The Ramsar Convention's Outreach Programme

ramsarnewEPA.jpg (12642 bytes) The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

The Convention’s CEPA Programme

Index Page

Welcome to the mini-Web site of the
CEPA Programme

A poster produced by Wetlands International for raising the awareness of local communities at the Kuala Gula wetland in Malaysia Here we bring together some of the many activities associated with implementing the CEPA Programme, as adopted by Resolution X.8 at COP10 in 2008 (following the first CEPA Resolution, VII.9, adopted at COP7 in 1999, and the second, Res VIII.31, adopted at COP8 in 2002). For a number of Contracting Parties (CPs), wetland Communication Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) is already a coordinated and targeted component of their programme on wetland conservation and wise use. For most CPs, however, implementing Resolution X.8 is an opportunity to focus on developing wetland CEPA as a fundamental tool alongside the other more traditional management tools of the Convention. It’s a tool that should be used at national, regional and local levels, involving all sectors of society from key decision-makers, to the public at large, wetland users, the media, as well as teachers and schoolchildren.

The guidelines adopted with the Resolution commit both the Ramsar Bureau and the Contracting Parties to a number of activities to promote Wetland CEPA. These pages report on some of the activities outlined in the guidelines, keeping CPs informed of what the Bureau is doing now and plans to do in the future.

These CEPA pages also provide an open forum for the exchange of CEPA ideas and resource materials. This exchange will be facilitated by the CEPA e-mail discussion list, which we hope will bring together not only the CEPA Focal Points, both government and NGO, but also the many others involved in CEPA activities. Without your input these few pages dedicated to the CEPA Programme will never fulfill their potential. So join the CEPA e-mail discussion list and let's hear from you!

Here’s how the mini-site is organized:

Contents of the CEPA mini-site

CEPA Web Links	This links page connects you with good CEPA web sites. You can help expand this by sending in your favourite Web sites!
News from the CEPA e-mail list	The Secretariat launched 3 unmoderated e-mail lists (in English, French and Spanish) in April 2001 devoted to the wide range of news, views, announcements, information requests and replies concerning wetland CEPA. Since February 2004 all posted messages are recorded here. Join the CEPA List here
The nominated Government and NGO Focal Points	The nomination of Government and NGO CEPA National Focal Points by every Contracting Party is regarded as the starting point for an effective review of CEPA needs within each country, leading ultimately to a CEPA Action Plan - both principal components of Resolution VIII.31. The National Focal Points (NFPs) are also the main points of contact within and between countries for wetland CEPA. Roles and responsibilities of the CEPA NFPs
CEPA Oversight Panel	A CEPA Oversight Panel was set up following COP9 in 2005. Its function is to monitor and report on the implementation of the Convention's CEPA Programme and to examine and set priorities for communication, education and capacity building in collaboration with the Wetlands International CEPA Specialist Group and theAdvisory Board on Capacity Building for the Ramsar Convention. To reflect the new direction of capacity building within the Convention towards regional rather than international training, the Dutch government has replaced the RIZA Advisory Board with the Advisory Board on Capacity Building for the Ramsar Convention. Read more about the new Board and its relationship with the CEPA Oversight Panel here.
Implementing the Ramsar CEPA guidelines: action planning for wetland CEPA	A consultant has prepared a guide for Contracting Parties and other CEPA practitioners, to assist in the CEPA action planning process. It provides an easy-to-use practical tool that will guide practitioners in organising well-designed and well-run participatory action planning processes that employ a range of techniques for facilitating diverse multi-stakeholder groups. A Guide to Participatory Action Planning and Techniques for Facilitating Groups is available for download here. Further assistance to CEPA practitioners comes from the CBD which has prepared a CEPA toolkit for its practitioners that complements the Ramsar guide. Here you will find tools concerning where, when and how to use a range of education and communication interventions. Available on a dedicated website here. We hope CPs will share their National and sub-national CEPA Action Plans on these pages to assist other CPs in their task. Parties are expected to send their action plans - at whatever level, regional, national and sub-national - so that they can be made available on these web pages. These are available here: Wetland CEPA Action Plans
Other Wetland CEPA strategies/ Action plans	We hope to begin sharing here other CEPA Strategies or Action Plans that have been developed that may not be directly related to the Ramsar CEPA guidelines but which may serve as useful models. To start the ball rolling we have a Public Awareness Strategy for the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve.
Wetland CEPA resource materials	CEPA METHODOLOGIES: Best practice guide for rangers; communication strategy for a site recovery plan; ESD methods; techniques for working with stakeholders; and much more. CAMPAIGNS: in many countries campaigns are used to bring local residents, school children and local authorities together in hands-on activities in their local wetlands. TEACHING MATERIALS: the school curriculum presents a highly effective route for delivering information, raising awareness about wetland values and functions, and changing behaviour patterns. Here are some interesting materials for use in the classroom and during visits to local wetlands. The Ramsar Board Game: Ramsar for 5-14 year olds WETLAND INFORMATION: background information on wetlands, different types of wetland, wetland values and functions, role of wetlands in the water cycle etc.
Wetland Education Centres	Wetland Education Centres are prime vehicles for enlightening the public and school groups about the functions and values of wetlands. Here are Web links to a few as well as some information about the role and future development of Wetland Centres in the CEPA Programme.

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Posted 16 April 2001, updated 23 January 2009, Sandra Hails, Ramsar Secretariat.