Wetlands and International Environmental Law

Marking the 50th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention, the first modern multilateral environmental agreement, this timely book reflects upon the Convention's work and its wider impact upon the protection of aquatic resources and wetland-dependent species.

This comprehensive book examines how and to what extent the Ramsar Convention has worked to protect wetlands, while exploring how it has influenced and collaborated with other international and regional regimes. Contributions from an array of expert authors analyse the key approaches and innovations that have been applied to the global protection of wetlands, while also considering the crucial role that wetlands play in climate mitigation and in supporting the needs of humans and animals alike.

Filling a gap in the current scholarship by discussing the impact and implementation of this pioneering convention, Wetlands and International Environmental Law is an inspiring read for academics in international and regional environmental law. This discerning book is also of interest to those working in the fields of political science, international relations, and area studies with a particular environmental focus.

Contents Preface x
Introduction    1 / Royal C Gardner, Richard Caddell, and Erin Okuno

PART I THE RAMSAR CONVENTION - DEVELOPMENT AND INTERPRETATION
1. The Ramsar Convention at 50: Cultural narratives, enlightenment, and the Wetland Conservation Project   19 / Michael Bowman
2. The Ramsar Convention and the concept of consensus   52 / Royal C. Gardner
3. Ramsar sites and their ecological character: A cornerstone of the Ramsar Convention on wetlands   79 / Royal C. Gardner, Marcela Bonells, and Katherine Pratt
4. The 'wise use' of wetlands   105 / Edward J. Goodwin
5. Compensatory mechanisms and the loss of wetlands   131 / Jerneja Penca
6. Indigenous peoples and local communities: Wetlands management and the Ramsar Convention   153 / Simon Marsden

PART II WETLANDS AND THE INTERNATIONAL LEGAL ECOSYSTEM
7. Birds of a feather? The inter-relationship between the Ramsar Convention and the migratory waterbird regimes   179 / Melissa Lewis
8. The Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity: Proposals for Enhanced Cooperation, Synergies, and Interoperability for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework   202 / Teresa Fajardo
9. The Ramsar Convention and general international water law: Complementary and mutually supportive regimes   231 / Owen McIntyre
10. The cultural values and services of wetlands: Evolution and obligations under the Ramsar Convention   265 / Evan Hamman
11. Wetlands, climate change, and international law   292 / An Cliquet
12. 'Within and without': EU nature conservation law and the protection of wetlands   319 / Richard Caddell
13. Rights of wetlands and the Ramsar Convention   361 / Erin Okuno