The Aral Sea loses it Eastern Lobe: NASA’s Earth Observatory

In October 2014, NASA’s Earth Observatory claimed that Aral Sea, has dried and is at the verge of vanish.

As per NASA’s observatory, the sea is now just a vast toxic desert and its disappearance is also affecting the local climate.

Recently the Earth Observatory posted some images that show the extent of the lake’s recession over past 14 years. The released image of Aral Sea was taken by NASA’s Terra satellite in August 2014 and was released on 2 October 2014.

The damage was recorded the most in 2014, as the eastern lobe of the South Aral Sea that is the center of the original lake has dried completely. The researchers have predicted that Aral Sea will be vanished completely by 2020.

NASA reveled this by comparing pair of images taken from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite.

This images shows that the sea without its eastern lobe taken on August 19, 2014 and compared to the approximate location of the shoreline in 1960 (black outline).

 Image acquired on 24^th August 2014

Image acquired on 25^th August 2000.

About Aral Sea

The Aral Sea is an endorheic basin containing the remnants of a large lake lying between Kazakhstan in the north and Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan, in the south.

The name “Aral” translates as "Sea of Islands", referring to about 1,534 islands that once dotted its waters in Uzbek.

Formerly it was one of the four largest lakes in the world with an area of 68,000 km²; the Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects. 

By 2007, the lake declined to 10 percent of its original size by splitting into four lakes, namely the North Aral Sea, the eastern and western basins of the once far larger South Aral Sea and one smaller lake between the North and South Aral Seas.

Further, by 2009, the southeastern lake had disappeared and the southwestern lake had retreated to a thin strip at the extreme west of the former southern sea.

Cause of its disappearance

Aral Sea is fed by two rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, till 1960s.

These two rivers brought snowmelt from mountains to the southeast and local rainfall to the sea.

But in 1960s, the erstwhile Soviet Union diverted the water of the two rivers through canals and dams to supply agriculture of cotton and other agricultural products in the region, leading to stoppage of water into Aral Sea.

Impact of vanishing Aral on environment, economy, and public health

The ecosystems of the Aral Sea and the river deltas feeding into it have been nearly destroyed, not least because of the much higher salinity.

The receding sea has left huge plains covered with salt and toxic chemicals – the results of weapons testing, industrial projects, and pesticides and fertilizer runoff – which are picked up and carried away by the wind as toxic dust and spread to the surrounding area.

The land around the Aral Sea is heavily polluted, and the people living in the area are suffering from a lack of fresh water and health problems, including high rates of certain forms of cancer and lung diseases.

Respiratory illnesses, including tuberculosis (most of which is drug resistant) and cancer, digestive disorders, anaemia, and infectious diseases are common ailments in the region.

Liver, kidney, and eye problems can also be attributed to the toxic dust storms. Health concerns associated with the region are a cause for an unusually high fatality rate amongst vulnerable parts of the population.

The child mortality rate is 75 in every 1,000 newborns and maternity death is 12 in every 1,000 women.

Crops in the region are destroyed by salt being deposited onto the land. Vast salt plains exposed by the shrinking Aral have produced dust storms, making regional winters colder and summers hotter.

The Aral Sea fishing industry, which in its heyday had employed some 40,000 and reportedly produced one-sixth of the Soviet Union's entire fish catch, has been devastated, and former fishing towns along the original shores have become ship graveyards.

The town of Moynaq in Uzbekistan had a thriving harbor and fishing industry that employed about 30,000 people; now it lies miles from the shore.

Fishing boats lie scattered on the dry land that was once covered by water; many have been there for 20 years.

The only significant fishing company left in the area has its fish shipped from the Baltic Sea, thousands of kilometers away.

Climate change will exacerbate the threat of Megadroughts: Scientists

Scientists have warned that Climate change will exacerbate the threat of Megadroughts in report titled Assessing the risk of persistent drought using climate model simulations and paleoclimate data.

This report was published in September 2014 issue of American Meterological Society’s Journal of Climate.

The report is considered as the first to scientifically establish that climate change exacerbates the threat of Megadroughts. This report has taken into consideration of North and South America for its research.

