High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! This is a list of parties contracting to the Ramsar Convention, which is also known as the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance. The Convention`s purpose was to provide an impetus for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, including with other contracting countries for wetlands and ecosystems that cross international borders. It calls upon contracting parties to recognize the interdependence of humans and the environment as well as the ecological functions of wetlands, such as wildlife habitat, nutrient cycling, and flood control. The Ramsar Convention is the oldest multilateral international conservation convention and the only one to deal with one habitat or ecosystem type, wetlands. The Convention`s headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland, and it works closely with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.