What's
New @ Ramsar 
2 December 2000
Headline
story. Wetlands International strengthens Ramsar Database team. Scott Frazier, Senior Wetland Inventory
Officer at Wetlands International, reports: "Ellen
Amting, a Dutch National from Amsterdam, joined us today as Wetland
Database Management Asistant. She replaces Jantien van Oord, who recently moved to
Haarlem. Ellen will bring the Ramsar Database team back up to full strength and will
assist with our other wetland database managment. Ellen studied Tropical Ecology at the
University of Amsterdam. She has done research and/or fieldwork in
spatial/landcover/vegetation (including wetlands) issues in Senegal, Kenya, Burkina Faso
and the Netherlands. She has a keen interest in GIS as evidenced by previous and ongoing
course work. She was a database management assistant on a Soil Information System before
joing us. Welcome Ellen!" [2/12/00]
Headline
story. Morava
floodplain is subject of impressive new DAPHNE book.
A new 188-page hardcover book in Slovak and English has been published by DAPHNE
(Centre for Applied Ecology, Slovak Republic) with support from the PHARE Programme
of the European Commission, as well as WWF, the GEF, and the Slovak Ministry.
This very useful book, called "Morava
River Floodplain Meadows – Importance, Restoration and Management",
is the result of six years of research and restoration works conducted by DAPHNE.
It shows the importance of wetlands as ecological and economical resources,
explains the main functions and roles of floodplain meadows, reflects historical
changes and provides detailed analysis on the impact of different natural and
human-induced factors on meadow communities. It also provides recommendations
on restoration of floodplain meadows, based on field experiments. The chapter
on "Economic valuation of benefits from conservation and restoration of
floodplain meadows" shows that conservation and restoration as well as
sustainable use of the river floodplains have a significant monetary value.
Findings in this chapter could be a useful tool to convince decision-makers
that investments in restoration of meadows are not only beneficial for conservation
of biological diversity, but also profitable. Available from bookstores, ISBN
80-967471-5-0; more information is available from
Ján Seffer, DAPHNE (daphne@changenet.sk).
-- reported by Inga
Racinska [30/11/00].
Headline
story. Final report of Evian training project in Papua New Guinea. Aaron Jenkins,
Wetlands International - Oceania, reports on the successful results of a wetlands
training/survey project carried out in July 2000 under the auspices of the Ramsar
Convention's Evian Project, with generous funding from the private sector Danone Group. Here is his brief report, with a few photos. [28/11/00]
Who's where?
Anada Tiéga, Regional Coordinator for Africa, is visiting in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad to pursue the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project on the preparation of a management plan for the transboundary proposed Ramsar site for Lake Chad, 20 November to 3 December.
Who was where? Cumulated record of travels throughout the year.
New
on the Site:
More photos on human uses of and
threats to wetlands; photos
of wetlands in northern Wisconsin, USA; French
version and the Spanish
version of the 25th Standing Committee decisions. [2/12/00]
Other
texts newly on the Site: Still
more "History
of the Standing Committee"
-- a daunting
project
almost completed -- English versions of all the Standing Committee minutes since
the beginning
of Ramsar Standing Committee time
to the present (only SC5 1988 remains to be finished). [2/12/00]
Action
on wetlands in Panama and the region.
The Grupo
de Humedales y Zonas Costero-Marinas de Panamá
(Wetlands and Coastal and Marine Areas Group, Panama), sponsored by IUCN's Regional
Office (ORMA), is expressing support for the actions being taken by Panama's
National Environmental Authority in relation to the impacts of an embankment
being built in the Ramsar site San San Pond Sak. At the same time, the Wetland
and Coastal and Marine Areas Working Groups of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama have issued a Pronouncement, during a meeting
held on 18-19 September 2000 in Costa Rica, calling on their respective governments
to take action to stop the deterioration presently being caused by developments
in a number of wetlands and coastal areas. These
materials, in Spanish, can be consulted here. [28/11/00]
UK
names first site in the Channel Islands.
