{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wildlife-and-countryside-act-1981/section-37A",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wildlife-and-countryside-act-1981/section-37A.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1981/69",
  "legislation_title": "Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wildlife-and-countryside-act-1981",
  "path": "section/37A",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "37A",
  "heading": "Ramsar sites.",
  "text": "(1) Where a wetland in Great Britain has been designated under paragraph 1 of article 2 of the Ramsar Convention for inclusion in the list of wetlands of international importance referred to in that article, the Secretary of State shall—\n(a) notify Natural England if all or part of the wetland is in England;\n(b) notify the Natural Resources Body for Wales if it is in Wales; or\n(c) notify both of them if it is partly in England and partly in Wales.\n(2) Subject to subsection (3), upon receipt of a notification under subsection (1), each body notified shall, in turn, notify—\n(a) the local planning authority in whose area the wetland is situated;\n(b) every owner and occupier of any of that wetland; and\n(c) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(d) every relevant undertaker (within the meaning of section 4(1) of the Water Industry Act 1991) and every internal drainage board (within the meaning of section 61C(1) of the Land Drainage Act 1991) whose works, operations or activities may affect the wetland.\n(2A) Subject to subsection (3), upon receipt of a notification under subsection (1), Natural England shall, in turn, notify the Environment Agency.\n(2B) Subject to subsection (3), upon receipt of a notification under subsection (1) relating to a wetland all or part of which is in the area of a corporate joint committee to which Part 6 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 applies by virtue of regulations under Part 5 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021, the Natural Resources Body for Wales shall, in turn, notify that corporate joint committee.\n(3) Natural England and the Natural Resources Body for Wales may agree that in a case where the Secretary of State notifies both of them under subsection (1)(c), any notice under subsection (2) is to be sent by one or the other of them (and not both), so as to avoid duplicate notices under that subsection.\n(4) Subject to subsection (5), the “Ramsar Convention” is the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat signed at Ramsar on 2nd February 1971, as amended by—\n(a) the Protocol known as the Paris Protocol done at Paris on 3rd December 1982; and\n(b) the amendments known as the Regina Amendments adopted at the Extraordinary Conference of the Contracting Parties held at Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, between 28th May and 3rd June 1987.\n(5) If the Ramsar Convention is further amended after the passing of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, the reference to the Ramsar Convention in subsection (1) is to be taken after the entry into force of the further amendments as referring to that Convention as further amended (and the reference to paragraph 1 of article 2 is, if necessary, to be taken as referring to the appropriate successor provision).",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 37A inserted (30.1.2001) by 2000 c. 37, ss. 77, 103(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 37A(1)(a)(3) substituted (1.10.2006) by Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (c. 16), ss. 105(1), 107, Sch. 11 para. 36; S.I. 2006/2541, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 37A(1)(b) substituted (1.4.2013) by The Natural Resources Body for Wales (Functions) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/755), art. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 175(2) (with Sch. 7)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Word in s. 37A(2)(b) inserted (1.4.2013) by The Natural Resources Body for Wales (Functions) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/755), art. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 175(3)(a) (with Sch. 7)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "S. 37A(2)(c) omitted (1.4.2013) by virtue of The Natural Resources Body for Wales (Functions) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/755), art. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 175(3)(b) (with Sch. 7)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "S. 37A(2A) inserted (1.4.2013) by The Natural Resources Body for Wales (Functions) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/755), art. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 175(4) (with Sch. 7)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "S. 37A(2B) inserted (6.9.2015 for specified purposes, 7.1.2021 in so far as not already in force) by Planning (Wales) Act 2015 (anaw 4), s. 58(2)(b)(4)(b), Sch. 2 para. 7; S.I. 2021/7, reg. 2(c)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Words in s. 37A(2B) substituted (21.1.2021) by Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (asc 1), s. 175(1)(e), Sch. 9 para. 22(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "Words in s. 37A(2B) substituted (21.1.2021) by Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (asc 1), s. 175(1)(e), Sch. 9 para. 22(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Words in s. 37A(3) substituted (1.4.2013) by The Natural Resources Body for Wales (Functions) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/755), art. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 175(5) (with Sch. 7)"
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M1",
      "text": "1991 c. 56."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M2",
      "text": "1991 c. 59."
    },
    {
      "type": "X",
      "label": "X1",
      "text": "The insertion of the new cross-heading \"Nature reserves, marine nature reserves and Ramsar sites\" in Part II on 1.10.2006 gives rise to a change in the structure of this legislation on SLD which breaks the continuity of historical versions of the existing provisions which are now brought under that new heading."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "words substituted",
      "affecting": "asc/2026/7",
      "affecting_title": "Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Act 2026"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/69/section/37A",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-31T10:30:49.503545+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}