Wetland

Values and
Functions

C ULTURAL V ALUE
THIS IS A RELATIVELY POORLY DOCUMENTED FUNCTION OF WETLANDS, yet there are many instances
where wetlands have significant religious, historical, archaeological or other cultural values for
local communities, representing a part of a nation’s heritage.

Some wetlands support traditional

nt " Sedim ent & Nuthat
activities
trierepresent part of the history of the nation – at
m e nt R
Mai Po marshes, for
le nishexample, these human-made eten represent the only remaining place
wetlands
where Hong
a t er RKong residents can witness the operation of thetioGei
e p n anWai (shrimp ponds), a traditional
nd w d E of years.
method of shrimp cultivation practised by local people for hundredsx
Grou por
t"
ol "
nt r In some cultures wetlands may have deep Wa
o ter
dC
religious significance for local people. In
Pu
Tibet, pre-Buddhist belief identified vari- In Brief rifica
o
Flo

ous lakes as sacred, making them objects tio

of worship as well as ensuring their pro- n "S
✔ Although largely an unexplored, poorly documented
hor
tection from pollution and other harm. As eli
subject, wetlands are frequently of religious, historical,
Buddhism took over, these beliefs archaeological or other cultural significance at thenlocal
e St
abil
remained, albeit in a modified form, and or national level. isati
certain lakes in Tibet are still sacred to the ✔ In a preliminary survey of Ramsar sites, over 30% of a o
sample of 603 Ramsar sites recorded some
people with strict regulations that deter-
archaeological, historical, religious mythological or
mine their exploitation. cultural significance at either local or national level.

In Australia, many wetlands have signifi- " In Portugal, despite the investment of US$ 150 million,
cant social and cultural value for their tra- authorities abandoned the construction of the Côa
ditional Aboriginal owners. On the Dam in 1995 after Palaeolithic engravings were
unearthed.
Coburg Peninsula (the world’s first
" In Tibet certain lakes have deep religious significance
Ramsar site), the traditional Aboriginal for local populations and associated with this are strict
owners still conduct an active ceremonial regulations that determine exploitation of the lakes.
life and undertake semi-traditional hunt- " The Coburg Peninsula Ramsar site in Australia has great
ing and gathering in this coastal
e nt iment & Nutrien significance
" Sedwetland.
for the traditional Aboriginal owners, who
ishm
This site also has historical
n significance for t R eten
still conduct an active ceremonial life and undertake
p le ti
Re
European ersettlers.
t Many other wetland on a hunting and gathering.
semi-traditional
ndof the Gei Wai, a traditional way of
dw a
sitesnaround the world are of archaeologi-
" The operation
Exppractised by local people for
u
ro significance, such as the Stavns Fjord
shrimp cultivation
ort only be seen by Hong Kong
" Gcal hundreds of years, can
"
t rol Ramsar site in Denmark which is widely Wa Ramsar site.
residents at the Mai Po marshes
o n terin Denmark is an
dC
known for the archaeological significance " The Stavns Fjord Ramsar site
Pufrom the Bronze age.
of the remains from the early settlers in outstanding archaeological site rifi
o

cadiscovered
Flo

" Divers in Lake Titicaca have recently a

the Bronze Age and constructions from
temple that pre-dates the Inca period.ion
t
the Viking era. In recent weeks, divers "S
hor
have discovered a temple that pre-dates e line
Stab
i lisat
io
 C ULTURAL V ALUE ...

the Inca era at the bottom

of Lake Titicaca, a
Ramsar site spanning the
border between Peru and
Bolivia.

While it is very hard to

put a “dollar” value on

cts
du
this cultural function, the

Pro
construction of Portugal’s
ue

"
Côa Dam does give an a lKarlson
lV
Photo:WWF/Sture
indication of the value at
ura
ult invested
least some countries place on their cultural heritage: despite the US$ 150 million already
C
in the dam, construction was abandoned in 1995 after Palaeolithic engravings were"unearthed.
m
u r is
o
A recent preliminary study by Dave Pritchard of the cultural values of Ramsar
io n/T sites indicates that
this cultural function of wetlands is widespread and worthy of more attention
re at - of 603 Ramsar
sites recently examined, over 30% were recorded as having archaeological, ec historical, cultural, reli-
gious, mythological or artistic/creative significance, either on atylocal " R or national scale, in addition
i
to their many other values. # i vers
d
of Bio
s
se rvoir
io n " Re
t
on & S h an ge Mitiga
torm Protection " Climate C

ct s
du
Pro
nd
tl a
We

lue
"

a
ralV
u
Cult
"
sm Wetland
Photo: B. Phillips

ri
/ Tou
t ion Values and
re a
Re c Functions
it y"
i vers The Ramsar Bureau
d
Bio
Rue Mauverney 28
f
rs o
CH-1196 Gland
voi
eser
Switzerland
R Tel.: +41 22 999 0170

iti gation " Fax.: +41 22 999 0169

on & S M
torm Protection " Climate Change
e-mail: ramsar@ramsar.org
Web site: http://ramsar.org