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Acronyms and Terminology in Daily Use by the Ramsar Convention
Visitors to the Secretariat and invited experts at Ramsar meetings have often remarked that the common discourse amongst Ramsar initiates is pretty much impenetrable to newcomers. Here, then, are the beginnings of a dictionary of acronyms and technical jargon in regular use among all those people who, from desire or necessity, feel called upon to discuss Ramsar issues, at the dinnertable and otherwise. Your suggestions for additions and improvements are earnestly solicited.
AAs administrative authorities, Ramsar implementing agencies AEWA African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement BLG Biodiversity Liaison Group (CBD, CITES, CMS, Ramsar, and World Heritage) CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CEC IUCN Commission on Education and Communications CEM IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management CEPA communications, education, and public awareness CIESIN Center for International Earth Science Information Network CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna CMS Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals COP Conference of the Contracting Parties COP8 8th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties CP Contracting Party, or member state, of the Convention CSD UN Commission on Sustainable Development DAC Development Assistance Committee of the OECD DSG Deputy Secretary General EIA environmental impact assessment EKBY The Greek Wetland / Biotope Centre EPA education and public awareness; Environmental Protection Agency EWS early warning system GAPP Global Action Plan for Peatlands GBF Global Biodiversity Forum GEF Global Environment Facility GISP Global Invasive Species Programme GPA Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities GWEN Global Wetlands Economics Network IAIA International Association for Impact Assessment ICN Instituto de Conservaçao da Natureza, Portugal ICRI International Coral Reef Initiative ICZM integrated coastal zone management IMCG International Mire Conservation Group IOPs International Organization Partners of the Convention IPCC UN/WMO Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPS International Peat Society IUCN The World Conservation Union IWRB International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau (now Wetlands International) JLG Joint Liaison Group (of the Rio Conventions) KIWC Kushiro International Wetlands Centre MA Millennium Ecosystem Assessment MAB UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme MEA multilateral environment agreement MR Montreux Record NEPAD New Partnership for Africa's Development NFPs National Focal Points (for CEPA and STRP) NGO non-governmental organization NRs National Reports prepared by Contracting Parties in advance of each Ramsar COP NRC National Ramsar Committee / National Wetland Committee NWPs National Wetland Policies (or Strategies or Plans, etc.) OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development RAM Ramsar Advisory Mission RBI River Basin Initiative RIS Information Sheet for Ramsar Wetlands SBSTA UNFCCC's Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice SBSTTA CBD's Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice SC Ramsar Standing Committee SC30 30th meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee SG Secretary General SGF Ramsar Small Grants Fund SPREP Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme SRAs Ramsar "Senior Regional Advisors" for Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and the Neotropics (based at the Ramsar Secretariat) SSC IUCN Species Survival Commission STRP Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel STRP6 6th meeting of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel SWS Society of Wetland Scientists TOR terms of reference TSs technical sessions of the Ramsar COPs UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change WCD World Commission on Dams WCMC UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre WCPA IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas WFF Wetlands for the Future Fund WLI Wetland Link International WRI World Resources Institute WSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2002 WWD World Wetlands Day (2 February) WWF World Wide Fund for Nature WWT Waterfowl and Wetlands Trust
Administrative Authority = the agency within each Contracting Party charged by the national government with implementation of the Ramsar Convention within its territory
Attributes of wetlands = attributes of a wetland include biological diversity and unique cultural and heritage features. These attributes may lead to certain uses or the derivation of particular products, but they may also have intrinsic, unquantifiable importance (adopted by Resolution VI.1)
Brisbane Initiative = recommendation of the 6th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (1996) calling for the establishment of a network of Ramsar-listed and other wetlands of international importance for migratory shorebirds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway
Change in ecological character = "the human-induced adverse alteration of any ecosystem component, process, and/or ecosystem benefit/service" (Resolution IX.1, Annex A)
Compensation = meaning not yet precisely fixed; cited in Article 4.2 of the Convention as required in the event of a Contracting Party's deleting a Ramsar site or restricting its boundaries
Contact letters = method by which the Ramsar Secretariat seeks information from the Contracting Parties when informed by any means of impending threat to Ramsar sites
Contracting Parties = countries that are Member States to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 153 as of December 2006. Membership in the Convention is open to all states that are members of the United Nations, one of the UN specialized agencies, or the International Atomic Energy Agency, or is a Party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice.
