What are Ramsar wetlands in Australia?
Ramsar wetlands are sites listed under the international Ramsar Convention as wetlands of global importance. Australia has more than 60 Ramsar sites, from tropical floodplains to coastal lagoons.
The Ramsar Convention was signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran. In 1974, Australia became the first country to designate a wetland under it: Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory.
Australian Ramsar sites include Kakadu's wetlands, the Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert in South Australia, the Macquarie Marshes in New South Wales, and Moreton Bay in Queensland.
Why wetlands matter
Wetlands filter water, store floodwaters, support fisheries and provide habitat for migratory shorebirds that fly from Siberia and Alaska each year along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
Australia protects Ramsar sites under its national environment law, the EPBC Act.
Many sites face threats from drought, water extraction and development.
Listing a site does not stop all use, but it commits governments to wise use and to protecting the features that make it special. Some sites are on private land and farms, managed with help from landholders, and scientists regularly survey birds and water quality to report on their condition.
Did You Know?
World Wetlands Day, held on 2 February, marks the anniversary of the Ramsar Convention.