UK Ramsar Sites: Human Factors and Conservation Measures for Wetlands

170 Ramsar wetland sites in the UK and its territories are documented for human factors. The dataset categorizes factors like conservation measures, land use, and ecosystem services, noting their impact and scope. Data originates from Ramsar Information Sheets compiled by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, with most records dating from 1998.

Use Cases

• Analyze conservation measures taken across different wetland sites based on the listed category.
• Assess the prevalence and impact of social & cultural values attached to protected areas.
• Study the relationship between current land use/human activities and designated conservation status.
• Map the distribution of ecosystem services, noting this category's limited historical coverage.

Strengths

• Covers 170 designated Ramsar sites across the UK, Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
• Factors are categorized (e.g., conservation measures, land use) and rated as major/minor and within/outside the site.
• Data is sourced from official Ramsar Information Sheets compiled for each site.

Limitations

• Data for approximately 120 sites has not been updated since 1998, limiting temporal relevance.
• The 'ecosystem services' category is noted as not comprehensive, only used for recent designations.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Collection Method

Compiled from official Ramsar Information Sheets submitted for site designation.

Time Range

Primarily 1998, with updates for approximately 50 sites designated after that date.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-14 09:45:39.876861; freshness should be verified as core data is largely from 1998.

Geography

United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.