Classification System for Wetland Type
The codes are based upon the Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Type as
approved by Recommendation 4.7 and amended by Resolutions VI 5 and VII 11 of the
Conference of the Contracting Parties. The categories listed herein are intended to
provide only a very broad frame work to aid rapid identification of the main wetland
habitats represented at each site.
To assist in identification of the correct Wetland Types has provided below a
tabulations for Marine Coastal Wetlands and Inland Wetlands of some of the
characteristics of each Wetland Type.
Marine/Coastal Wetlands
A— Permanent shallow marine waters in most cases less than six meters deep a
low tide; includes sea bays and straits.
B— Marine subtidal aquatic beds; includes kelps beds, sea beds, tropical marine
meadows.
C— Coral reefs.
D— Rocky marine shores; includes rocky offshore islands, 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 & ha); includes floodplain lakes.
Q— Permanent saline/brackish/alkaline lakes.
R— Seasonal/intermittent saline/brackish/alkaline lakes and flats.
Sn— Permanent saline/brackish/alkaline marshes/pools.
Ss— Seasonal/intermittent saline/brackish/alkaline marshes/pools.
Tp— Permanent freshwater marshes/pools, ponds (below & ha), marches and
swamps on inorganic soils, with emergent vegetation water-logged for at least most of
the growing season.
Tr— Seasonal Intermittent freshwater marshes/pools on inorganic soils, includes
sloughs, potholes, seasonally flooded meadows, sedge marshes.
U— Non-forested peatlands; includes shrub or open bogs, swamps, fens
Va— Alpine wetlands; includes alpine meadows, temporary waters from snowmelt.
Vt— Tundra wetlands; includes tundra pools, temporary waters from snowmelt
W— Shrub-dominated wetlands, shrub swamps, shrub-dominated freshwater
marshes, shrub car, alder thicket on inorganic soils.
Xf— Freshwater, tree-dominated wetlands; includes freshwater swamp forests,
seasonally flooded forests, wooded swamps on inorganic soils.
Xp- Forested peatlands, geatswamp forests.
Y— Freshwater springs; oases.
Ze— Geothermal wetlands
Zkb) — Karst and other subterranean hydrological systems, inland
Note: "floodplain" is a broad term used to refer to one or more wetland types, which
may include examples from the R, Ss, Ts W, Xf Xp, or other wetland types. Some
examples of floodplain wetlands are seasonally immdated grassland (including natural
wet meadows), shrublands. woodlands and forests. Floodplain wetlands are not listed
as a specific wetland type herein.
