Ramsar sites
Australia is a member of the International Convention on Wetlands, Ramsar Convention. Member countries must nominate at least one wetland for the List of Wetlands of International Importance. These are known as Ramsar wetlands.
Australia has 67 Ramsar wetlands, and 12 are in Victoria. Oversight of Ramsar commitments in Victoria falls under the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). Victoria reports to the Australian Government on the condition of Victorian Ramsar wetlands.
Each Ramsar site must possess a Ramsar Information Sheet, a boundary description, and a management plan following the Ramsar Convention. Australian Ramsar sites must have an ecological character description. These documents provide vital insights into the site's characteristics, and management strategies.
Visit the Australian Government's website to access the Ramsar Information Sheets and ecological character descriptions.
Links to the management plan, ecological character description addenda (if applicable) and boundary descriptions for Victorian Ramsar sites can be found on this webpage under the relevant Ramsar site.
Visit Data Vic for a geospatial layer of Ramsar site boundaries.
National Guidelines for Ramsar sites
The policy for managing Ramsar sites in Victoria is set out in the Victorian Waterway Management Strategy and the Australian Government Department of the Environment has national guidelines on the following Ramsar matters:
- mapping specifications for Australian Ramsar Wetlands
- national framework and guidance for describing the ecological character of Australia's Ramsar Wetlands
- national guidance on notifying change in the ecological character of Australia's Ramsar Wetlands (Article 3.2)
- Australian Ramsar site nomination guidelines.
Each Australian Ramsar site has an Ecological Character Description, which is mandated by the Australian Government to capture the site's ecological traits at the time of Ramsar listing. The Australian Government also guides the development of boundary descriptions for each site, which include mapping of Australian Ramsar sites.
Visit the Department of Environment for further information on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Nationally important wetlands
A Directory of National Wetlands in Australia recognises many of Victoria’s wetlands as nationally important. You can find more information about these wetlands in the Australian Wetlands Database.
Gippsland Lakes
The Gippsland Lakes Ramsar Site, located 200 km east of Melbourne, spans from Sale Common east to Lake Tyers, encompassing around 60,000 hectares. It was listed as a Ramsar site in 1982.
The Gunaikurnai people are the formally recognised Traditional Owners of the area and are represented by the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation.
Kerang Wetlands
The Kerang Wetlands Ramsar Site, situated near Kerang in northern Victoria, about 300 km northwest of Melbourne, is a collection of 23 freshwater and saline wetlands located on the lower floodplain of the Loddon and Avoca rivers.
These wetlands are part of a broader network of over 100 wetlands. The Ramsar site was listed in 1982.
Lake Albacutya
The Lake Albacutya Ramsar Site is located in western Victoria north of the town of Rainbow, approximately 400 km north-west of Melbourne. The Ramsar site was listed in 1982.
The formally recognised Traditional Owners for this area are the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagalk Nations, represented by the Barengi Gadjin Land Council Aboriginal Corporation.