboya (1999)

3

3

Cameroon / Cameroun / Camerún (2006)
3
0

Canada (1981)

37

36

Cape Verde / Cap-Vert / Cabo Verde (2005)
3
3
Central African Republic / République Centrafricaine / República Centroafricana (2006)
1
1

Chad / Tchad (1990)

6

1

Chile / Chili (1981)

9

7

China / Chine (1992)

36

6

Colombia / Colombie (1998)

5

1

Comoros / Comores / Comoras (1995)

3

1

Congo (1998)

5

1

Costa Rica (1992)

11

9

Côte d’Ivoire (1996)

6

0

Croatia / Croatie / Croacia (1991)

4

4

Cuba (2001)

6

0

Cyprus / Chypre / Chipre (2001)

1

0

Czech Republic / République Tcheque / (1993)

12

10

Democratic Republic of Congo / République démocratique du Congo / República Democrática del Congo (1996)

2

2

Denmark / Danemark / Dinamarca (1978)

38

0

Djibouti (2003)
1
1
Dominican Republic / République Dominicaine / República Dominicana (2002)
1
0

Ecuador / Equateur (1991)

13

6

Egypt / Egypte / Egipto (1988)

2

2

El Salvador (1999)

3

1

Equatorial Guinea / Guinée Équatoriale / Guinea Ecuatorial (2003)
3
3

Estonia / Estonie (1994)

12

9

Fiji / Fidji (2006)
1
0

Finland / Finlande / Finlandia (1975)

49

0

France / Francia (1986)

36

14

Gabon (1987)

6

0

Gambia / Gambie (1997)

3

1

Georgia / Géorgie (1997)

2

1

Germany / Allemagne / Alemania (1976)

34

27

Ghana (1988)

6

6

Greece / Grèce / Grecia (1975)

10

10

Guatemala (1990)

7

3

Guinea / Guinée (1993)

16

6

Guinea-Bissau / Guinée-Bissau (1990)

1

1

Honduras (1993)

6

4

Hungary / Hongrie / Hungría (1979)

28

0

Iceland / Islande (1978)

3

3

India / Inde (1982)

25

6

Indonesia / Indonésie (1992)

3

2

Iran, Islamic Republic of / Iran, République islamique d' / Irán, República Islámica del (1975)

22

0

Iraq
1
0

Ireland / Irlande / Irlanda (1985)

45

45

Israel / Israël (1997)

2

2

Italy / Italie / Italia (1977)

51

44

Jamaica / Jamaïque (1998)

3

1

Japan / Japon / Japón (1980)

37

9

Jordan / Jordanie / Jordania (1977)

1

1

Kazakhstan / Kazajstán
1
0

Kenya (1990)

5

0

Kyrgyz Republic / République kirghize / República Kirguisa (2003)
2
1

Latvia / Lettonie / Letonia (1995)

6

0

Lebanon / Liban / Líbano (1999)

4

3

Lesotho (2004) 1 0
Liberia / Libéria (2003) 5 0

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya / Jamahiriya arabe libyenne / Jamahiriya Arabe Libia (2000)

2

2

Liechtenstein (1991)

1

1

Lithuania / Lituanie / Lituania (1993)

5

5

Luxembourg / Luxemburgo (1998)

2

1

Madagascar (1999)

6

1

Malawi (1997)

1

1

Malaysia / Malaisie / Malasia (1995)

5

1

Mali (1987)

1

0

Malta / Malte (1989)

2

2

Marshall Islands / Iles Marshall / Islas Marshall (2004)
1
0

Mauritania / Mauritanie (1983)

3

3

Mauritius / Maurice / Mauricio (2001)

2

1

Mexico / Mexique / México (1986)

112

0

Moldova (2000)

3

1

Monaco (1997)

1

0

Mongolia / Mongolie (1998)

11

6

Montenegro
1
1

Morocco / Maroc / Marruecos (1980)

