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The original official text of the Ramsar Convention, agreed upon and adopted by the contracting parties of the convention, was signed on 2 February 1971. Since its adoption, the convention has undergone modification on two occasions, first by the Paris Protocol and later by Regina Amendments. Paris protocol was adopted during an Extraordinary Conference of Parties (COP) held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris in December 1982 and came into force in 1986. The Paris Protocol is known for recognizing the need for and adopting a procedure for amending the convention. The protocol added Article 10bis which lays down the process to bring amendments to the convention. The Regina Amendments were a series of amendments to Articles 6 and 7 that were accepted at an Extraordinary Conference of the Contracting Parties held in Regina, Canada, on 28 May 1987 (Matthews 1993). These amendments did not alter the fundamental structure and guiding principles of the convention, rather these were related to the convention’s operation. They defined the powers of the Conference of the Parties, established an intersessional Standing Committee, established a permanent secretariat, and set up a budget for the Convention. Regina amendments came into force in May 1994. The treaty’s current text has been subdivided into 13 articles (i.e. articles 1–10, article 10bis, and articles 11 and 12).