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat = the official name of the Convention; the abbreviated name "Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)" is more commonly used
Ecological character = "the combination of the ecosystem components, processes and benefits/services that characterise the wetland at a given point in time" (the latest definition, Resolution IX.1 Annex A)
Ecosystem approach = "a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way" (Convention on Biological Diversity)
Ecosystem services = "the benefits that people receive from ecosystems, including provisioning, regulating, and cultural services" (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment)
Evian Initiative = a suite of communications and capacity building activities managed by the Ramsar Secretariat with funding from the private sector Danone Group
Functions of wetlands = activities or actions which occur naturally in wetlands as a product of interactions between the ecosystem structure and processes. Functions include flood water control; nutrient, sediment and contaminant retention; food web support; shoreline stabilization and erosion controls; storm protection; and stabilization of local climatic conditions, particularly rainfall and temperature (adopted by Resolution VI.1)
International Organization Partners = the five officially recognized non-governmental organizations which assist in the implementation of the Ramsar Convention: BirdLife International, IUCN-The World Conservation Union, IWMI - International Water Management Institute, Wetlands International, and the World Wide Fund for Nature International
List of Wetlands of International Importance ("Ramsar List") = the list of wetlands which have been designated by the Contracting Parties in which they reside as internationally important according to one or more of the criteria that have been adopted by the Conference of the Parties
Mediterranean Wetlands Committee = committee of governments and NGOs established by the Ramsar Standing Committee's 19th meeting (1996) which, under the aegis of the Ramsar Secretariat, provides guidance to all interested parties, and in particular to the Ramsar Secretariat and the MedWet Coordinator, on practical measures and actions for implementation of the Mediterranean Wetlands Strategy
Mediterranean Wetlands Strategy = plan of objectives and actions, endorsed by the Venice Declaration (Mediterranean Wetlands Conference, Venice, June 1996), aimed at achieving the goal of: "to stop and reverse the loss and degradation of Mediterranean wetlands as a contribution to the conservation of biodiversity and to sustainable development in the region"
MedWet = the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative, administered by the MedWet Secretariat (an outposted part of the Ramsar Secretariat based in Athens, Greece)
Montreux Record = the list of Ramsar sites where change in ecological character has occurred, is occurring, or is likely to occur as a result of technological development, pollution, or other human interference (established by Resolution 5.4). Montreux Record sites require priority national and international conservation attention and receive preference for application of the Ramsar Advisory Mission.
National Ramsar Committee = the body established in many Contracting Parties to assist the official Administrative Authority in implementation of the Convention within the country, usually including scientific and technical experts and representatives of NGOs and stakeholders as well as personnel from other government sectors. Sometimes called "National Wetland Committees".
National Wetland Policies = one of the most important tools under the Convention for ensuring the wise use and integrated management of Ramsar and other wetlands within each Contracting Party (may also be called Strategies, Plans, etc.)
1% threshold = Criterion 6 of the Criteria for identifying wetlands of international importance for the Ramsar List: "where data on populations are available, [the site] regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird".
