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Definitions of wetlands

There is no single definition of a wetland mainly because of the very wide range of wetland types. As you will see from the definitions included here, the characteristics ascribed to a wetland vary from country to country and organisation to organisation, and reflect the experience of the writers.

An international definition - under the 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance - is broad and reflects the waterfowl habitat focus of the Convention. It defines wetlands as including "areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tides does not exceed six metres" and "may incorporate riparian and coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands and islands". (Ramsar is the Iranian town in which participating countries first agreed on the Convention.)

The NSW Government defines wetlands as lands that are inundated, on a temporary or permanent basis, with water that:

• is usually slow moving or stationary;
• is shallow; and
• may be fresh, brackish or saline.

Wetland Care Australia's definition is similar but makes the distinction between wet and dry phases.

Wet phase:
A permanent or temporary area of fresh, brackish or saline water that is typically:

• shallow;
• slow moving or stationary; and reasonably well vegetated.

Dry phase:
Land that such water has covered.

A wetland in an estuary or shallow marine area comes within the scope of this
definition, as do creeks and rivers.