22 September 2012: The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention) has reported that the Government of Canada has vastly extended the Alaksen Ramsar Site, first designated in 1982, from 586 hectares to 20,682.

According to the Ramsar Secretariat, the resulting Ramsar Site, which has now been renamed the “Fraser River Delta,” is made up of six components, all in the Metro Vancouver Region and part of the the most important river delta/estuary for fish and birds on the west coast of Canada.

Parts of the site are presently a National Wildlife Area, Important Bird Area, Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site, and Wildlife Management Areas. [Ramsar Press Release]