Ramsar Sites Criteria

Inland waters – such as rivers, lakes and other wetlands – are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. They are also the most threatened; almost one in three species is at risk of extinction and monitored populations of freshwater species have declined by 85% since 1970. The loss of these ecosystems has cascading effects on human livelihoods, cultures and our overall well-being. While protected and conserved areas can play an important role in bending the curve of inland water biodiversity and ecosystem loss, they have rarely been designed, designated, and managed for that purpose. Motivated by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s inclusion of inland waters in the target to conserve 30% of the planet by 2030, this report provides guidance in employing protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures to benefit these ecosystems and the biodiversity they support. Through a series of case studies and synthesized research, it highlights how integrating the unique needs of inland waters into area-based strategies can improve conservation effectiveness across all realms, build climate resilience and sustain critical ecosystem services.

This is the first volume in the WCPA Good Practice Guidelines that is predominantly by rangers, for rangers. The editors worked with partners to collect good practices and stories from rangers worldwide, reflecting global experience and lessons learned. The text focuses on actions that rangers, and to a lesser extent managers, can do themselves. It does not address institutional changes that would need intervention at government level. Whilst the latter are often necessary, decisions are out of the hands of individual rangers. Nor is the guide the last word on the state of play, another global ranger survey is being carried out simultaneously with the production of these guidelines and we will continue to learn about ranger needs, strengths and challenges in the future.

The Global Species Action Plan (GSAP) is a critical initiative developed to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), to address the increasing biodiversity loss worldwide. The GSAP outlines strategic interventions and actions to conserve and sustainably manage species while ensuring equitable benefits. Emphasizing the critical role of species in ecosystem stability, human livelihoods, and cultural heritage, the GSAP seeks to prevent extinctions, reduce threats, and ensure equitable benefits from species use. Implementation involves diverse stakeholders, including governments, Indigenous peoples and Local communities, NGOs, academia, and businesses, fostering cooperation at global, regional, and local levels. The GSAP underscores the collective responsibility to safeguard Earth’s rich biological heritage for future generations.

With 26 case studies from 10 multinational companies, this publication highlights their positive actions, interventions and initiatives contributing to specific conservation and restoration goals. The concrete examples illustrate a pivotal part of their work which have direct impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem on their sites and operations, focused on a variety of additional and proactive biodiversity conservation and restoration actions more commonly within the landscape and seascape. The different case studies seek to present current voluntary practices and initiatives that are above and beyond addressing the negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services onsite. While not exhaustive, these case studies seek to be illustrative of current voluntary practices and demonstrative of some of the kinds of initiatives that are currently being carried out.

Nature (covering the water, biodiversity, soil/land, and air/climate realms) continues to decline with significant negative impacts on society. Businesses need to understand their impacts and  dependencies on nature, manage their nature-related risks and embed the value of nature into their decision making to identify and implement opportunities that contribute towards the nature-positive global goal. Achieving nature-positive requires collective action across sectors, value chains and landscapes. Fundamentally, nature-positive represents a systemic and transformative shift rather than ‘re-shaping’ of current practices. Utilising prioritisation approaches can enable businesses to identify areas where they can have a material and meaningful  contribution from the outset as systemic and transformative change is adopted through the business.

La naturaleza (en los ámbitos del agua, la biodiversidad, la tierra/suelo y el aire/clima) sigue disminuyendo, con importantes repercusiones negativas para la sociedad. Las empresas deben  comprender su impacto y su dependencia respecto a la naturaleza, gestionar los riesgos relacionados con ella e integrar el valor de la naturaleza en su toma de decisiones para identificar y  aplicar oportunidades que contribuyan al objetivo global de una naturaleza positiva. Fundamentalmente, naturaleza positiva representa un cambio sistémico y transformador más que una «reformulación» de las prácticas actuales. El uso de enfoques de priorización puede permitir a las empresas identificar áreas en las que pueden tener una contribución material y significativa  desde el principio, a medida que se adopta el cambio sistémico y transformador a lo largo de la empresa.