The distribution of the world’s internationally important wetlands and their contribution to global protected area goals and Aichi Biodiversity Target 11

Designating and conserving at least one Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Sites) is one of the three primary obligations of Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Wetlands can be designated under one or more of the nine criteria related to the representativeness of wetland types or biological diversity. Ramsar Sites now cover 2.54×106km2 and encompass 59.5% inland, 15.5% coastal, and 25.0% having both inland and coastal elements. Human-made wetlands occur in 35.5% of the Ramsar Sites and of these 32.4% occur in sites that have both inland and coastal elements. The distribution of Ramsar Sites in relation to marine coastal and shelf and freshwater biogeographic regionalisation systems, Marine Ecoregions of the World (MEOW), and Freshwater Ecoregions of the World (FEOW), illustrates the uneven distribution of the sites and gaps in coverage. Although the number of Ramsar Sites and global coverage continues to increase, success in achieving specific targets of the Ramsar Strategic Plan and supporting related Sustainable Development Goals and in particular Aichi Target 11 is still a work in progress. The Ramsar Site network contributes at least 1% of the 17% Aichi target for inland water areas, but an unknown percentage of the 10% target for coastal and marine areas.