Considering the importance of wetlands for conservation of biological diversity, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat has been signed in 1971.

The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.

The Convention uses a broad definition of the types of wetlands covered in its mission, including lakes and rivers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands and peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, near-shore marine areas, mangroves and coral reefs, and human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs, and salt pans.

Currently, some 163 countries are members of the convention. Uzbekistan also joined to the Ramsar Convention. The convention came into force on 2 February 2012. Denguzkul lake (31.3 hectares), located in Bukhara region, was included to the Ramsar list. In 2012, Aydar Arnasay Lakes System has been officially included to Ramsar list.

The participants of the press conference said that the wetlands are sources of fresh water and natural cleaners of environment from many pollutants, foundation for development of irrigated agriculture, promising centers of recreation and tourism. It was noted that the UN General Assembly announced 2012 as the International Year of Water Cooperation and it is ideal moment to attract more population to careful and rational use of water resources and wetlands.

It was said that State Biologic Control of the State Nature Committee of Uzbekistan completed a prokect “Water reservoir Tudakul and Kuyumzar, southern-western part of desert Kyzylkum, Uzbekistan, creation of new Ransar site”. Within the project, the process of inclusion of water reservoir to Ramsar list was carried out and directed to secretariat of Ramsar Convention.

Full list of birds and animals, which live near water reservoir, was developed and zoogeographical studies were created.

Uzbekistan also developed a project on creation of visit-center and development of ecologic tourism at Tudakul in line with strategic convention on development of ecologic tourism at wetlands. The proposal was handed over to local authorities.

In the last meeting of member-states of Ramsar Convention in Bucharest in July 2012, it was underlined that it is necessary to synergize Ramsar Convention with other international agreements, directed at preservation and rational use of bio diversity.

Uzbekistan is carrying out several measures in this direction. In particular, Uzbekistan works on implementation of agreement of African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement, The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention), etc.

Uzbekistan studied water reservoirs to register waterbirds and specialists participated in various related events. Uzbek specialists also studied migration of wards at Sarykamish lake in Karakalpakstan, etc.