Indicator 6.6.1 Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time

Indicator 6.6.1: Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time

Target 6.6: By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Definition:

• “extent of wetlands”

This term can be defined as the surface area of wetlands. It is measured in km2 or hectares. It is expected that the surface reported by countries in 2018 correspond to that of 2017; if not, the reference year should be indicated.

• “change in the extent of wetlands”

This term refers to the percentage change in area of wetlands from a baseline reference. For reporting such change, the previous extent, if known, and the period over which the change has taken place should be specified.

Concepts:

In order to provide a precise definition of the indicator, it is crucial to provide a definition of

“Water related ecosystems”. For this purpose, the definition of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is used.

• the Ramsar definition of “wetlands”

The Ramsar definition is very broad, reflecting the purpose and global coverage of the Convention:

In accordance with Article 1.1 of the Convention,
“Wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres”.

In addition, in accordance with Article 2.1, Ramsar Sites
“may incorporate riparian and coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands, and islands or bodies of marine water deeper than six metres at low tide lying within the wetlands”.

- the Ramsar system of classifying wetland types

Many national definitions and classifications of “wetlands” are in use. They have been developed in response to different national needs and take into account the main biophysical features (generally vegetation, landform and water regime, and sometimes also water chemistry such as salinity) and the variety and size of wetlands in the locality or region being considered.

The Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Types, adopted at COP4 in 1990, and amended at COP6 in 1996 (Resolution VI.5) and at COP7 in 1999 (Resolution VII.11) has value as a basic internationally applicable habitat description for sites designated for the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

The System (see Annex 1) describes the types of wetland covered by each of the wetland type codes. Note that the wetland types are grouped in three major categories: marine/coastal, inland, and human-made wetlands. Within a single Ramsar Site or other wetland, there may be wetland types from two or more of these categories, particularly if the wetland is large.

For the purpose of the Target and Indicator, and based on the National Reports Parties report on the use of the three major categories. Countries also use Ramsar definition that has been internationally agreed under the Convention. The minimum information that should be provided is the total area of wetlands for each of these three categories with an emphasis on inland wetlands or freshwater ecosystems for purpose of indicator 6.6.1 (see table below, the explanations of each wetland type code is in Annex 1).

Table 1: Tabulations of Wetland Type characteristics, Inland Wetlands:

The extent of wetlands is measured in km²

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Secretariat has been collecting and analysing data on country implementation since 2000 including information about wetland inventories. This is done at intervals of 3 years, that is the cycle of Country reporting under the Convention

The 1999 review of the state of wetland inventory worldwide (Global review of wetland resources and priorities for wetland inventory - GRoWI), which was undertaken for the Ramsar Convention, identified not only the major gaps in the extent to which wetland inventory had been undertaken, but also found that for the inventories which had been made, it was frequently very hard to trace their existence, to identify their purpose, scope and coverage, and/or to access the information contained in them.

Another source of information is the update of the Wetland Extent Trends (WET) Index that was commissioned by the Ramsar Convention Secretariat to WCMC. The Wet Index is an updatable indicator of wetland area trends where there are still gaps of information. However, it is not applicable at national level and has not been used, as data are not available at national level. This will be fixed with national reports.

In the format for National Report for COP13 the Contracting Parties agreed the inclusion of an indicator on the extent of wetlands and change in the extent (indicator 6.6.1). For COP13, 44% of Contracting Parties have completed national wetlands inventories and 16% of Parties reported that their wetland inventories are in progress. Therefore, all data are provided to the Ramsar Secretariat by countries in the form of a country report following a standard format, which includes the original data and reference sources and descriptions of how these have been used to estimate the extent of wetlands.

Ramsar Administrative Authorities prepare and submit to the Ramsar Secretariat their National Reports on implementation for each Conference of the Parties. Countries with dependent territories prepare more than one report. For the remaining countries where no information is provided, a report is prepared by the Ramsar Secretariat using existing information and a literature search that is validated by the concerned countries.

The 1999 review of the state of wetland inventory worldwide (Global review of wetland resources and priorities for wetland inventory - GRoWI), which was undertaken for the Ramsar Convention, identified not only the major gaps in the extent to which wetland inventory had been undertaken, but also found that for the inventories which had been made, it was frequently very hard to trace their existence, to identify their purpose, scope and coverage, and/or to access the information contained in them.

In the light of these findings and to help address this lack of access by those who need to use wetland inventory for a wide range of Convention implementation purposes, the Convention’s Scientific & Technical Review Panel (STRP) developed a standard model for wetland inventory metadata (i.e., data about the characteristics of a wetland inventory, rather than the inventory data itself) in order to facilitate those who have inventories in making the existence and availability of these more publicly accessible.

In 2002, several limitations were identified (Ramsar COP8) in the use of EO for routinely deriving wetland information. These included the cost of the technology, the technical capacity needed to use the data, the unsuitability of the data available for some basic applications (in terms of spatial resolution), the lack of clear, robust and efficient user-oriented methods and guidelines for using the technology, and a lack of solid track record of successful case studies that could form a basis for operational activities.

Historical optical data is available from Landsat and Spot missions; however, persistent cloud cover in certain regions renders much of these data unusable. Distinguishing between permanent and temporary surface water and wetlands can therefore be difficult considering the available historical data. It is further noted that for complex environments with different wetland types, in situ data or local knowledge is critical to support the analysis of the EO data, and is sometimes the only way to obtain information on certain wetland types.

Another limitation is that some countries are in the process of updating or completing their national wetlands inventories. In others, there are still gaps or difficulty to access the available information.

Despite the above limitations, the use of the measure of extent of wetlands will respond to the indicator and will allow having a practical mechanism in the short term to track the status of water related ecosystems with robust data and foster action for the conservation of these important ecosystems.

Wetland area (Km² or ha, reference year)/Change in the extent of wetlands (water-related ecosystems over time) a baseline reference and year.

Based upon the national wetland inventory (complete or partial), countries provide a baseline figure in square kilometres for the extent of wetlands (according to the Ramsar definition) for the year 2017. The minimum information that should be provided is the total area of wetlands for each of the three major categories; “marine/coastal”, “inland” and “human-made.

If the information is available, countries indicate the % change in the extent of wetlands over the last three years. If the period of data covers more than three years, countries provide the available information, and indicate the period of the change. For reporting such change, the previous extent, if known, and the period over which the change has taken place should be specified.

This indicator can be aggregated to global or regional level by adding all country values globally or in a specific region.

2024-07-29

Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

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