The United Kingdom has designated, as its 160th Wetland of International Importance,
"South East Coast of Jersey, Channel Islands"
(3210ha; 49°09’N 02°02’W) in the Bailiwick of Jersey, a Crown Dependency
of the UK. Amongst the largest intertidal reef sites in Europe, this site 22km
off the coast of France comprises various habitats: reefs, boulder fields, mud,
sandy and shingle shores not covered by water at low tide, combined with shallow
tidal lagoons, seagrass beds and a large number of outlying reefs. The maximum
spring tide range of 12m exposes 17.5m2 of wave cut rock platforms, extensive
areas of reef, and a complex system of soft substrate gullies. The site provides
important winter habitat for waders and wildfowl and produces a rich and diverse
range of biotopes and some uncommon species assemblages. It meets Criteria 1,
2, 3, 4, 7, and 8 for inclusion in the List - in regard to the Fish Criteria
(7+8), because of the enormous water exchanges and substrate variability a wide
diversity of species and life history stages are present. The flora and fauna
is characterized by a number of limit-of-range species at both the northern
and southern margins of their distributions. Fishing is of great cultural, social,
and traditional importance to the population, and a wide range of non-exploitive
recreational activity is very important within the site. Effects of inorganic
waste disposal and sewage discharge are seen as potential threats. This is the
1042nd Ramsar site globally. [27/11/00] [français
et/y español]
New Intern for Africa chosen for
Ramsar Bureau. The Bureau is pleased to announce that Simon
André Rafanomezantsoa from Madagascar has been selected as the next
Intern/Assistant to the Regional Coordinator for Africa, replacing Evans Okong'o from
Kenya, who is soon to complete his one-year's tenure in the secretariat. Simon has a
"Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies (D.E.A.)" in Animal Ecology-Environment from the
University of Antananarivo (1998), as well as a "Maîtrise de Recherche en Sciences
Biologiques Appliquées", option Animal Biology (1994), and a teaching diploma in
Natural Sciences (1993). Since October 1997, Simon has been working as Wetlands Project
Manager with the "Peregrine Fund Madagascar", at the Ramsar site "Complexe
des lacs de Manambolomaty" in the Antsalova region. He has participated in several
training programmes, workshops and meetings, such as the Xth Pan-African Ornithological
Congress held in Uganda; the Earthwatch Fellowship Programme in Zambia; the Vth Conference
on Birds of Prey and Owls in South Africa; a workshop for determining important bird areas
in Madagascar, organised by BirdLife International, and various other training courses. He
has an excellent level in both English and French, besides his mother tongue Malagasy. The
Bureau hopes to be welcoming Simon around mid-January 2001, depending up Swiss work permit
formalities. [23/11/00]
Ramsar's
statement to the 6th COP of the Climate Change Convention. The
Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands, Delmar
Blasco, was amongst the speakers, in the section for intergovernmental
organizations, on the first day of the ministerial sessions of the 6th Conference
of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
He updated the participants on Ramsar work that impacts upon climate change
issues and called for their support for increased synergies between the two
Conventions on how climate change affects wetlands and how wetlands can help
to mitigate adverse climate changes. Here
is the text of his address. [21/11/00]
The
UK launches government policy for Ramsar sites in England. On
14 November, UK Environment Minister Michael Meacher launched a government policy
intended to give the highest possible level of protection to England's wetland
sites listed under the Ramsar Convention. The new Department of Environment,
Transport and the Regions policy guidance on the protection and management of
English Ramsar sites "reinforces the message that development of these
sites will be allowed only in the rarest circumstances. 
If,
unusually, consent is given to development, lost wetlands interests will have
to be replaced, by restoring and recreating habitats. The Government also expects
that developers will have to agree and bear the cost of these compensatory packages,
under the polluter pays principle." This statement sets out the Government's
policies for the protection and management of Ramsar sites in England, some
75 sites covering over 361,000 hectares (matters relating to the management
of Ramsar sites in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland fall to the devolved
administrations of those countries), and, most interestingly, it requires that
Ramsar sites be accorded the same legal protections as are the country's Special
Protection Areas (SPAs) classified under the EC Birds Directive and 148 candidate
Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) under the EC Habitats Directive in the
Natura 2000 network. Both
the DETR's press release and the policy itself have been reprinted with permission
on this Web site, as well on the Web
site of the DETR. [20/11/00]
World
Commission on Dams launches report. The
long-awaited report of the WCD was launched in London on Thursday, 16 November.
