List of Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance

Ramsar sites are protected under by the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value. The convention establishes that "wetlands should be selected for the list on account of their international significance in terms of ecology, botany, zoology, limnology or hydrology." Over the years, the Conference of the Contracting Parties has adopted more specific criteria interpreting the convention text.

The Ramsar List organizes the Ramsar sites according to the contracting party that designated each to the list. Contracting parties are grouped into six "regions": Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin American and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania. As of February 2025, 171 states have acceded to the convention and designated 2,531 sites to the list, covering 257,909,286 hectares (637,307,730 acres); one other state has acceded to the convention but has yet to designate any sites. The complete list of the wetlands is accessible on the Ramsar Sites Information Service website.