This section outlines the criteria which the international and national conventions and protocols used to identify important wetland sites.

Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar criteria for important waterbird sites are:

• Criterion 2: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.

• Criterion 3: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region.

• Criterion 4: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions.

• Criterion 5: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds.

• Criterion 6: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird.

The Ramsar Convention has adopted the following broad definition of 'wetland':
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 tide does not exceed six metres. [Wetlands] may incorporate adjacent riparian and coastal zones, islands or bodies of marine water deeper than six metres at low tide lying within the wetlands.

Under this definition, wetlands accounts for a wide variety of habitat types including rivers, shallow coastal waters and coral reefs. The Ramsar Convention provides a very broad framework of wetland habitat types including marine/coastal wetlands, inland wetlands and human-made wetlands.

East Asian-Australasian Shorebird Site Network
Wetlands are eligible to join the network if:

• A wetland supports 20,000 or more shorebirds; or,
• A wetland supports 1% or more of a population of at least one migratory shorebird species or sub-species.
  

The National Action Plan for Shorebird Conservation in Australia
This report  (Watkins 1993) identifies important areas for shorebirds in Australia based on criteria set out in the Ramsar convention and has been instrumental in developing the East Asian-Australasian Shorebird Site Network. Criteria proposed for identifying areas of international importance are:

• Areas where 20,000 or more shorebirds have been recorded (includes migratory and resident species); and/or,
• Areas where 1% or more of the individuals of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway population of one species or sub-species of shorebird have been recorded.

Criteria proposed for identifying areas of national importance are:

• Areas where 10,000 or more shorebirds have been recorded (includes migratory and resident species); and/or,
• Areas where 1% or more of the individuals of the Australian population of a species or sub-species of shorebird have been recorded.

Using species population estimates, the report identifies 180 areas of international importance and an additional 21 areas of national importance.

Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia
Wetlands are identified according to six criteria, three of which are specific to fauna and could be applied to migratory shorebirds:

• It is a wetland which is important as the habitat for animal taxa at a vulnerable stage in their life cycles or provides a refuge when adverse conditions such as drought, prevail.

• The wetland supports 1% or more of the national populations of any native plant or animal taxa; and,

• The wetland supports native plant or animal taxa or communities which are considered endangered or vulnerable at the national level.

The third edition of the directory in 2001 identified 851 nationally important wetlands in Australia.

Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network
The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) recognises three categories of site importance, as outlined below:

• Hemispheric Sites: At least 500,000 shorebirds annually or 30% of the species flyway population based on peak species counts;
• International Sites: At least 100,000 shorebirds annually or 10% of the species flyway population based on peak species counts; or,
• Regional Sites: At least 20,000 shorebirds annually or 5% of the species flyway population based on peak species counts.

Sites wishing to join the network have to complete a site nomination form which then is reviewed in the following steps:

• WHSRN staff and scientists review the shorebird data and census information to verify completeness and accuracy. They confirm that biological criteria are satisfied;
• The WHSRN Scientific Advisory Board reviews and recommends any changes for the nomination; and,
• The WHSRN Council reviews and approves the nomination of the site into the network.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest
A number of European countries adopt the Ramsar criteria for internationally important sites and have also adopted a second tier for nationally important sites. Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) have been developed by the United Kingdom and have the following criterion for identifying nationally important sites for bird species:

• A site where 1% or more of the national population of a non-breeding species or sub-species has been recorded.

The UK recognises different biogeographical regions, to which the 1% criteria are applied. These regions are Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Ireland (Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic).Other criteria used to select SSSI relevant to birds are of interest because they demonstrate that diversity of species rather than the number of individuals can be used as selection criteria.

These include:

• Assemblages of breeding bird species of special quality. Indices have been developed for 11 different habitat types. In each habitat a list of bird species characteristic of that habitat is given and each of those species has a score which relates to the national breeding population. A threshold for each habitat has been set and if the sum of the index for breeding species reaches the threshold, then that site is eligible for SSSI status.
• Variety of species. Localities consisting of semi-natural habitats where at least 70 breeding species or at least 90 wintering species or at least 150 species on passage have been recorded in recent years are eligible for SSSI status.