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Columbia Valley Wetlands is Canada's newest RAMSAR site. On World Environment Day in 2005 it received official designation from IUCN - World Conservation Union in Gland, Switzerland - making the Columbia Valley Wetlands the 36th RAMSAR site in Canada. The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem. There are presently 141 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1387 wetland sites, totaling 122.7 million hectares. http://www.ramsar.org/ The designation makes this part of Canada even more internationally significant, as the Columbia Valley is next door to the Canadian Rockies World Heritage Site. The Columbia Valley Wetlands are recognized for their international significance. The 180-kilometer Columbia Wetlands represent a remnant ecosystem of once vast interior wetlands. The interwoven river channels and wetlands are a primary source of fresh water for the Pacific Northwest and provide critical nesting and breeding habitat for migratory birds whose travels span two continents. They are also important for several federally listed species at risk.