24

0

Mozambique (2004)
1
0
Myanmar (2005)
1
0

Namibia / Namibie (1995)

4

4

Nepal (1988)

8

1

Netherlands / Pays-Bas / Países Bajos (1980)

49

23

New Zealand / Nouvelle-Zélande / Nueva Zelandia (1976)

6

0

Nicaragua (1997)

8

0

Niger / Níger (1987)

12

0

Nigeria / Nigéria (2001)

11

1

Norway / Norvège / Noruega (1975)

37

23

Pakistan (1976)

19

8

Palau / Palaos (2003)
1
0

Panama / Panamá (1990)

4

3

Papua New Guinea / Papouasie -Nouvelle-Guinée / Papua Nueva Guinea (1993)

2

2

Paraguay (1995)

6

4

Peru / Perou / Perú (1992)

13

6

Philippines / Filipinas (1994)

4

4

Poland / Pologne / Polonia (1978)

13

0

Portugal (1981)

28

10

Republic of Korea / République de Corée / República de Corea (1997)

8

3

Romania / Roumanie / Rumania (1991)

5

1

Russian Federation / Fédération de Russie / Federación De Rusia (1977)

35

35

Rwanda (2006)
1
1
Saint Lucia / Sainte-Lucia / Santa Lucía (2002)
2
0
Samoa (2005)
1
0
Sao Tome and Principe (2006)
1
1

Senegal / Sénégal (1977)

4

4

Serbia (1992)

9

3

Seychelles (2005)
1
0

Sierra Leone / Sierra Leona (2000)

1

1

Slovakia / Slovaquie / Eslovaquia (1993)

14

5

Slovenia / Slovénie / Eslovenia (1991)

3

2

South Africa / Afrique du Sud / Sudáfrica (1975)

19

17

Spain / Espagne / España (1982)

63

33

Sri Lanka (1990)

3

1

Sudan / Soudan / Sudán (2005)
2
0

Suriname (1985)

1

1

Sweden / Suède / Suecia (1975)

51

19

Switzerland / Suisse / Suiza (1976)

11

1

Syrian Arab Republic / République arabe syrienne / República Árabe Siria (1998)

1

1

Tajikistan / Tadjikistan / Tayikistán (2001)

5

5

Thailand / Thaïlande / Tailandia (1998)

10

1

The FYR of Macedonia / Macedoine (1991)

2

1

Togo (1995)

4

2

Trinidad & Tobago / Trinité-et-Tobago / Trinidad y Tobago (1993)

3

1

Tunisia / Tunisie / Túnez(1981)

20

1

Turkey / Turquie / Turquía (1994)

12

0

Uganda / Ouganda (1988)

11

1

Ukraine / Ucrania (1991)

33

22

United Arab Emirates / Emirats arabes unis / Emiratos Arabes Unidos (2007)
1
0

United Kingdom / Royaume-Uni / Reino-Unido (1976)

166

68

United Republic of Tanzania / République-Unie de Tanzanie / República-Unida de Tanzanía (2000)

4

1

United States of America / Etats-Unis d'Amérique / Estados Unidos de América (1987)

24

12

Uruguay (1984)

2

0

Uzbekistan / Ouzbékistan / Uzbekistán (2002)

2

0

Venezuela (1988)

5

5

Viet Nam (1989)

2

1

Yemen (2008)
1
1

Zambia / Zambie (1991)

8

0

former USSR

4

4

Country and year of accession

Number of Ramsar sites

Ramsar sites with missing or outdated information


Regional totals

Number of Ramsar sites

Ramsar sites with missing or outdated information

Africa

275

77

Asia
222
70

Europe

939

432

Neotropics

171

69

North America

148

48

Oceania

76

48

Regional totals

 

Number of Ramsar sites

Ramsar sites with missing or outdated information

Global totals
1825
738

For further information about the Convention on Wetlands, please contact: the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel. +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Begun July 2006, updated continuously, Dwight Peck and the Secretariat's regional teams, Ramsar.

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