Paris Protocol = an amendment to the text of the Ramsar Convention providing an amendment procedure (Article 10 bis) and additional language versions of the Convention, adopted by an Extraordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Paris in 1982
Products of wetlands = products generated by wetlands include wildlife resources; fisheries; forest resources; forage resources; agricultural resources; and water supply. These products are generated by the interactions between the biological, chemical and physical components of wetlands (adopted by Resolution VI.1)
Ramsar = city in Iran, on the shores of the Caspian Sea, where the Convention on Wetlands was agreed on 2 February 1971; thus the Convention's informal nickname, "Ramsar Convention on Wetlands"
Ramsar Advisory Mission = the method by which, at the invitation of Contracting Parties, the Ramsar Secretariat, with consultant experts as appropriate, can assess the situation at a threatened Ramsar site, frequently a Montreux Record site, and make recommendations for improvement
Ramsar Criteria = Criteria for Identifying Wetlands of International Importance, used by Contracting Parties and advisory bodies to identify wetlands as qualifying for the Ramsar List on the basis of representativeness or uniqueness or of biodiversity values
Ramsar List = the List of Wetlands of International Importance
Ramsar regions = Africa, Asia, Europe, Neotropics, North America, and Oceania
Ramsar sites = wetlands designated by the Contracting Parties for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance because they meet one or more of the Ramsar Criteria
Ramsar Sites Database = repository of ecological, biological, socio-economic, and political data and maps with boundaries on all Ramsar sites, maintained by Wetlands International in Wageningen, the Netherlands, under contract to the Convention
Ramsar Site Information Service = an on-line service provided by Wetlands International (http://www.wetlands.org/rsis/) in order to make the Ramsar Sites Database accessible to and searchable by the public
Regina
Amendments = series of amendments to Articles 6 and 7 of the Ramsar Convention,
approved by the 4th Meeting of the COP held in Regina, Canada, May 1987; entered
into force in May 1994
Scientific and Technical Review Panel = the Convention's subsidiary scientific
advisory body, established in 1993, consisting of 6 regional and 6 thematic
STRP members elected by the SC and representatives from the five International
Organization Partners, in addition to invited observers from other MEAs and
organizations; advises the Secretariat and the Standing Committee on a range
of scientific and technical issues
Small Grants Fund = a fund established in 1990 and maintained from the Convention's core budget and voluntary contributions for the support of projects from developing countries and countries with economies in transition which have as their objectives the implementation of the Strategic Plan, preparation for joining the Convention, or emergency assistance to threatened Ramsar sites
Standing Committee = a committee of Ramsar Contracting Parties, established in 1987, that guides the work of the Convention and the Secretariat in the periods between triennial meetings of the COP. The members are chosen by the COP on a proportional basis among the Ramsar regions and also include the Parties that are current hosts of the most recent and the next meetings of the COP. Switzerland (host of the Secretariat) and The Netherlands (host of Wetlands International), as well as the five International Organization Partners, are Permanent Observers on the SC.
Sustainable utilization of a wetland = "Human use of a wetland so that it may yield the greatest continuous benefit to present generations while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspiration of future generations" (Recommendation 3.3, 1987)
Tour du Valat = the Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat, located in the Camargue, in southern France, one of the world's foremost wetlands research institutions
Urgent national interests = meaning not yet precisely fixed; cited in Article 2.5 of the Convention as the only circumstance under which any already-designated site should be deleted from the Ramsar List or its boundaries restricted. Resolution VIII.20 offers guidance to Parties in interpreting the term.
Values of wetlands = the perceived benefits to society, either direct or indirect, that result from wetland functions. These values include human welfare, environmental quality, and wildlife support (adopted by Resolution VI.1).
Wetland Conservation Award = Ramsar Awards established in 1996 to recognize and honor, every three years, individuals, organizations, and government agencies that have made a significant contribution to wetland conservation and sustainable use in any part of the world, conferred at each triennial meeting of the COP
Wetlands for the Future Initiative = a funding programme established in 1995, operated by the US State Department, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Ramsar Secretariat to provide matching funds for training and capacity-building projects in the Neotropical region
Wetlands International = the leading global non-profit wetland conservation organization, partner with the Convention in many activities and contractual provider of Ramsar Sites Database services
Wise Use Guidelines = Guidelines on the Implementation of the Wise Use Concept (adopted as an annex to Recommendation 4.10), since elaborated many times and partially superseded by specialized guidance on various aspects of the concept
Wise use of wetlands = "the maintenance of their ecological character, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context of sustainable development" (latest definition, Resolution IX.1 Annex A, 2005. The pioneering definition of 1987 read: "Sustainable utilization of wetlands for the benefit of mankind in a way compatible with the maintenance of the natural properties of the ecosystem" (Recommendation 3.3)
World Wetlands Day = the 2nd of February each year (i.e., the anniversary of the signing of the Convention in 1971), established by the Standing Committee in 1996 as the official occasion for activities and celebrations within each Contracting Party aimed at alerting the public to the values and benefits of wetlands and the role of the Convention in maintaining them.
Suggestions
of more opaque jargon for inclusion in these lists can be forwarded to: the
Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
(tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail 
).
Posted 27 April 1997, last modified 9 March 2007, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.