Highlights of report:

• Megadroughts will become considerably more frequent as global warming increases temperatures and reduces rainfall in regions already susceptible. It will lead to severe than the prolonged water shortage.
• Without climate change, there would be a 5 to 15 per cent risk of a megadrought in the south-west of the US this century. But due to climate change, the probability of megadrought jumps to between 20 per cent and 50 per cent, with the southernmost part of the country particularly at risk.
• The threat megadroughts poses is so great that it could decimate the world’s economy and food supply, inflicting a humanitarian crisis.
• Megadroughts have occurred periodically around the world in the past few thousand years. In some cases it had caused civilisations to collapse, such as the ancient Puebloan native-American tribes in the south-west of the US. They abandoned their homes during a megadrought in the late 13th century and the Khmer empire of Cambodia in the 14th century.
• The fallout from future megadroughts will be even more severe because the global population is larger and the strain on water supplies is greater.
• Global warming will make droughts evermore severe and devastating in the future. 
  The south-west of the US, southern Europe, much of Africa, India, Australia and much of Central and South America could all have a drought that lasts decades.
• Scientists warned that the continued global warming could lead to multiple regions experiencing a hot megadroughts at the same time in the future. This could lead to global economic, food and humanitarian shocks.

What is Megadrought?

The term megadrought is generally used to describe the length of a drought.

In scientific literature it is considered as the decades-long droughts or multi-decadal droughts.

Megadroughts historically have been associated with prolonged La Nina conditions, which create cooler than normal water temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean.

This reduces evaporation and, in turn, the amount of rainfall.

La Nina, cyclic counterpart to El Nino, consisting of a cooling of surface waters of the Pacific 

Ocean along the western coast of South America.

While its local effects on weather and climate are generally the opposite of those associated with El Nino, its global effects can be more complex.

La Nina events often follow El Nino events, which occur at irregular intervals of about two to seven years.

International Day for preservation of Ozone Layer observed on 16 September

On 16th September 2014, the International Day for the preservation of the Ozone Layer was observed. Significance  of this day is that marks the commemoration of the date of signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 on substances that deplete the Ozone layer. 

The theme for 2014 is Ozone Layer Protection: The Mission Goes On.

On the occasion of the day, countries were invited by UN to devote a Day to promote activities in accordance with the objectives of the Protocol and its amendments. 

The actions taken according to the Montreal Protocol to phase out use of the ozone depleting substances has helped in reducing and protecting the ozone layer and its result has helped in addressing the climate change. 

Gases which are considered as Ozone depleting substances include Chlorofluorocarbons, halons, Carbontetrachloride.

History of International Day for preservation of Ozone Layer

The UN General Assembly in 1994 proclaimed 16 September as the International Day for preservation of Ozone Layer and commemorated the date of the signing of 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. 

Ozone Layer

The ozone layer is fragile shield of gas that protects the Earth from the harmful UV rays of the sun. 

The layer helps in preserving life on the planet. It protects human health and ecosystems by limiting the harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching to earth.

The ozone layer contains high concentrations of Ozone (O3) relative to other parts of the atmosphere, although it is still very small relative to other gases in the stratosphere. 

This layer is mainly found in the lower portion of stratosphere at a height of 20 to 30 kilometer above Earth. Thickness of the layer varies seasonally and geographically. 

Ozone layer was discovered by the French physicists Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson in 1913. 

While, its properties were explored in detail by the British meteorologist GMB Dobson who developed a simple spectrophotometer (the Dobsonmeter) that could be used to measure stratospheric ozone from the ground. 

Between 1928 and 1958 Dobson established a worldwide network of ozone monitoring stations, which continue to operate to this day. The Dobson unit, a convenient measure of the amount of ozone overhead, is named in his honor.

Ozone layer showing signs of recovery: UN scientists

On 10^th September 2014, report titled Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2014 was released.

The report was prepared by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The report revealed that the ozone layer is well on track to recovery in the next few decades.

Actions taken under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1986 are enabling the return of the ozone layer to benchmark 1980 levels.