Entitled Dams and Development: a New Framework
for Decision-Making, the 404-page report compiles and assesses
the work of an enormous number of individuals and presents data from a very
large number of sources. It is anticipated that the WCD report will have considerable
significance for the Ramsar Convention, and the report, along with its large
number of technical supporting reviews, will be reviewed by the Ramsar STRP's
Expert Working Group on
Dams as the basis for advising Contracting Parties at COP8 on issues
relating to dams, wetlands, and the WCD guidance. The new report is available
from the WCD Web site, www.dams.org and in
hardcopy from Earthscan publications, http://www.earthscan.co.uk
. [20/11/00]
UK
picks Garry Bog. The United
Kingdom has designated its 159th Ramsar site, called with admirable
succinctness Garry Bog (155 hectares,
55°06’N 006°31’W). Garry Bog is one of the largest lowland raised
bogs in Northern Ireland, and the site exhibits the full range of characteristic
vegetation and structural features associated with this type of habitat, such
as bog pools and hummock complexes with extensive Sphagnum-rich bryophyte
carpets. The lagg surrounding the bog has been cut for turf, creating a mosaic
of water-logged cuttings at different levels, separated by elevated ramparts.
The site, listed as wetland type "U" (peatlands), is considered to
be internationally important by virtue of Criterion 1, as a large, relatively
intact, and one of the best examples of lowland raised bog in the UK. This brings
the global Ramsar total to 1041 wetlands under the Ramsar umbrella. [17/11/00]
[français et/y español]
Announcement.
Standing Committee 25 results
now available. English
versions of the Minutes
and of the Decisions
of the 25th Standing Committee meeting, 23-27 October 2000, are now available.
(The meeting's Decisions are also included within the Minutes document, but
the latter file is obviously somewhat larger.) The Decisions, but not the Minutes,
will be translated into French and Spanish and will be available in about two
weeks' time. The agenda papers for the meeting and the welcoming statements
from the International Organization Partners are also available now, and the
list of participants and photos of the proceedings will follow shortly. [13/11/00]
Announcement. Nordic
Council plans info on Ramsar in the region. The Nordic Council of Ministers has decided to produce a leaflet on Ramsar and
Ramsar sites in the Nordic countries. It will be published in five versions ("we are
not yet speaking the same language, but we are working on it"), and it will include
information on the convention, its goals, different wetland types in Scandinavian
countries and overview maps of all their Ramsar sites. Overseeing the project will be Torsten
Larsson, Naturvårdsverket/Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, torsten.larsson@environ.se, but it will be
made in close contact with his Nordic colleagues. Publication is foreseen hopefully before
next summer. [15/11/00]
Ecuador
designates Isla Santay near Guayaquil.
The Bureau is delighted to announce that Ecuador has designated its 6th
Ramsar site, with the paperwork completed as of 31 October 2000. "Isla
Santay" (4,705 hectares, Guayas Province, 02º13'S 079º51'W) is
located in the delta of the Guayas River near the urban perimeter of the city
of Guayaquil. The Isla Santay site (2200ha for the island itself and about 2505ha
for surrounding waters) is characterized by halophytic vegetation that is influenced
by tides and seasonal changes throughout the year (Ramsar Type "I",
Intertidal forested wetlands, including mangrove swamps, etc.). Despite being
a highly altered area, it provides refuge for a great number of species and
conserves a great biological diversity due to its location in the ecotone region,
and the site qualifies for the Ramsar List under all three of the biodiversity
Criteria and both of the fish Criteria. It is probably the only known nesting
area for the endangered Amazona autumnalis. The island is inhabited by
182 residents who practice fishing, traditional agriculture, and livestock raising
on a sustainable level, but threats from continuing urban development have been
noted. This is the 1040th Ramsar site globally. [13/11/00] [français
et/y español]
European
Union Water Framework Directive seminar.
On 9-10 November the Directorate-General
Environment of the European Commission and WWF organised the second seminar
(in a series of three) to deal with key issues pertaining to the implementation
of the new Water Framework Directive. Ramsar Regional Coordinator for Europe
was there and describes the
results in this brief report. [14/11/00]
Japan
includes Ramsar values in school curricula.
