Can a global treaty actually save the world's disappearing marshes and peatlands?

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Adopted in 1971, the Ramsar Convention is the first international environmental agreement dedicated to protecting wetlands. While it has successfully designated over 2,500 sites globally, the treaty faces a fundamental tension: it encourages conservation while allowing member nations to maintain sovereign control over their own lands, even if they choose to damage them.

The Ramsar Convention emerged from a mid-20th-century shift in scientific perspective. Historically viewed as disease-ridden obstacles to progress, wetlands—including bogs, marshes, and peatlands—were reevaluated by researchers as vital, complex ecosystems. This momentum was galvanized by initiatives like Project MAR, a 1961 collaboration between the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and other bird-preservation groups. These efforts culminated in the 1971 conference in Ramsar, Iran, where the treaty was adopted to safeguard these habitats, particularly for migratory birds that cross international borders.

Today, the convention boasts 172 contracting parties and oversees more than 2,500 designated sites. These areas vary wildly in scale, from tiny patches of 0.01 square kilometers to massive expanses like Brazil's 120,000-square-kilometer Rio Negro site. The treaty functions through a Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP) that meets every three years to set policy. It also encourages member states to identify wetlands of international importance based on ecological, botanical, or hydrological significance, and to train personnel in their management.

Despite its reach, the convention’s efficacy is often debated. Because the treaty does not override national sovereignty, member states retain the power to modify or destroy their designated sites. While the convention encourages countries to offset such damage by creating new protected areas, this practice remains controversial among conservationists. The treaty's limitations were further highlighted in 2025, when Russia—which holds the world's largest expanse of wetlands—withdrew from the agreement following international condemnation of its actions in Ukraine. With 64 percent of the world's wetlands having vanished since the early 20th century, the challenge of balancing sovereign development with global environmental preservation remains the convention's most persistent hurdle.

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