ABSTRACT
While the Ramsar Convention for the Protection of Wetlands of International Importance was the fi rst habitat-based treaty, much of the recent focus of international attention in the area of freshwater has been on the regulation of watercourses. Attention is only beginning to be given to the interconnectedness of freshwater, habitats and ecosystems. This chapter explores and analyses the context, structure and substantive rules for the conservation and management of freshwater, habitats and ecosystems across the complex range of multilateral environmental agreements.