The Ramsar Convention's Strategic Plan 1997-2002 calls (in Action 3.2.5) for
the inclusion of wetland and Ramsar values in elementary, secondary, and tertiary
educational curricula. Here's a
peek at progress on that front in Japan, with a quick look at a
fine Environment Agency brochure introducing Ramsar values and Ramsar sites
to the public, which might well be taken as a model by many of our Contracting
Parties. [13/11/00]
Announcement.
European Regional Meeting on the
Ramsar Convention set for Slovenia.
The dates have been set for 13-18 October 2001 and the venue will be in Bled.
Here is a brief look
at the issues to be covered in the meeting. [13/11/00]
China's
Wetlands Conservation Action Plan is ready. Recently
the China National Wetlands Conservation Action
Plan has been published for implementation. The State Forestry
Administration (SFA), as the focal point for Ramsar Convention implementation
in China, announced that the Action Plan after consultation among 17 Ministries/Commissions
has been approved by the State Council and put into implementation immediately.
Here's report from Li Lukang,
Wetlands International China Programme, on the results of the press conference.
[13/11/00]
News from the SGF. 1998 SGF project completed in Georgia. The
final report has been received for the project "Conservation of Javakheti Plateau
wetlands in Southern Georgia". During the project, most of the important lakes in
Southern Georgia meeting the Ramsar Criteria have been identified for potential inclusion
in the List of Wetlands of International Importance. All the stakeholders have been
involved in elaboration of draft management plan for Lakes Khanchali, Madatapa, and
Bugdasheni during the project. The project was carried out by NACRES (Noah’s Ark
Centre for the Recovery of Endangered Species) in cooperation with Ministry of Environment
of Georgia. In order to protect the highly threatened transboundary alpine and subalpine
wetland ecosystems in Georgia and Turkey, Georgia is looking forward to future cooperation
with Turkey to designate a transboundary Ramsar site in the area. [Racinska, 13/11/00]
Agreement
signed with Danube Protection Commission. The
Ramsar Convention Bureau has concluded an agreement with the International
Commission for the Protection of the Danube River -- the permanent
secretariat of which is based in Vienna, Austria -- which conveys Observer Status
upon the Bureau in the meetings and deliberations of the ICPDR. Citing congruence
of principles and objectives, the agreement outlines a number of areas of potentially
mutually helpful contacts, and the text
is reproduced right here. [9/11/00]
MOU
between SCBD and Wetlands International. In
September, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity signed
a memorandum of understanding with the International Coordination Unit of Wetlands
International, outlining agreed objectives and areas of mutual work which have
extraordinary importance for the Ramsar Convention, especially since many of
the agreed activities focus upon fulfillment of the Joint Work Plan between
Ramsar and the CBD. With permission of the parties to the MOU, we've
reprinted the document on this Web site. [10/11/00]
Bureau
fêtes change of interns and lots of birthdays. On
8 November 2000, Alexander "Sasha" Belokurov (Russian
Federation) took his leave of the Ramsar Bureau, accompanied by many sighs and
groans from Bureau staff and more ceremonial vodka than was wanted, and Inga
Racinska (Latvia) was welcomed to his recently vacated adjustable chair
as Assistant to the Regional Coordinator for Europe. All of those stressed members
of the environmental bureaucracies of all the Ramsar Member States in the European
region will hasten to make
the acquaintance of the person with whom they will be dealing for
the year to come. [10/11/00]
Argentina
names high-altitude Ramsar site. Argentina's
authorities have designated their 8th Ramsar site, Lagunas de Vilama
(157,000 hectares, 22°36’S 066°55’W), which comprises more than ten
Andean highland lagoons that occupy endorrheic depressions in Jujuy province,
in the extreme northwest of the country, at 4,500 meters above sea level. The
lagoons have diverse characteristics, from saline and deep to hypersaline and
shallow. They provide habitat for a very rich aquatic bird life, with a good
number of endemic and/or endangered species (flamingos Phoenicoparrus andinus,
P. jamesi, and coots Fulica cornuta); in addition, a diversity
of Nearctic migrating species find a feeding place here. In the plains that
surround the lagoons, locally called "ciénegos", other endangered
species like vicuñas and "ñandú" (South American ostrich; Pterocnemia
pennata garleppi) are present. These "ciénegos" also provide grazing
resources for herds of domestic camelids (llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, etc.) and
sheep of the local people who practice traditional modes of transhumance. In
addition to these plains, the most prevalent vegetation are characteristic of
shrub steppes and Andean highland pastures. Numerous archeological sites attest
to significant human populations from 5,000 years ago, and the lagoons continue
to hold ritual significance. The area of the Ramsar site is part of the provincial
Reserva Altoandina de la Chinchilla. There are presently 1039 Wetlands of International
Importance globally, covering 78,423,330 hectares. [8/11/00] [français
et/y español]
Wetland
Bird Survey 1998-99 published for the UK. WeBS
is the monitoring scheme for non-breeding waterbirds in the UK which aims to
provide the principal data for the conservation of their populations and wetland
habitats. The data collected are used to assess the size of waterbird populations,
determine trends in numbers and distribution, and assess the importance of individual
sites for waterbirds, in line with the requirements of international conservation
Conventions and Directives. Continuing a tradition begun in 1947, around 3,000
volunteer counters participate in synchronized monthly counts of wetlands of
all habitat types, mainly during the winter period. WeBS is a partnership among
the British Trust of Ornithology, The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds, and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Find
a better picture of this new report and some further details here.
