Consider the following statements regarding Ramsar Convention. 1. It is the United Nations Conventions that provide the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. 2. It does not consider underground aquifers and human-made sites as wetlands. 3. Montreux Record is maintained as part of Ramsar List. Which of the following statements given above is/are incorrect?

Option 2 : 1 and 2 only

The correct answer is 1 and 2 only.

• The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.
• Since then, almost 90% of UN member states, from all the world’s geographic regions, have acceded to become “Contracting Parties”.
• The Convention uses a broad definition of wetlands.
  • It includes all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
• Montreux Record under the Convention 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.
  • It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List. Hence statement 3 is correct.