Highlights of report:

• The Montreal Protocol and associated agreements have led to decreases in the atmospheric abundance of gases, such as CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and halons, once used in products such as refrigerators, spray cans, insulation foam and fire suppression.
• Total ozone column has declined over most of the globe during the 1980s and early 1990s. Since 2000, it has remained relatively unchanged, but there are recent indications of its future recovery.
•  The Antarctic ozone hole continues to occur each spring and it is expected to continue occurring for the better part of this century given that ozone depleting substances persist in the atmosphere, even though their emissions have ceased.
• The Arctic stratosphere in winter or spring 2011 was particularly cold that led to large ozone depletion as expected under these conditions.
•  The Montreal Protocol has made large contributions toward reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. 
• In 1987, ozone-depleting substances contributed about 10 gigatonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions per year. But the guidelines of Montreal Protocol have now reduced these emissions by more than 90 percent.
• The decrease in ozone-depleting substances is about five times larger than the annual emissions reduction target for the first commitment period (2008-2012) of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
• Hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs) currently contribute about 0.5 gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions per year. These emissions are growing at a rate of about 7 percent per year. Though HFCS do not harm the ozone layer but many of them are potent greenhouse gases.
• The annual Antarctic ozone hole has caused significant changes in Southern Hemisphere surface climate in the summer due to cooling of the lower stratosphere there is associated impacts on surface temperature, precipitation, and the oceans.
• In the Northern Hemisphere, where the ozone depletion is smaller, there is no strong link between stratospheric ozone depletion and tropospheric climate.
• The concentrations of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide are the three main long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which will tend to increase global ozone levels.

What is Ozone?

Ozone is a natural gas composed of three atoms of oxygen. It chemical symbol is O₃.

It is blue in color and has a strong odor.

Normal oxygen (O2), which we breathe, has two oxygen atoms and is colorless and odorless.

Environmental scientists have classified O₃ into two:

1.       God Ozone

2.       Bad Ozone.

Good Ozone

Good ozone (also called Stratospheric Ozone) occurs naturally in the upper Stratosphere. The stratosphere is the layer of space, approximately 20 to 30 kilometres above the earth's surface.

Where does good Ozone come from?

When UV light strikes (Oxygen) O₂ molecules, they are split into two individual O atoms — O and O. When one of the O atoms combines with O₂ molecule, ozone (O₃) is created.

This good plays a vital role because it shields us from the sun's harmful UV rays. It is called Good Ozone, for obvious reasons because it protects humans, life and animals on earth.

Bad Ozone

Bad Ozone is also known as Tropospheric Ozone, or ground level ozone.

This gas is found in the troposphere, the layer that forms the immediate atmosphere.

Bad Ozone does not exist naturally. Human actions cause chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Where does bad ozone come from?

Each time there is a reaction of chemicals such as those found in cars, power plants and factory emissions, in the presence of sunlight (UV light), Bad Ozone is created.

Bad ozone contaminates (dirties) the air and contributes to what we typically experience as "smog" or haze.

Ozone Layer

This is a layer in the stratosphere containing a relatively high concentration of ozone.

The earth's atmosphere is divided into several layers, and each layer plays an important role. The first region extending about 10km upwards from the earth's surface is called the troposphere.

The next layer, extending about 15-60 km is called the stratosphere. The ozone layer is mainly found in the lower portion of the stratosphere from approximately 20 to 30 kilometres above earth, though the thickness varies seasonally and geographically.

The ozone layer protects the earth from the suns UV Rays.  If the ozone layer is depleted by human action, the effects on the planet could be catastrophic.

What is Ozone Depletion?

Ozone layer depletion, is the process of wearing out (reduction) of the amount of ozone in the stratosphere.

Human activity is major reason for ozone depletion of ozone.

Industries that manufacture things like insulating foams, solvents, soaps, cooling things like Air Conditioners, Refrigerators etc uses chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

These CFCs substances are heavier than air, but over time (2-5years) they are carried high into the stratosphere by wind action.

Depletion of ozone begins when CFC’s get into the stratosphere. Ultra violet (UV) radiation from the sun breaks up these CFCs.

The breaking up action releases Chlorine atoms. Chlorine atoms react with Ozone, starting a chemical cycle that destroys the ozone in that area.

One chlorine atom can break apart more than 100,000 ozone molecules.

There are other Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)  are methyl bromide used in pesticides, halons used in fire extinguishers, and methyl chloroform used in making industrial solvents.

Other chemicals that naturally destroy Ozone are Noy, Hox, Clx, which belong to the Nitrogen, Hydrogen and Chlorine families.

What is Ozone Hole?

Top atmospheric researchers confirm that Ozone levels vary by season and latitude.

In 1979, it was observed that there is considerable Ozone depletion in the upper latitudes, Arctic and 

Antarctic. This massive stretch of ozone depletion (hole) is estimated to be about the size of America.

