22 August 2012: The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention) has reported that the Government of Argentina has designated the Humedales de Península Valdés as its 21st Wetland of International Importance.

The site comprises two coastal sub-sites along the gulfs on either side of the Valdés peninsula in Patagonia. According to the Ramsar Secretariat, the site is an important source of food for diverse resident and migratory marine birds. It supports over 20,000 birds, and is important for its archaeological and paleontological values.

The site was designated as a World Heritage Site by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999. Argentina’s designation contributes to one of the goals contained in the Ramsar Convention’s Strategic Plan for 2009-2015, which is to reach a protected area of 250 million hectares by 2015. [Ramsar Press Release]