Tabusintac Ramsar Site

Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands to stem the progressive encroachment and loss of wetlands now and in the future. The Ramsar designation recognizes the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.

The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975, and it is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem. The Convention's member countries cover all geographic regions of the planet.

The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance now includes over 1,550 sites (known as Ramsar sites) covering around 1,339,000 km².

Tabusinatc Lagoon and River Estuary Ramsar site

The Tabusintac Lagoon and River Estuary was designated as a Ramsar site on June 10, 1993. The site was deemed an international area of importance because the area has high levels of waterfowl use during spring and fall migration periods and is critical habitat for thousands of geese and shorebirds. It is an excellent example of a coastal barrier beach and lagoon wetland ecosystem.The site includes the mouth of the Tabusintac River as well as the Tabusintac Bay which encompasses a total area of 4997 hectares.

The area comprises 200 ha of salt marsh, 3 400 hectares of subtidal estuarine water and flats, 400 hectares of intertidal estuarine flats, 10 hectares of saline ponds, 30 hectares of sand dunes, 60 hectares of sand beach, 2 hectares of islands, and 295 hectares of black spruce and jack pine forest. The estuarine flats support some 3 350 hectares of eel grass. Approximately 600 hectares of peatlands also occur within the Ramsar site boundaries. These peatlands harbour many small, freshwater ponds.

Wildlife use of the Bay is considerable. The site is a major waterfowl concentration area. The Bay is particularly important during spring migration for as many as 4 500 Scoter, 1 200 Common Eider, 700 Brant, and 500 Scaup. Smaller numbers of other species such as Common Goldeneye and frequent the area. The Bay is also important during the fall migration for up to 1 400 Black Duck, 1 200 Canada Goose, 1 000 Old Squaw, 700 Green-winged Teal, 500 Blue-winged Teal, and 500 American Wigeon. Freshwater ponds located in the Tabusintac Black Lands are used in the Fall by approximately 500 Canada Geese.
The Tabusintac Beach system supports 3 700 nesting Common Tern, the second largest Tern colony in New Brunswick. The site has been considered as a Tern "core colony", of importance due to its high rate of reproductive success. Piping Plover, an endangered shorebird species, nest in the Tabusintac Beach system. A Great Blue Heron colony (about 200 nests) is present in the Covedell Peninsula area. There are approximately 20 Osprey nests in the uplands of the Tabusintac Black Lands.