Table 2.1 Ramsar classification system for wetland types.
| Marine/Coastal Wetlands | |
| A | Permanent shallow marine waters; in most cases, less than 6 m deep at low tide; includes sea bays and straits |
| B | Marine subtidal aquatic beds; includes kelp beds, sea‐grass beds, and tropical marine meadows |
| C | Coral reefs |
| D | Rocky marine shores; includes rocky offshore islands and sea cliffs |
| E | Sand, shingle, or pebble shores; includes sand bars, spits, and sandy islets; includes dune systems and humid dune slacks |
| F | Estuarine waters; permanent water of estuaries and estuarine systems of deltas |
| G | Intertidal mud, sand, or salt flats |
| H | Intertidal marshes; includes salt marshes, salt meadows, saltings, raised salt marshes; includes tidal brackish and freshwater marshes |
| I | Intertidal forested wetlands; includes mangrove swamps, Nipah swamps and tidal freshwater swamp forests |
| J | Coastal brackish/saline lagoons; brackish to saline lagoons with at least one relatively narrow connection to the sea |
| K | Coastal freshwater lagoons; includes freshwater delta lagoons |
| Zk (a) | Karst and other subterranean hydrological systems, marine/coastal |
| Inland Wetlands | |
| L | Permanent inland deltas |
| M | Permanent rivers/streams/creeks; includes waterfalls |
| N | Seasonal/intermittent/irregular rivers/streams/creeks |
| O | Permanent freshwater lakes (over 8 ha); includes large oxbow lakes |
| P | Seasonal/intermittent freshwater lakes (over 8 ha); includes floodplain lakes |
| Q | Permanent saline/brackish/alkaline lakes |
| R | Seasonal/intermittent saline/brackish/alkaline lakes and flats |
| Sp | Permanent saline/brackish/alkaline marshes/pools |
| Ss | Seasonal/intermittent saline/brackish/alkaline marshes/pools |
| Tp | Permanent freshwater marshes/pools; ponds (below 8 ha), marshes, and swamps on inorganic soils; with emergent vegetation water‐logged for at least most of the growing season |
| Ts | Seasonal/intermittent freshwater marshes/pools on inorganic soils; includes sloughs, potholes, seasonally flooded meadows, and sedge marshes |
| U | Non‐forested peatlands; includes shrub or open bogs, swamps, and fens |
| Va | Alpine wetlands; includes alpine meadows and temporary waters from snowmelt |
| Vt | Tundra wetlands; includes tundra pools and temporary waters from snowmelt |
| W | Shrub‐dominated wetlands; shrub swamps, shrub‐dominated freshwater marshes, shrub‐carr, and alder thicket on inorganic soils |
| Xf | Freshwater, tree‐dominated wetlands; includes freshwater swamp forests, seasonally flooded forests, and wooded swamps on inorganic soils |
| Xp | Forested peatlands; peat‐swamp forests |
| Y | Freshwater springs; oases |
| Zg | Geothermal wetlands |
| Zk (b) | Karst and other subterranean hydrological systems, inland |
| Human‐made Wetlands | |
| 1. | Aquaculture (e.g. fish/shrimp) ponds |
| 2. | Ponds; includes farm ponds, stock ponds, and small tanks (generally below 8 ha) |
| 3. | Irrigated land; includes irrigation channels and rice fields |
| 4. | Seasonally flooded agricultural land (including intensively managed or grazed wet meadow or pasture) |
| 5. | Salt exploitation sites; salt pans, salines, etc. |
| 6. | Water storage areas; reservoirs/barrages/dams/impoundments (generally over 8 ha) |
| 7. | Excavations; gravel/brick/clay pits; borrow pits, mining pools |
| 8. | Wastewater treatment areas; sewage farms, settling ponds, oxidation basins, etc. |
| 9. | Canals and drainage channels, ditches |
| Zk (c) | Karst and other subterranean hydrological systems, human‐made |
The Ramsar Convention has adopted a Ramsar Classification for wetland types (Table