[9/11/00]
News from the SGF. 1997 SGF project completed in Zambia. The
final SGF report has been received for Wetlands,
People, and Biodiversity: SGF Project in Zambia (1997 project cycle). The Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia
(wcsz@zamnet.zm), supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, set up a pilot
Wetlands Outreach Programme in the Kafue Flats, one of the two Ramsar sites in Zambia. The
Outreach Programme, for which SFR 38,400 were authorized, focused upon on promotion of
local awareness and action concerning the cultural, ecological and economic value of
wetlands. The Programme included guided study tours into the area, production of
educational materials and posters, a schedule of 13 weekly 15-minute radio programmes, a
number of meetings and training workshops, and an inventory of income-generating
activities which have an impact on the natural resources of the region. These form the
basis for promoting community participation and action in sustainable development and
environmental rehabilitation, such as stimulating discussion of environmental problems,
development of ecotourism at a local level, thus also reducing poverty among the
communities. [9/11/00]
United Kingdom places Ouse
Washes on the Montreux Record. The
Government of the United Kingdom has requested that the Ramsar site Ouse
Washes be included in the Montreux Record of sites the ecological
character of which has changed, is changing, or is likely to change. Ouse Washes is a
long, narrow area of seasonally flooded grassland of 2,469 hectares in the north of
England, designated in January 1976, which provides flood storage between two channelized
rivers. Ouse Washes was considered Internationally Important by virtue of a number of
Ramsar Criteria, including ‘representative example’, ‘rare or endangered
species’, and both the 20,000 and the 1%-threshold waterfowl Criteria. The
"nature of change in ecological character/potential for adverse change" is
listed on the Montreux Record Questionnaire as "1. Decline in the numbers of breeding
waterfowl, 2. Changes in vegetation communities, and 3. Decline in water quality"
apparently caused by "1. An increase in the incidence of summer flooding over the
past 25 years, and 2. A decline in water quality affecting higher plants within the rivers
and ditches of the Ouse Washes". Efforts are presently under way to help remedy the
situation. The site’s entry into the
Montreux Record is effective as of the Bureau’s receipt of the UK’s
request, 31 October 2000. [5/11/00]
Announcement.
RIZA Wetland Restoration Course 2001 brochures available. For several years now, the Wetland Advisory and Training
Centre's International Course on Wetland Management
in Lelystad, The Netherlands, grounded solidly in Ramsar management principles and the
Ramsar wise use concept, has been graduating successive classes of wetland managers who
have had a catalytic effect in their home countries, often in the developing world. Last
year's first International Course on Wetland Restoration was
similarly successful, and WATC has just released its brochure for next year's course. The
one-month certificate-bearing courses are well grounded in Ramsar principles and include a
finely tuned mix of theory and hands-on field practice. The next Restoration course will
take place 6 June to 5 July 2001 in
Lelystad, with an application deadline of 1 February 2001, and you can obtain the
descriptive application brochure from watc@riza.rws.minvenw.nl
. [7/11/00]
Poster
available. WWF's
Living Waters Campaign unveils educational poster for wetlands. In
October, the Living Waters Campaign launched a new poster and circulated information
on how to obtain English, Spanish and French copies, with versions in Arabic
and Chinese planned. Here is
a photo and a reprint of the announcement. [6/11/00]
Announcement.
