What's
New @ Ramsar What's
New @ Ramsar
3
December 1999
Headline
story. Belarus becomes the Convention’s 117th
Contracting Party. UNESCO has
informed the Bureau that it has received from the Government of Belarus a declaration of
succession to the former Soviet Union and the Ramsar Information Sheet accompanying its
designation of "Sporovsky Biological Reserve (‘zakaznik’) of
national importance" as its first Ramsar site. The 19,384-hectare site is
situated in the floodplain of the middle course of the Yaselda River, 2km south of the
town of Beryoza in the Brest region. It includes one of the largest lowland mesotrophic
sedge fen mires in Europe. On much of the mire the hydrological regime has been disrupted
by drainage canal systems, but much of the site "appears to be in a condition very
close to the natural one". It represents one of the largest European habitats of the
Aquatic Warbler, a globally threatened species. The land belongs to the state and is
rented by about 20 collective farms and forestry enterprises; in 1999 it was declared a
biological reserve of national importance, with all drainage and land reclamation
prohibited and economic uses of the land officially regulated. A UK Darwin
Initiative-funded project, carried out by the UK’s RSPB and the Belarus Society for
the Protection of Birds, is making a number of scientific studies of the site and will
develop a management plan. [30/11/99]
Headline
story. South
Africa's St Lucia system gains World Heritage status.
Geoff Cowan, STRP member from the Administrative Authority
in South Africa, writes: "The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park has been successfully
inscribed in the list of World Heritage Sites. This site includes four of South
Africa's Ramsar sites - the St Lucia System, Lake Sibaya, the Turtle Beaches
and Coral Reefs of Tongaland, and the Kosi Bay System. I believe this extra
recognition of the importance of these wetland systems will only help us in
our efforts to conserve them." See
the press release right here. [3/12/99]
Another
headline story. New Ramsar Intern for Asia arrives in the Bureau. Taeko Takahashi of
Japan has taken up her duties as "Assistant to the Regional Coordinator for
Asia", replacing Ms Parastu Mirabzadeh of Iran. Some
welcome!!--Right in the middle of the Standing Committee meetings! Ms Takahashi has a
postgraduate degree in International Environmental Policy from the Monterey Institute of
International Studies, and spent time working as a research assistant at the Nautilus
Institute for Security and Sustainable Development in the United States. Most recently, Ms
Takahashi has been researching the destructive impacts of shrimp farming on mangrove
ecosystems and the impact of foreign direct investment on environmental standards. She
spent a summer with UNIDO in Austria, working on sustainable development projects, and has
worked as a volunteer with the Monterey Bay Aquarium in the USA. She speaks Japanese and
English, with knowledge of Spanish and Russian. Taeko is very very welcome in the
Bureau - - - almost as much as Parastu will be missed! (Photo: Taeko Takahashi,
left, with Rebecca D'Cruz and Parastu Mirabzadeh earlier today.) [1/12/99]
Who's Where?
Absolutely everyone is right here! -- from the to his Deputy to the four Regional Coordinators and their four internship assistants, and the entire support staff, including the rapporteur and the dedicated personnel seeing to the logisitics, the documentation, and the welcoming smiles -- is here in the Bureau all this week to make life less horrible for the members of the Standing Committee at its 24th meeting. [29/11/99]
New
on the Site: Update
on management plan for Okavango Delta;
texts of the Paris Protocol, 1982,
and the Final Act of the Extraordinary
COP in Paris, 1982. [30/11/99]
.Announcements. International Crane Foundation posts vacancy notice. Consulting Position: Regional Project Coordinator
for GEF Wetlands Project. The International Crane Foundation (ICF) invites
applications for a GEF Regional Project Coordinator for a Siberian Crane Wetland PDF-B
project. This consultant position will work closely with ICF, United Nations Environment
Program, and the Convention on Migratory Species for the achievement of project
objectives, results, and all fundamental aspects of project execution. [27/11/99] [This position has been filled.]
Asian Waterfowl Census 2000. Koji Tagi of Wetlands International-Asia Pacific has informed the Ramsar Forum of opportunities to participate in the AWC2000 -- here is his message and the TOR. [25/11/99]
WWF Hong Kong Mai Po: Wetland Management Training Course. WWF Hong Kong offers excellent 8- and 9-day wetland management courses based upon Ramsar principles at the Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site, Hong Kong. Here's a description. [25/11/99]
Our gain is somebody else's loss. We got Nick Davidson for our new Deputy Secretary General -- :-) -- here's the position vacancy notice for his old job at Wetlands International in The Netherlands. [19/11/99]
The 2nd International Course on Wetland Conservation and Management 2000 is set for 1-15 February 2000 in Karachi, Pakistan, hosted by IUCN-member The Scientific and Cultural Society of Pakistan with a Ramsar-related curriculum. Here is the course announcement. [17/11/99]
Standing Committee overwhelms
the small village of Gland.
