Zur Verknüpfung überkommener Vorstellungen völkerrechtlicher Normativität mit der unterlassenen Übernahme der Ramsar-Konvention von 1971 in den deutschen Rechtsraum

Wetlands are disappearing faster than any other ecosystem. For more than ten years, about two-thirds of all remaining wetlands in Germany are considered endangered. From a legal perspective, the significant extent of these degradations is symptomatic of the inadequate incorporation of the Ramsar Convention into the German legal system. This article argues that the actual assessment of the requirement of a transformative act for the domestic applicability and enforceability of an international treaty is not only based on constitutional criteria but also on a normative understanding that responsible State authorities have of a particular treaty at a given point in time. The paper addresses the impact of traditional notions of normativity under international law on the currently limited application and enforceability of the Ramsar Convention in Germany.