Fact Sheet

Convention
on Wetlands

Wetlands: a global
disappearing act
It’s a sobering picture. Scientific estimates showthat 64 % of the world’s wetlands have disappearedsince 1900. In some regions, notably Asia, the loss
is even higher. Inland wetlands are disappearing at
a faster pace than coastal ones, but the overall
trend is clear.
1900

What is driving
this loss ?

As a result, access to fresh water
is decliningWetland
for one to two billion
extent while1999
people worldwide,flood
Wetland
17%storage andcontrol, carbon
extenttraditional wetland livelihoods
8.6% allsuffer. In parallel, the populationsof freshwater species declinedby 76 % between 1970 and 2010
according to WWF’s Living
Planet Index.
Ramsar is a joint sponsor of theWetlands Extent Index, which
provides an indicator of the loss inrecent decades, measuring thedecrease in a global sampling of
more than 1000 wetland sites
between 1970 and 2008. Overall,these sites shrank by an average
Totalworldwide
areaIndividualof 40  % over theland
period.
wetlands and regions varywidely, but the continuing trend
is unmistakable.

Unfortunately, wetlands are often
viewed as wasteland; something
to be drained, filled and converted
to other purposes. The main causesof the degradation and loss ofwetlands are :Major changes in land use,
especially an increase in agriculture
and grazing animals
Water diversion through dams,
dikes and canalization
Infrastructure development,
particularly in river valleys andcoastal areas
Air and water pollution andexcess nutrients

Relative extent (1970 = 1 )Relative extent (1970 = 1)
Wetlands
Extent Index
1.0
0.9

Oceania

0.8

Oceania
North
America
North
America

0.7

AfricaAfrica0.6
0.5

Asia
Asia

0.4EuropeEurope

0.3
0.2

www.ramsar.org
Fact Sheet 3 .1

Year 1970

1974

1978

1982

1986

1990

1994

1998

2002

2006 08

Wetlands Extent Index as published in the CBD Technical Series No. 78: Progress Towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets

3

Ex-wetlands :where are they now ?
Drivers of loss can vary widelyfrom country to country. In theUnited States, drainage forforest-related uses such as logging
accounted for a considerable
share of wetlands loss between
1998 and 2009. Inundation caused
major declines as well. Urban
and rural development together
accounted for just over a thirdof wetland losses.

Drivers of US Wetland Loss
1998-2009
Deepwater Habitat

Urban
Development

19 %RuralDevelopment

Deepwater
Habitat

15 %

24 %

Silviculture

42 %Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Status and Trends of Wetlandsin the Conterminous United States 1998 to 2004 and 2004 to 2009

What candecisionmakers do?

Decision-makers can help slow, stop and reverse
the trend in several ways :Make policies that consider the ecosystem services that wetlands
provide, and integrate them into land use planning.
Use all remaining wetland sites wisely ; meeting human needs
while sustaining biodiversity and other wetland services.
Restore wetlands that have been degraded.
Develop financing sources for wetlands conservation.
Educate others about the benefits of wetlands.
Photo: Swiss Study Foundation

Detailed suggestions for wise management at site level can be found in Fact Sheet 2Wetlands : wise use basics on site. Actions that individuals can take for wetlands are
outlined in depth in Fact Sheet 4 Wetlands : What can I do ?

Need more detail ?

This Fact Sheet is made available by theRamsar Convention on Wetlands. Statistics
are drawn from a variety of publications andwebsites which are listed in the Reference
Sources sheet, available for download
separately. While we strive to provide
accurate and carefully researched
information, this publication is provided
with no warranty of any kind.
Fact Sheet 3.2

Ramsar makes a wide variety ofmaterials available for wetlands
stakeholders and decision-makers.
Particularly useful are the Ramsar
Wise Use Handbooks, a seriesof booklets that provide detailed
guidance on all aspects of wetlands,
ranging from policy-making
and community participation tomonitoring and wetlands sitemanagement. They can be
downloaded free of charge fromwww.ramsar.org/wise-use-wetlands.

The Ramsar Convention
The Convention on Wetlandsof International Importance,
commonly known as theRamsar Convention, is a
global intergovernmental treaty thatprovides the framework for national
action and international cooperation
for the conservation and wise useof wetlands and their resources.
It is the only global treaty to focus
on one single ecosystem.