If you've never been invaded by a Standing Committee, watch closely over the
next few days. The 24th meeting of the Standing Committee to the Ramsar
Convention is now in session,
elbowing its way through a daunting agenda and determined to keep up the momentum
established by the COP in San José last May. Further reports will follow,
not to mention photos of the gala reception on day 1, where the tiny little
sandwiches had all disappeared before the photographer had run through a single
roll of film. The draft Standing
Committee agenda papers are available on this Web site. (Photo:
Stephen Hunter of Australia, Chair of the Standing Committee, welcomes the participants
and cautions them on the sheer bulk of the impending agenda.)
[30/11/99]
UK extends the Morecambe Bay
Ramsar site. Part of the South
Walney and Piel Channel Flats SSSI, Morecambe Bay SSSI, Duddon Estuary SSSI and Lune
Estuary SSSI were designated as Morecambe Bay Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar
site on 4 October 1996. These SSSIs also form part of Morecambe Bay cSAC which was
proposed by the Government to the European Commission under the Habitats Directive on 16
October 1996. Morecambe Bay SPA and Ramsar site will be extended by a further 1541
hectares to include an additional part of South Walney and Piel Channel Flats SSSI, part
of Roudsea Wood and Mosses SSSI and the whole of the Wyre Estuary SSSI. The additional
areas form an integral part of the feeding and roosting resource available to birds in the
Morecambe Bay complex. The total area of the UK's 148 Ramsar sites now comes to
755,385 hectares. [22/11/99].
News from the SGF. 1997 SGF project completed in the Slovak Republic.
Restoration of wetlands along the
Morava River (35,000 SFR). The Morava floodplains were designated as a Ramsar
site in 1993. They preserve a unique system of oxbow lakes, wet meadows and floodplain
forests with high biodiversity. Legal protection of the territory started in 1989;
however, intensive water works did not take into consideration the fundamental ecological
functions of water courses as natural biotopes. This resulted in the loss of both
biological and landscape diversity and possibly of economic assets. During the project
implementation the following tasks were performed: biological monitoring, restitution of
habitats for Umbra crameri fish and restoration of Labske jazero and Oblaz wetlands.
Restoration of these wetlands will improve habitats for nesting and wintering waterfowl of
European importance. [23/11/99]
World
Wetlands Day 2000 -- reporting is now under way.
Well, enfin, we've got our WWD 2000 pages up and we're
poised to report on your planned activities. Send your news -- monstrous
big files; well-crafted BBS postings; frustratingly e-mail snippets; whatever
-- and we will endeavor to get the momentum rolling. The public is beginning
to understand the value of wetlands, and momentum is the key, because the developers
are right behind us and still gaining. But the developers can offer you lots
and lots more malls and parking lots, and we can offer you -- Free
WWD Stickers!!! Please send all news of WWD activities to
ramsar@ramsar.org and many thanks to
you for your generous use of your time and spiritual energy. [19/11/99]
Ramsar
Secretary General addresses 3rd COP of Convention to Combat Desertification.
Mr Delmar Blasco,
Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands, addressed
the 3rd Conference of the Parties of the CCD, now meeting in Recife, Brazil,
and pledged Ramsar's continued efforts to develop further the cooperative relationships
between the two Conventions. He briefly described the ways in which the
new Ramsar 'toolkit' of guidelines can be helpful to the CCD's objectives, and
he expressed our Convention's support for the CCD secretariat's document ICCD/COP
(3)/9 on Review of activities for the promotion and strengthening of relationships
with other relevant conventions and relevant international organizations, institutions
and agencies [available in PDF format from the CCD Web site, http://www.unccd.de/docs/cop3/official/pdf/9eng.pdf],
which likewise calls for closer cooperation between the Conventions. [18/11/99].
Wetland
training programme for the Asia-Pacific. In
fulfilment of the Ramsar 25th Anniversary pledge made in Brisbane
in 1996 by the Hon. Senator Robert Hill, Minister of Environment,
Sport and Territories, his country is taking strong initiatives to provide training
opportunities in wetland management for the Oceania region. Australia has recently
established the "Asia-Pacific Wetland Managers
Training Program", an initiative of the Commonwealth Government
of Australia that is managed and funded through the National Wetlands Program,
and $800,000 AUS has been committed to the initiative over the next three years.
