Freshwater ecosystems are among the most vulnerable and endangered in the world, facing continued uncertainty under climate change, development of water resources and land use change. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971) is one of the longest-standing international agreements on biodiversity conservation. Its central objective is the maintenance of the ecological character of Wetlands of International Importance and the wise use of all wetlands. Here, we examine how the maintenance of ecological character has been addressed in Australia as part of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan, one of the most ambitious water reform programs to be undertaken globally and intended to restore water from irrigated agriculture to the environment. We analyse policy and planning documents from Commonwealth and state jurisdictions on the management of environmental water. Despite stated objectives to conserve Ramsar wetlands in the Basin Plan, we found a pattern of complex and convoluted arrangements for delivering environmental water to Ramsar wetlands and a lack of transparency and accountability about how Ramsar obligations are considered within each jurisdiction. We conclude that consideration of the ecological character of Ramsar wetlands has been marginalised by governments when managing environmental water, despite the statutory requirements to maintain these wetlands.

淡水生态系统是世界上最脆弱和濒临灭绝的生态系统之一，在气候变化、水资源开发和土地利用变化的影响下面临持续的不确定性。《拉姆萨尔湿地公约》（1971 年）是历史最悠久的生物多样性保护国际协定之一。其中心目标是维护具有国际重要性的湿地的生态特征和合理利用所有湿地。在这里，我们研究了作为墨累-达令流域计划的一部分在澳大利亚如何解决生态特征的问题，该计划是全球最雄心勃勃的水改革计划之一，旨在将灌溉农业的水恢复到环境中。我们分析来自联邦和州司法管辖区的有关环境水管理的政策和规划文件。尽管在流域计划中明确了保护拉姆萨尔湿地的目标，但我们发现向拉姆萨尔湿地输送环境水的安排模式复杂而错综复杂，并且在每个管辖范围内如何考虑拉姆萨尔义务方面缺乏透明度和问责制。我们得出的结论是，政府在管理环境水时忽略了拉姆萨尔湿地的生态特征，尽管有维护这些湿地的法定要求。我们发现了一种向拉姆萨尔湿地输送环境水的复杂和错综复杂的安排模式，并且在每个管辖区内如何考虑拉姆萨尔义务方面缺乏透明度和问责制。我们得出的结论是，政府在管理环境水时忽略了拉姆萨尔湿地的生态特征，尽管有维护这些湿地的法定要求。我们发现在向拉姆萨尔湿地输送环境水方面存在一种复杂而令人费解的安排模式，并且在每个管辖范围内如何考虑拉姆萨尔义务方面缺乏透明度和问责制。我们得出的结论是，政府在管理环境水时忽略了拉姆萨尔湿地的生态特征，尽管有维护这些湿地的法定要求。