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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.

Victorian Ramsar sites

Barmah Forest

The Barmah Forest Ramsar Site is located on the Murray River floodplain in northern Victoria. It was listed as a Ramsar site in 1982.

The Yorta Yorta people are the formally recognised Traditional Owners in Victoria for the area and are represented by the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation.

Corner Inlet

The Corner Inlet Ramsar Site is located 260 km southeast of Melbourne. It is a tidal mudflat system and was listed as a Ramsar site in 1982.

Edithvale-Seaford

The Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands Ramsar Site is located in Melbourne's southeastern suburbs, roughly 30 km from the CBD. It was listed as a Ramsar site in 2001.

The Bunurong people are the formally recognised Traditional Owners for the area and are represented by the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation.

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.

Glenelg Estuary and Discovery Bay

The Glenelg Estuary and Discovery Bay Ramsar Site is located approximately 340 km west of Melbourne, on Victoria’s border with South Australia. The Ramsar site was listed in 2018.

The Gunditjmara people are the formally recognised Traditional Owners of the area and are represented by the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owner Aboriginal Corporation.

Gunbower Forest

The Gunbower Forest Ramsar Site is located in northern Victoria on the Murray River floodplain between Echuca and Koondrook. The Ramsar site is a large, seasonally flooded River Red Gum forest and woodland. The Gunbower Forest Ramsar Site was listed in 1982.

The Yorta Yorta people are the formally recognised Traditional Owners in Victoria for parts of the area and are represented by the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation.

Hattah-Kulkyne Lake

The Hattah-Kulkyne Lakes Ramsar Site is located 480 km north-west of Melbourne in north-western Victoria on the Murray River floodplain between Ouyen and Mildura.

The Ramsar site is a system of 12 temporary lakes fringed by River Red Gum and Black Box. The Ramsar site was listed in 1982.

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.

Port Phillip (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula

The Port Phillip (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site is one of Victoria’s internationally acclaimed wetlands. The Ramsar site was listed in 1982.

The formally recognised Traditional Owners for this area are the Wadawurrung people represented by the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, and the Bunurong people represented by the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation.

Western District Lakes

The Western District Lakes Ramsar Site is approximately 150 km southwest of Melbourne. The Ramsar site was listed in 1982.

The formally recognised Traditional Owners for this area are the Eastern Maar people represented by the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation.

Western Port

The Western Port Ramsar Site is located 60 km southeast of Melbourne and comprises a large proportion of the Western Port embayment to the north of Phillip Island. It was listed as a Ramsar site in 1982.

The Bunurong people are the formally recognised Traditional Owners for the area and are represented by the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation.

Page last updated: 18/12/24