The
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
The Convention’s CEPA Programme
Index Page
Welcome
to the mini-Web site of the
CEPA Programme
Here
we bring together some of the many activities associated with implementing
the CEPA
Programme,
as adopted by Resolution VIII.31
at COP8 in 2002 (following the first CEPA Resolution, VII.9, adopted at
COP7 in 1999). 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 VIII.31 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
| This links page connects you with good CEPA web sites. You can help expand this by sending in your favourite Web sites! | |
| 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 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. |
|
| 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: reviewing and action planning for wetland CEPA
|
A Bureau consultant has prepared some additional guidance for CPs, based on the Resolution guidelines, to help them move forward with reviewing CEPA activities and developing a national Action Plan. Additional guidance for CPs in reviewing and action planning We hope CPs will share their National and sub-national CEPA Action Plans on these pages to assist other CPs in their task. To our knowledge only three Contracting Parties have prepared a National CEPA Action Plan at the moment - Australia, Germany and Hungary. They are available on this Web page. So too are action plans developed at supra- and sub-national levels. 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.
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 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 4 January 2008, Sandra Hails, Ramsar Bureau.