Read more about it here.
[16/11/99].
News
from the SGF. 1997 SGF project completed
in Armenia. Restoration and
rehabilitation of Lake Sevan Ramsar site (35,000 SFR). Armenia became a Contracting
Party of the Convention on Wetlands in July 1993. Two sites were designated for the list
of Wetlands of International Importance: Lake Arpi and Lake Sevan. Lake Sevan is the most
important source of fresh water in the Trans-Caucasus Region with a unique diversity of
plants, endemic fish fauna and landscapes. The lake itself and its basin are significant
breeding, resting and wintering area for migratory waterfowl. Artificial increase of the
outflow since 1991 has seriously disturbed the ecological character of the basin and most
of the waterfowl habitats, such as small lakes, ponds and marshes, were drained and the
number of birds decreased. The SGF grant helped to identify the most important waterfowl
nesting areas and to develop an action plan for their rehabilitation and restoration,
including the wise use of the lake through effective management of fishery. [16/11/99]
Special
appeal for SGF funding. The
Secretary General has issued a special call to donors for additional voluntary
assistance to the 1999 round of Ramsar Small Grants Fund allocations.
Here is his summary of the situation: "Of the 87 project proposals received
for the 1999 cycle, the Ramsar Bureau has determined 60 proposals to be deserving
of financial support. The total amount required for these 60 projects is Swiss
francs (SFR) 2,187,287 (approximately US$ 1,454,313). To date the Fund has received
voluntary contributions and pledges for 1999 amounting to SFR 471,729 (approximately
US$ 313,650)." Here is the SG's
letter, and now is the time to dig
deep into those commodious pockets and pop your spare change
into a padded envelope, addressed to "SG, Ramsar".
The Standing Committee will be here in not much more than two weeks' time, and
they'll be authorizing project funding on the basis of the amounts pledged so
far. [Francophone Donors:
here's a French version of the SG's letter.]
[12/11/99]
Ramsar
brochure available on wetlands in western Asia.
Entitled Conservation
and Wise Use of Wetlands in Western Asia
, this colorful new 4-page brochure describes the Convention and its relevance
to the region -- it's accompanied by a resource paper entitled "Wetlands
in Western Asia", which provides information on the types of wetlands found
in the region, the "goods and services" that wetlands provide, and
the benefits that countries of the region stand to gain from joining the Convention
on Wetlands. It urges the countries of the region toward international cooperation
and national action for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. The paper
is focused on the fragile ecosystems of the region, with emphasis on the vital
role that wetlands in the arid belt of the world play in terms of human benefits
and the rich biodiversity of the region. The brochure and the resource paper
are available in hard copy from the Bureau (higgins@ramsar.org
), and Web reprints of both are available
on this site; in addition, a PDF version of the
brochure is available for download. [12/11/99]
Strategies
for Conserving Migratory Waterbirds.
Edited by Albert Beintema and Janine van Vessem. Wetlands International is pleased
to announce that the Proceedings of Workshop 2 - Strategies for Conserving Migratory
Waterbirds from last year's 2nd International Conference on Wetlands and Development
is now available. Entitled Strategies for Conserving Migratory Waterbirds,
this volume first presents the conclusions of the workshop, and then is divided
into three sections, dealing with global waterbird conservation strategies,
regional aspects of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA),
and case studies in the AEWA region, respectively. Get
details and ordering information right here. [8/11/99]
New
Deputy Secretary General picked for Ramsar.
