Environment & Ecology
International Environmental Conventions
GS Paper III
International Environmental Conventions — Quick Revision
One-page UPSC revision of environmental conventions: year, place and subject of each treaty, protocols and amendments, CITES appendices, Ramsar facts and India's role.
SyllabusGS III · General issues on environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change (Prelims); conservation (GS III); important international institutions and agreements (GS II)
A last-week revision sheet for international environmental agreements. Read across each row: year, place, subject.
Conferences
| Event | Year | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Stockholm Conference | 1972 | UNEP (Nairobi); World Environment Day, 5 June |
| Brundtland Report | 1987 | Our Common Future; definition of sustainable development |
| Rio Earth Summit | 1992 | Rio Declaration, Agenda 21, Forest Principles; UNFCCC and CBD |
| Rio+20 | 2012 | The Future We Want; SDG process |
Conventions
| Convention | Year, place | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| Ramsar | 1971, Ramsar (Iran) | Wetlands |
| World Heritage | 1972, Paris | Cultural and natural heritage |
| CITES | 1973, Washington | Trade in endangered species |
| CMS | 1979, Bonn | Migratory species |
| Vienna | 1985 | Ozone layer (framework) |
| Montreal Protocol | 1987 | Ozone-depleting substances |
| Basel | 1989 | Hazardous waste movement |
| UNFCCC | 1992, Rio | Climate |
| CBD | 1992, Rio | Biodiversity |
| UNCCD | 1994, Paris | Desertification and land degradation |
| Rotterdam | 1998 | Prior informed consent for hazardous chemicals |
| Stockholm | 2001 | Persistent organic pollutants |
| Minamata | 2013, Kumamoto | Mercury |
| BBNJ | 2023, New York | High-seas biodiversity (under UNCLOS) |
Protocols and Amendments
| Instrument | Parent | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| Kyoto Protocol (1997) | UNFCCC | Binding targets for developed countries |
| Paris Agreement (2015) | UNFCCC | NDCs from all parties |
| Cartagena Protocol (2000) | CBD | Living modified organisms |
| Nagoya Protocol (2010) | CBD | Access and benefit sharing |
| Kigali Amendment (2016) | Montreal Protocol | HFC phase-down |
CITES Appendices
| Appendix | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I | Threatened with extinction; commercial trade generally prohibited |
| II | Trade must be controlled to avoid threat |
| III | Listed by a country seeking cooperation |
India Facts
| Item | Key fact |
|---|---|
| First Ramsar sites | Chilika Lake and Keoladeo National Park (1981) |
| Montreux Record | Keoladeo, Loktak (Chilika removed 2002) |
| Largest Ramsar site | Sundarban Wetland (2019) |
| Hosted | CBD COP11 Hyderabad (2012); UNCCD COP14 New Delhi (2019); CMS COP13 Gandhinagar (2020) |
| Kigali schedule | Freeze 2028; 85% reduction by 2047 |
| ISA | Launched at COP21 (2015) with France; HQ Gurugram |
High-yield facts
- Ramsar is not a UN convention; IUCN hosts its secretariat in Gland.
- Montreal is the first universally ratified UN treaty; HFCs are greenhouse gases, not ozone depleters.
- Secretariats: UNEP — Nairobi; CBD — Montreal; UNFCCC — Bonn; CITES — Geneva.
- GEF (1991) finances several conventions.
Traps
- Stockholm 1972 (conference) is not Stockholm 2001 (POPs convention).
- Rotterdam is about prior informed consent, not bans.
- Cartagena (LMOs) and Nagoya (ABS) are both CBD protocols — do not swap them.
Related Topics
- Major International Environmental Conventions
- International Environmental Conventions — practice questions
- Climate Change — quick revision
- All quick revision sheets
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