Ramsar

Ramsar is a city in northern Iran, located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea in Mazandaran Province. It serves as the capital of Ramsar County and functions as a regional hub for tourism, commerce, and local fisheries. The city is known for its coastal scenery, green hills, and a climate influenced by the Caspian Sea, which supports a popular summer resort area and nearby natural landscapes.

The name Ramsar is also associated with an international treaty concerning wetlands. The Ramsar Convention, formally the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat, was signed in Ramsar in 1971 and entered into force in 1975. It provides a framework for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands worldwide. Under the convention, countries designate Wetlands of International Importance, commonly known as Ramsar Sites, and commit to measures that maintain the ecological character of these sites while promoting wise use. The secretariat of the convention is based in Gland, Switzerland, and the treaty has grown to include more than 170 contracting parties with thousands of designated sites across diverse ecosystems, from coastal lagoons to inland marshes.