An Integrated Framework for Wetland Inventory, Assessment and Monitoring (IF-WIAM)

The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) (also called the "Ramsar Convention") is an intergovernmental treaty whereby member countries have committed to maintain the ecological character of Wetlands of  International Importance and to plan for the "wise use", or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories. However, aspects of the Ramsar handbooks and guidance could be also applied to non-Ramsar wetlands.

Significant guidance is available through Ramsar - as the Ramsar 'Wise Use Handbooks' series. This particular resource is a useful introduction to the Ramsar resources, as it provides an 'integrated framework' to help guide when and how wetland inventory, assessment and monitoring tools and activities might be undertaken. The difference between Wetland Inventory, Assessment and Monitoring activites are described in Section III.

Section IV investigates how scale can influence wetland inventory assessment and monitoring. Figure 1 (page 9) depicts a 'hierarchical approach to wetland inventory' which states the kinds of spatial datasets that are appropriate to wetland mapping and inventory activities at scales ranging from 1:10 000 to 1:1 000 000. This a useful introductory reference for any council (even those without Ramsar dedicated sites) on the spatial datasets that may be relevant for wetland condition assessment. Table 2 (page 13) further identifies 'core' (minimum) biophysical and other data fields for managing Ramsar wetlands.

Section V includes a table of the 28 Ramsar handbooks available at the time of publishing. Figure 2 (page 18) depicts an overarching management framework for wetlands - which includes activities such as wetland risk assessment, rapid assessment of biodiversity, environmental impat assessment, projects and ongoing monitoring.