Welcome to the Irish Wetlands Website

This Week’s Featured Ramsar Site

BANNOW BAY Site No: 840

Bannow Bay is situated in county Wexford on the south east coast of Ireland. It is a large, very sheltered estuarine system with a narrow outlet to the sea. The site supports an excellent diversity of wintering waterbirds and is one of the most important sites in the south-east.

Read more on ramsar.org

View all Irish Ramsar Sites

“Ireland is one of 160 Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands which first convened in Ramsar, Iran in 1971, and since called the Ramsar Convention. This intergovernmental treaty embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the “wise use”, or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories.”
Irish Wetland

Wetlands are a vital component of the water cycle

The complex interaction of their elements – water, soil, plants and animals fulfil many important functions and provide important ecological services. Wetlands are providers and users of water. They maintain their structure and functions, and they provide water for us and other animals and plants.

  • Wetlands mean wildlife
  • Wetlands mean water
  • Wetlands mean flood control
  • Wetlands mean climate change mitigation
  • Wetlands mean landscape

The Irish Ramsar Wetlands Committee (or IRWC)

The IRWC was set up by the Government in November 2010 to assist Ireland in meeting its requirements as a signatory to the Ramsar Convention. We are a widely representative group, set up to assist in the protection, appreciation and understanding of wetlands in Ireland and to promote the implementation of the this Convention. Our membership is drawn from a variety of relevant government agencies, scientific and technical institutions, regional and local authorities and non-governmental organisations.

Our primary objective is to promote the wise use and protection of all wetlands in Ireland. In this respect, we aim to:

  • Raise the profile of all wetlands and their value in Ireland
  • Develop and support national wetland polices, and provide advice to policy makers
  • Support wetland education and public awareness of wetlands
  • Promote the implementation of the Ramsar Convention in Ireland
  • Ensure that the these objectives are consistent with the Ramsar Convention and with approaches taken by other national Ramsar Committees across the globe
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IRWC Partners