Ramsar Sites

Ramsar sites are sites which are designated under The Convention on Wetlands, which was signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. This convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides a framework for national action and international co-operation.

The Ramsar designation in itself provides no legal protection, although most of the Ramsar sites are protected through other designations such as ASSIs, SPAs and SACs.

So far 1284 sites have been designated around the world, totaling 108.9 million ha. Within Northern Ireland 15 Ramsar sites have been declared, totalling 86830.8 ha, 9 of which are peatland sites, totalling 11606.7 ha.

Map of peatland Ramsar sites

Click on a marker on the map above to find out more about the protected sites.