Particularly in the antarctic, satellite images were released showing a disturbing thinning of the ozone layer. The phenomenon is what we usually call the Ozone hole, and it was most observed over the Antarctic every year during the spring.

Why does the Ozone hole only occur in the Antarctic?

The hole is Antarctica occurs in the spring (September to December).

It begins with this overall ozone thinning, but it is assisted by the presence of polar stratospheric clouds (PS clouds).

During the extreme cold of winter, with no sun for six months, polar winds create a vortex which traps and chills the air; the temperature is below -80 Celsius. The ice in these PS clouds provides surfaces for the chemical reactions that destroy the ozone. This needs light to kick-start the reactions.

In spring the sun rises above the horizon and provides energy which starts the photochemical reactions. The clouds melt and the trapped compounds (chlorine and chlorine monoxide from the CFCs) are released. Ozone in the lower stratosphere is destroyed and the ozone hole appears.

By the end of spring warmer December temperatures break up the vortex and destroy the PS clouds. Sunlight starts creating ozone again and the hole begins to repair.

Impact of volcanic eruptions on stratospheric ozone

When volcanoes erupt, they produce massive clouds of ashes into the troposphere, and then they drift upward into the stratosphere.

These ashes contain high concentration of bromine and chlorine.

Ashes can stay in the stratosphere for about two to five years, and within this period, there are chemical reactions that destroy the stratospheric ozone molecules.

In these volcanic ashes are some chemicals including bromine and chlorine belong to a group of highly reactive elements called halogens, that need electrons to become stable. They get these electrons from the Ozone gas.

Ozone destroying gases like hydrogen chloride, can also be found in volcanic ashes, but they dissolve readily in water. In many cases rain can wash down these chemicals before they get high up into the stratosphere, but some do escape into it.

All in all it is known that volcanoes contribute about 18%-20% of Chlorine entering the atmosphere, and human activities also contribute about 80%-82%.

How Ozone Depletion Affects UV Levels?

Depletion of the ozone layer has consequences on humans, animals and plants. This typically results from higher UV levels reaching us on earth.

Humans

Research confirms that high levels of UV Rays cause non-melanoma skin cancer.

Additionally, it plays a major role in malignant melanoma development. UV is also linked to cataracts (a disease of the eye which clouds the eye’s lens).

Plants

Plant growth, as well as its physiological and developmental processes is affected negatively.

These include the way plants form, timing of development and growth, distribution of plant nutrients and metabolism, etc.

These changes can have important implications for plant competitive balance, animals that feed on these plants, plant diseases, and biogeochemical cycles.

Marine (or water) Ecosystems:

Phytoplankton form the foundation of aquatic food webs. These usually grow closer to the surface of water, where there is enough sunlight.

Changes in UV levels affect the development and growth of phytoplankton, and naturally, the fish that feed on them.

UV radiation is also known to have affected the development stages of of fish, shrimp, crab, amphibians and other animals.

When this happens, animals in the upper food chain that feed on these tiny fishes are all affected.

Effects on Biogeochemical Cycles

The power of higher UL levels affect the natural balance of gasses (and greenhouse gases) in the biosphere: e.g., carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbonyl sulfide (COS) and ozone.

Changes in UV levels can cause biosphere-atmosphere feedback resulting from the atmospheric buildup of these gases.

Union Government informed NGT to not to implement Madhav Gadgil Report on Western Ghats

Union Government has informed National Green Tribunal (NGT), not to implement Madhav Gadgil Report on Western Ghats.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) informed the NGT that they arer relying upon a high-level working group (HLWG) report headed by Prof K Kasturirangan for taking all future calls on demarcating eco-sensitive areas.

The Western Ghats is ecologically sensitive area, spread across the six states of Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Earlier in October 2013, the UPA government had issued a notification giving in-principle approval to implement Kasturirangan Committee report, but refrained from execution, fearing possible political repercussions, and left the final decision on the next government.

Madhav Gadgil Report on Western Ghats

In 2011 Gadgil Committee had submitted its report to the Union Ministry of Ministry of Environment and Forest.

The committee had designated the entire Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive area and had recommended notification of nearly 3/4th of Western Ghats into ecologically sensitive zone, restricting all development activities.

However, under severe opposition from states where Western Ghats lies, the UPA government constituted K Kasturirangan Committee.

