---
title: "Montreux Record: Ramsar Wetlands at Risk | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Montreux Record lists Ramsar wetlands facing ecological threat, distinct from the broader Ramsar List. Why India's Keoladeo and Loktak matter for UPSC."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/montreux-record"
---

[New](https://modeldiplomat.com/)

#

Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Montreux Record is a register of Ramsar wetlands where ecological character has changed, is changing, or is likely to change due to human interference.
- What is the difference between the Ramsar List and the Montreux Record?
- Which Indian wetlands are on the Montreux Record?
- How is a wetland removed from the Montreux Record?
- Does listing on the Montreux Record impose any penalty?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The Montreux Record is a register of Ramsar wetlands where ecological character has changed, is changing, or is likely to change due to human interference.

Go beyond the definition

## Research Montreux Record like a delegate

Model Diplomat's AI drafts position papers, speeches, and country research with real sources — built for MUN and politics students.

## Positions at a glance

### Supporters

Additional mechanics govern both entry and exit, and the Record is therefore dynamic rather than archival. Removal requires evidence that the adverse changes have been reversed or arrested and that the ecological character has been restored or stabilised, a determination supported by national monitoring data and, where conducted, by the findings of an Advisory Mission. Listing carries no financial penalty and triggers no sanction; its function is diagnostic and reputational, flagging sites for priority allocation of conservation effort and international technical support. The Record thus complements the Convention's three pillars—wise use of all wetlands, designation of Wetlands of International Importance, and international cooperation—by sharpening attention on those designated sites whose values are most acutely threatened.

### Opponents

The procedural mechanics begin with the Contracting Party itself. A site can be added to the Montreux Record only with the approval of the Party in whose territory it lies, distinguishing the mechanism from a punitive or supervisory listing. The Ramsar Secretariat, in consultation with the Party and the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), prepares the listing on the basis of documented change in ecological character measured against the baseline established at the time of designation. Once a site is entered, the Party may request the deployment of the Ramsar Advisory Mission (formerly the Monitoring Procedure), a technical assistance arrangement in which experts visit the site, assess the threats, and recommend remedial management measures. The Party reports progress, and when the conditions justifying the listing have been resolved, the site is removed from the Record by decision involving the Secretariat, the STRP, and the Party.

## Research it like a delegate

Research on modeldiplomat.com

## Ask a follow-up about Montreux Record

Open a cited briefing in Model Diplomat search — timelines, positions, and sources you can use in committee or exam answers.

[Start research on Montreux Record](https://modeldiplomat.com/search?q=Explain%20Montreux%20Record%20%E2%80%94%20key%20dates%2C%20actors%2C%20positions%2C%20and%20sources)

Example

In 2002, the Ramsar Secretariat removed India's Chilika Lake from the Montreux Record after Odisha authorities opened a new sea mouth that restored the lagoon's salinity and ecological character.

Keep learning

## Go deeper than the definition

[Explore all Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams lessons](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services)[Test yourself with a quiz](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/quiz/civil-services)

## Take Montreux Record beyond the glossary

Ask the AI research engine built for diplomacy — get briefings, position papers, and speeches with sources you can cite in committee.