The Ramsar Convention's Outreach Programme

Wetland Education Centres are prime vehicles for raising awareness of the functions and values of wetlands within the general public and school groups, as well as emphasising the role of all citizens in conserving wetlands. A great diversity of centres exists worldwide, ranging along a continuum from the high-tech centre, designed to welcome significant numbers of school children as well as the general public, to the simple, non-staffed visitor centre, welcoming small numbers of people and offering a limited CEPA experience. The CEPA output from such a range is, of course, equally variable -- but all of it is valuable in getting the wetland message through.

The CEPA guidelines encourage the establishment of Wetland Education Centres for promoting the principles of wetland conservation and wise use. Additionally, the guidelines emphasise the need to exchange information, materials and expertise between established centres for their mutual benefit, and for the benefit of newly established centres. The guidelines identify Wetland Link International (WLI), a programme of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), as the key organization to develop this area of the CEPA Programme.

At Ramsar's 9th Conference of the Parties in Uganda in 2005 Ramsar and WLI signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to further reinforce the working relationship. More here.

Latest News:

September 2007: WLI-Asia launches their Inter-school Education Programme on Wetland Conservation and a new WLI-Asia web site.

April 2007: WLI (and WWT) launch their new Web site.

A little history: At the World Wetlands day conference held at the London Wetland Centre on 4^th February 2003, WWT committed to the rebirth of the WLI network and programme which fallen into decline since 1998 through lack of funding. This WLI web site site was officially launched on July 1st, 2003. On the site, centres throughout the world contribute to a profile and picture gallery of their centres, building up a global online directory of wetland education centres - visit the WLI Web site.

In October 2003 WLI launched an e-mail group for wetland education centres to share expertise, ideas and news. Information on how to subscribe to this group is available here.

A WLI Coordinator, based at the award-winning London Wetland Centre, manages the network. For further information on how to have your wetland centre become part of the WLI network please visit the web site or send an email toWLI@wwt.org.uk.

Additional funds are now being sought by WWT to further develop the work of the WLI network – ideas for this include training, regional workshops, French and Spanish versions of the resources, and the regular publication of a paper-based newsletter for those without e-access.

An important area of development of WLI is the establishment of national and regional networks organised by officially recognised and bone fide organisations:

WLI-Australia, a national WLI network, has already been established by one of the original WLI founders, the Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia (read more about this here).

WLI-UK/Eire: established in 2004.

WLI-Asia, regional network, has also been set up following a meeting in Hong Kong, China, in June 2005. They held their First WLI-Asia Symposium in January 2007 and launched their own web site in September 2007.

WWT and the Ramsar Secretariat are very keen that these models are developed around the world. For further information on how to go about setting up a national or regional network, please contact the WLI Coordinator (WLI@wwt.org.uk).

Any place where there is interaction between people and wildlife and CEPA activity occurs
in support of wetland conservation objectives.

This definition would include nature reserves with a wide range of visitor facilities on wetland sites (e.g. those of WWT and similar organisations), environmental education centres, field study centres, zoological and botanical gardens, many interactive museums of natural history and a variety of community-based projects and programmes.

What are the objectives of the WLI programme?

To encourage and support the exchange of information and expertise internationally between those involved in wetland CEPA, particularly those operating from wetland education centres (including appropriate field study centres, environmental education centres, zoos, botanic gardens, aquaria, etc).

To advocate for, and assist in, the development of new wetland education centres and their associated programmes throughout the world;

To improve the effectiveness of operations at wetland education centres through sharing, training and expertise exchange;

To lobby for the greater inclusion of communications, education and public awareness (CEPA) programmes within wetlands and related conservation initiatives and instruments, and support the development of frameworks for subsequent implementation at national, regional and global levels.

Head of Wetland Link International, Wildfowt & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT, United Kingdom, Tel: +44 (0) 208 409 4404; Fax: +44 (0)1453 890827; Email: WLI@wwt.org.uk; Web site: www.wwt.org.uk/wli.

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169,

). Posted 16 April 2001, updated 20 August 2008, Sandra Hails, Ramsar.