Kasturirangan Panel Report

This panel in 2013 recommended that only 37 per cent of area should be declared as ecologically sensitive, while simultaneously prescribing for prohibiting certain commercial activities like mining and thermal power generation.

Highlights of this panel report:

The 10-member high-level working group (HLWG), headed by Kasturirangan, was constituted in August 2012.

It was constituted to examine the Western Ghats ecology expert panel report (WGEEP) prepared under the leadership of eminent ecologist Madhav Gadgil. 

The Kasturirangan panel had submitted its report to the MoEF on 15 April 2013 . 

1. Kasturirangan Panel has recommended a ban on development activities in 60000 sq km ecologically sensitive area spread over six states of Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 
2. According to the report, roughly 37 percent of the total area defined as the boundary of the Western Ghats is ecologically sensitive. 
3. Over this area of some 60000 sq km, spread over the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the working group has recommended a prohibitory regime on those activities with maximum interventionist and destructive impact on the environment.

Western Ghats

The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri Hills (in Maharashtra), is a mountainous ridge running parallel to the west coast of India.

The Western Ghats was declared as an ecological hotspot in 1988.

A large number of plants, amphibians, birds, reptiles, mammals are endemic to this region.

This area has a number of protected areas including 2 biosphere reserves, 14 national parks and several wild life sanctuaries. 

Besides, many regions are declared as reserve forests. In recent times, due to anthropogenic pressures the intactness of the Western Ghats is getting fragmented day-by-day.

Most of the ecosystem, which is outside protected area, is now in danger. The habitat of plants and animals is also threatened due to large-scale deforestation and destruction of forests.

PMO constituted committee to facilitate utilization of Mineral resources in Meghalaya

On 11 September 2014, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) constituted a six-member committee to facilitate systemic, scientific and planned utilisation of mineral resources in Meghalaya to prevent environmental degradation.

The Committee will be chaired by the cabinet secretary and other members are Home secretary, Coal ministry secretary, Mines secretary and Meghalaya chief secretary.

The committee was constituted on the request of Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.

In July 2014, Mukul Sangma has taken up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and engaged a renowned Constitutional lawyer to advise the state government on how to deal with the coal ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Why there is need to constitute this committee?

The Meghalaya government has approved the Meghalaya Mines and Minerals Policy in 2012 but its rules are yet to come up and made operational affecting the environment due to mining.

In April 2014, NGT has put on hold all coal mining activities pending operationalising of a scheme to meet statutory requirement of environment protection and safety.

SC issues notice to Centre, states on wetland conservation

On 10^th September 2014, Supreme Court (SC) issued notice to Centre and all states on a plea to preserve wetland and ban any construction in and around it.

A bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha also sought response from the governments to make rainwater harvesting mandatory for all new constructions for residential and commercial purposes.

The bench passed the order on a plea filed by M K Balakrishnan seeking court's direction for preservation of wetland.

Petitioner in his had mentioned that one-third of India's wetland has already been wiped out, 38 per cent of which was depleted in the last 10 years.

The plea mentioned that:

1. In every state including Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Kerala, massive development, dumping of waste and lack of conservation has threatened some of the finest wetlands of the country.
2. Wetlands cover 7 per cent of the earth surface and deliver 45 per cent of its natural ecosystem and productivity services.

Wetlands and their Role in Ecological Conservation in India

A wetland is an area of land whose soil has high water content either permanently or seasonally. 

Wetlands include swamps, marshes and bogs, among others.

The water found in wetlands can be saltwater, fresh water, shallow water or brackish water.

These accounts for 18.4% of India's total geographical area. Wetlands are one of the most productive eco-system, comparable to tropical evergreen forests in the biosphere and play a significant role in the ecological sustainability of a region.

Wetlands help in ecological conservation in following ways:

• Helps in conservation of endangered species.
• Provides nesting home to marine animals and fishes.
• Provides habitation to a large number of species of flora & fauna.
• Trees in such area are of hard-wood, so can be useful in making of furniture etc.
• Woods of trees in wetland are prone to saline water, so can be used in boat-making.
• Prevents spread of salty water and thus helps on conservation of fertile soil.
• Residues of ecosystem are useful manure for increasing soil productivity.
• Wetland act as carbon-sinks and thus climate stabilizers which are vital in the present context to combat mass extinction.

India is a signatory to the Ramsar convention which is an intergovernmental treaty providing for the national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use wetlands and their resources.

