Ramsar Philosophy 

Wise Use:

The "wise use" principle, first outlined in Article 3.1 of the Ramsar Convention is defined as the

'sustainable utilization of wetland resources in such a way as to benefit the human community while maintaining their potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations.  This means ensuring that activities which might affect wetlands will not lead to the loss of biodiversity or diminish the many ecological, hydrological, cultural or social values of wetlands.’

Ramsar:

Ramsar’s “wise use” equates with the maintenance of ecosystems and the continued delivery of ecosystem services to maintain human well-being. { http://www.ramsar.org/ (July 2009) }

The WET Trust is committed to acquiring and maintaining wetland assets in Australia and managing those wetlands generally in compliance with the Ramsar Convention.

Australia is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention. Many of the challenges facing the ecological wellbeing of Australian wetlands and the ongoing use of those areas to sustain human communities are peculiar to the Australian context.

Nevertheless the need for conservation and preservation is of paramount importance in Australia as it is in all other nations with major wetlands.