About Wetland Accredited Cities (WCA):
- It is a voluntary accreditation scheme, which provides an opportunity for cities that value their natural or human-made wetlands to gain international recognition and positive publicity for their efforts.
- It was approved during the Ramsar Convention COP12 held in the year 2015.
- It aims to further promote the conservation and wise use of urban and peri-urban wetlands, as well as sustainable socio-economic benefits for local populations.
- It recognizes cities that have taken exceptional steps to safeguard their urban wetlands.
- To be formally accredited, a candidate for WCA should satisfy the standards used to implement each of the six international criteria mentioned in Operational Guidance for WCA of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
- The accreditation is valid for 6 years, after which it must be renewed, providing that it continues to fill each of the 6 criteria.
- Since Ramsar COP13, 74 cities from 17 countries have been officially recognized as “Wetland Cities”.