India has identified some wetlands for conservation under the National Wetlands conservation programme.

Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention is formally, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat.

It is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.

The convention was developed and adopted by participating nations at a meeting in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran, on February 2, 1971. 
To commemorate its signing date, February 2 is observed as 

World Wetland Day every year.

The meeting was invited by Mr Eskander Firouz, Director of Iran's Game and Fish Department, and held in the Caspian seaside resort of Ramsar in Iran, the text of the Convention was agreed on 2 February 1971 and signed by the delegates of 18 nations the next day.

Currently there are 1916 wetlands of international importance under sites under the Ramsar Convention known as Ramsar Sites covering around 1,86,993, 435 hectares km².

• The maximum Ramsar sites are located in UK i.e. 168.
• The largest area covered by the Ramsar sites is in Canada.

The number of parties to the Ramsar Convention is 160. They meet every three years.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was developed as a means to call international attention to the rate at which wetland habitats were disappearing, in part due to a lack of understanding of their important functions, values, goods and services.

Governments that join the Convention are expressing their willingness to make a commitment to helping to reverse that history of wetland loss and degradation.

Many wetlands are international systems lying across the boundaries of two or more countries, or are part of river basins that include more than one State.

The health of these and other wetlands is dependent upon the quality and quantity of the transboundary water supply from rivers, streams, lakes, or underground aquifers.

The best intentions of countries on either side of those frontiers can be frustrated without a framework for international discussion and cooperation toward mutual benefits.

Ramsar Convention is not part of the United Nations and UNESCO system of environment conventions and agreements.

The Ramsar Secretariat is hosted by IUCN–The World Conservation Union in Gland, Switzerland

The Ramsar Convention includes following commitments that the contracting parties agree before joining:

Designation:

The first obligation under the Convention is for a Party to designate at least one wetland at the time of accession for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance.

This list is called Ramsar List. After that the country may continue to designate the suitable wetland subject to selection.

Selection:

Selection for the Ramsar List should be based on the wetland's significance in terms of ecology, botany, zoology, limnology, or hydrology.

The Contracting Parties have developed specific criteria and guidelines for identifying sites that qualify for inclusion in the Ramsar List.

Information:

The Party has to commit itself "to arrange to be informed at the earliest possible time if the ecological character of any wetland in its territory and included in the List has changed, is changing or is likely to change as the result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.

Information on such changes shall be passed without delay" to the Ramsar Secretariat.

Wise Use:

There is a general obligation for the Contracting Parties to include wetland conservation considerations in their national land-use planning.

They have committed themselves to formulate and implement this planning so as to promote, as far as possible, "the wise use of wetlands in their territory".

Reserves:

The contracting Parties undertake to establish nature reserves in wetlands, whether or not they are included in the Ramsar List, and they are expected to promote training in the fields of wetland research, management and wardening.

International cooperation:

The parties agree to consult with other Contracting Parties about implementation of the Convention, especially in regard to Transboundary wetlands, shared water systems, and shared species.

Three pillars of Ramsar Convention:

The 8th meeting of the parties to Ramsar Convention (COP8) was held in Valencia, Spain, 2002.

It came out with a Strategic Plan, for 2003-2008, whereby the Contracting Parties seek to deliver 

their commitments to wetland conservation and wise use through "three pillars" of action.

These are:

1. Working towards the wise use of their wetlands through a wide range of actions and processes contributing to human well-being.
2. Devoting particular attention to the further identification, designation and management of a coherent and comprehensive suite of sites for the List of Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar List) as a contribution to the establishment of a global ecological network.
3. Cooperating internationally in their delivery of wetland conservation.

Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.

For these sites, the Secretariat may send a technical mission, known as the "Ramsar Advisory Mission", to analyze the situation at one or more particular Montreux Record sites, provide advice on the measures to be taken, and assess the desirability of removing a site from the Montreux Record when measures have been implemented successfully.

Ramsar's International Organization Partners (IOPs)

The Ramsar Convention works especially closely with some global non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which have been associated with the treaty since its beginnings. 

They have been given the formal status of International Organization Partners (IOPs) of the Convention. 

The five IOPs are:

• BirdLife International (formerly ICBP)
• IUCN – The International Union for the Conservation of Nature
• IWMI – The International Water Management Institute
• Wetlands International (formerly IWRB, the Asian Wetlands Bureau, and Wetlands for the Americas)
• WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) International