On February 2, 1971, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance was signed in Ramsar, Iran, and came into force in 1975. The purpose of the Ramsar Convention has been to promote the conservation of wetlands and to establish the necessary legal and institutional framework.

Until today, the Convention has been ratified by 170 countries, and over 250 million hectares of over 2,300 wetlands are covered by it. Since its accession in 1979, Hungary has initiated the designation of 29 significant wetlands that meet the criteria of the Convention. Tata Old Lake was added to this prestigious list in 1989. A significant expansion in 2006 sat the ‘Tata Lakes’ Ramsar area increase as the nearby Réti Lakes, the Fényes Springs and the Ferencmajor Fish Ponds, were added, making total of 1,897 hectares.

We are pround to say that on May 25, 2018 at the World Conference in Dubai, attended by delegations from the signatories of the so-called Ramsar Convention, the Mayor of Tata, Mr.József Michl, received the title of „City of Ramsar” in recognition of activities for protecting the wetlands around Tata.