Ramsar Sites of the World: Exemplary sites demonstrating delivery of the Ramsar goals across the world

This book contains accounts about a wide range of Ramsar sites from around the world. Some of these sites are almost untouched by people (e.g. Wadden Sea, Europe) whilst others have been habited by people for tens of centuries (e.g. Chilika Lake, India). In some cases, the wetland had been neglected and lain damaged for a long time but through the hard work of volunteers (e.g. Hunter Wetlands Centre, Australia) or through private-public partnership (e.g. Caddo Lake, USA), the wetland was then transformed into a valuable asset for providing resources for local people (e.g. Chilika Lake, India), for education and training (e.g. Mai Po Nature Reserve, Hong Kong, P.R. China), and for supporting biodiversity (e.g. Lake Hornborga, Sweden).

These stories also tell us, however,that wetlands can be easily damaged by pollution, uncoordinated planning of their catchment and unsustainable use of their resources (e.g. Interior delta of the Niger River, Mali). In many cases, these threats are due to a lack of awareness amongst decision makers, local communities and other stakeholders. That is one reason why most of the wetlands you will read about in this book, have active programmes to work with students, government officials, local villagers and even the private sector, to raise their awareness of the importance of the wetland site and the value of its conservation (e.g. Upo Marshes, Republic of Korea). In some cases, the site managers also engage local communities in the management of their site, and that the community can also benefit from the conservation of the site, such as through the sustainable use of the wetland’s resources (e.g. Mamiraua Reserve, Brazil).