The Secretary General is very pleased to announce that Dr Nick Davidson
has accepted the Bureau’s invitation to become the Ramsar Convention’s
new Deputy Secretary General, initially a three-year appointment to begin in
about February 2000 in replacement of Dr Bill Phillips of Australia. Presently
Science Coordinator for Wetlands International, Dr Davidson brings a solid scientific
and ecological background to the Convention and considerable experience with
Ramsar issues. Here is a brief
article with more details. (français,
español). [5/11/99]
I. R. of Iran names 1006th
Ramsar site. The Islamic Republic of
Iran has designated its 19th Wetland of International Importance, Govater
Bay and Hur-e-Bahu (75,000 hectares), comprising the riverine and estuarine
wetlands of the lower Sarbaz River, including permanent freshwater pools and marshes,
mangrove swamps and intertidal mudflats, and also the sandy beach of the adjacent Gulf of
Oman coast in the extreme southeast of Iran (Persian Baluchestan) right to the border with
Pakistan. The site is important for Crocodylus palustris and wintering waterfowl,
notably Pelecanus crispus, shorebirds, gulls and terns. The Department of
Environment notes that "The fact that Iran has established a Ramsar Site for its
numerous values, among them the Marsh Crocodile, as opposed to the animal being simply a
protected species, would create a greater national and international concern for the
crocodile"; this is evidently the westernmost population of this South Asian species
The site is also a BirdLife International "Important Bird Area". Govater Bay is
the Convention’s 1006th Ramsar site, bringing Iran’s total surface
area to 1,432,150 hectares and the global total to 71,824,492 ha. [5/11/99]
Global
Review now available. Simon
Nash of Wetlands International - Africa, Europe, Middle East writes to the Ramsar
Forum: "We are pleased to announce that the full report of the Global
review of wetland resources and priorities for wetland inventory
is now available to browse on the Wetlands International - AEME web site. Go
to: http://www.wetlands.agro.nl/news/wetl_news_1999Nov4.html . As
a quick reminder, the aims of the review were to: * provide an overview of international,
regional and national wetland inventories as well as other general information
on global wetland resources; * outline steps to quantify the extent of global
wetland resources and to provide a baseline for measuring trends in wetland
conservation or loss; * identify priorities for establishing, updating or extending
wetland inventories so as to improve the accuracy with which the global wetland
resource can be quantified and described in the future. Here you will find reports,
databases and bibliographies produced by the team working on the Global Review
of Wetland Resources and Priorities for Wetland Inventory. We hope that you
will find this information useful and welcome your feedback and further contributions,
and if you know of inventory sources that have not been included in this review,
please contact Nick Davidson at icu@wetlands.agro.nl ." [4/11/99]
Ramsar
and UNFCCC COP5. Deputy
Secretary General Bill Phillips was in Bonn last week for the
opening days of the Climate Change Convention's 5th Conference of the Parties,
and whilst there he addressed the UNFCCC's Subsidiary Body for Scientific and
Technical Advice on the importance of wetlands in the climate change equation.
Here is the text of his speech.
This week, the Secretary General, Delmar Blasco, addressed
the COP's plenary session on 2 November with a similar message from a different
point of view, and here is the text
of his remarks. [4/11/99]
African-Eurasian Waterbird
Agreement enters into force.
Interim Secretary Bert Lenten writes to the Ramsar Forum: "As of 1 November 1999 the
Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Waterbirds has entered into force.
Currently 20 Range States have signed and ratified the AEWA. In the last few days Finland,
Belgium, and South Africa have signed and/ or ratified the AEWA. The Interim Secretariat
is aware that more countries have already started the process to become a Party some time
ago and will also become Parties soon. From 6 to 9 November 1999 the First Session of the
Meeting of the Parties will take place in Cape Town, South Africa. The agenda, including
most of the documents are available on our Website http://www.wcmc.org.uk/AEWA in French
and English. In particular the Report on the Conservation Status and the Conservation
Guidelines are recommended for reading. For more information please contact the Interim
Secretariat, c/o Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, P.O. Box 20401,
2500 Ek The Hague, The Netherlands tel: (=31) 70 3784982, fax: (=31) 70 378 6146 or E-mail
b.lenten@n.agro.nl ". [4/11/99]
News from
the SGF. 1997 SGF project in Estonia successfully accomplished: "Integrating conservation and wise use for
the management of Matsalu Ramsar site". A Ramsar Small Grants Fund
contribution was made available to support the implementation of the "Integrated
Coastal Zone Management Plan for the Matsalu Area", prepared by the local task team
of the HELCOM Working Group on Management Plans for Coastal Lagoons and Wetlands. The
Matsalu Ramsar site covers nearly 50,000 hectares along Estonia’s western coast. The
shores of Moonsund and Matsalu Bay include over 3000 ha of coastal meadows. Traditionally,
these have been managed for grazing and hay production, but due to economic and
agricultural changes, only small patches of the meadows were still used in this
traditional way. In order to preserve their high biodiversity, this use has to continue.
Thus, this key management activity was supported by the Ramsar SGF through arrangements
with local farmers to maintain the regular mowing of the alluvial meadows and the
provision of a tractor and mowing equipment. [2/11/99]
More
to follow. Watch this space.
Feedback and suggestions to: the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney
28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail
). Updated
regularly by Dwight Peck, Ramsar.
Back
Issues of the Bulletin Board. Early in every month the current edition of
the Bulletin Board is copied to the Ramsar Archives
page, and you can dig through the back issues there -- their contents are still
indexed on the Global Index page in perpetuity.
visitors
to this site since........ Wait . . . . . . . ? . . . . . . ?? Oooh, I
must have dropped it.