Battelle Memorial Institute is organizing Wetlands
and Remediation: The Second International Conference to be held
5-6 September 2001, in Burlington, Vermont, USA. This follows on from its successful
first international conference in Utah, USA, in November 1999. Full
details are reprinted here. [3/11/00]
Ramsar's 25th Standing Committee
meeting. The Standing Committee has
completed its week of meetings, 23-27 October, with two days of preparatory meetings of
the Subgroups followed by two and a half days of plenary sessions. There were some 65
participants from SC-member Parties, Observer Parties, International Organization
Partners, and other observer States and NGOs, plus Bureau staff and interpreters. Among
the results: The SC endorsed and advised on the Bureau’s cooperation with the CBD and
other conventions, instititutions, and processes, and encouraged the development of new
initiatives such as the River Basin Initiative, the Participatory Management Networking
Service, and the Ramsar Wetlands Training and Advisory Service. The members offered advice
and sought further input on several key institutional issues, such as Parties’
reporting of change in ecological character, the legal issues surrounding potential
restrictions of site boundaries, the structure of the Ramsar Sites Database, and the
implementation of several COP7 resolutions. The Committee reviewed the work of the STRP
and set up a new Subgroup to consider the STRP’s modus operandi. [Left: The Secretary General welcomes SC25
participants. Photo: Alexander Belokurov]
In addition, the SC approved the Bureau’s accounts for 1999-2000 and its work plan and budget for 2001, carried forward the drafting of Strategic Plan 2003-2008, decided upon the interim location of the MedWet Coordination Function, and approved a slate of Small Grants Fund project proposals. The suggestion of the Government of Spain to hold the 8th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Valencia, 18-26 November 2002, was accepted with appreciation for Spain’s generous pledge of contributions to the COP budget, the draft COP8 agenda was approved, and a calendar of related meetings between now and then was established. The full report of the meeting will appear here in about a week’s time. [30/10/00]
Photo
essay. Ramsar
at Hallowe'en. Not many
secretariats of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) would display themselves
in full Hallowe'en regalia, absent the threat of excessive force. But the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands, continuously innovative since 1971, is unafraid
to show its really silly side on this Web site. [1/11/00]
Australia
enacts landmark legislation to protect Ramsar sites and migratory birds. Getting
ready to enshrine your Ramsar obligations into national law???
Former Ramsar Deputy Secretary General Dr Bill Phillips, now
of MainStream Environmental Consulting,
explains the new Australian legislation conferring federal legal obligations
on Wetlands of International Importance, and throws in excerpts of the relevant
legislation. This Australian effort is a significant advance and an excellent
model for other Contracting Parties seeking to embody Ramsar's wise use principles
in their national and federal legislation. It's
all here for your solemn contemplation, right now. [1/11/00]
Report
ready. Millennium
Wetland Event - Chairpersons' Report.
The Chairpersons of the Quebec 2000 event this past August, Clayton
Rubec and Bernard Bélanger, have finalized their 'balance
sheet' report on the success of the meetings, including final figures on everything,
lessons learned, lists of printed and other products expected from all the symposia,
and lots more. Read
our reprint of the Chairpersons' Report right here. (And
a few more photos of Ramsar's participation.)
[31/10/00]
China plans mangrove inventory. The China State Forestry Administration (SFA) has
announced that an inventory of mangrove resources would start next spring (northern
hemisphere). Mangrove is special forest vegetation and plays an important role in keeping
ecological balance along China’s coastal areas. So far some 14 mangrove type nature
reserves have been established. However, for various reasons no systematic and overall
inventory of mangrove resources has been carried out, and this is an important gap having
negative impacts on conservation and management of mangrove resources. It is estimated
that some 40% of mangrove area have been lost. SFA, in its announcement, instructed that
the forestry departments of all distribution provinces (Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong,
Guangxi and Hainan) have to be responsible to form a team for this inventory starting in
spring of 2001 and prepare to issue ownership/tenure certificates of mangrove before end
of 2001. – Reported by Li
Lukang, Wetlands International China Programme (lilukang@public3.bta.net.cn). [30/10/00]
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 Bureau.
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.