The Ramsar Bulletin Board, 4 September 2001

Long-awaited report. Ramsar Mission report on Ebro Delta, here, now! The long-awaited Ramsar Mission Report no 43 on the Delta del Ebro, Cataluña, España, has leapt in an exuberant manner over its last official hurdles and has now become part of the public record. Led by the Bureau's Dr Tobias Salathé and invited experts Dr Patrick Dugan, consultant, and Dra María José Viñals of the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia/SEHUMED, with the participation of a number of Spanish experts, the mission visited the site in September 2000 and has been passing its semi-semi-final report back and forth amongst scientific personnel and government officials at all levels over the past year, and the report is now poised to become part of our common environmental heritage. Here is the final report in Spanish, and here is the English summary. [4/9/01]

Headline story. The United Kingdom stands by international status of listed wetlands. On 12 July 2001 the UK Government announced decisions on the first of its Multi-Modal Studies examining some of the most severe transport problems around the country. The study looked at transport issues in Kent and the area around Hastings in southeast England. Although the proposed highway bypasses would offer the opportunity for environmental improvement within Hastings, they would themselves cut through areas of designated high environmental value. Stephen Byers, Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, said: "Both 'A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England' and the Ten Year Plan provide a strong presumption against harming sensitive sites including sites of special scientific interest, AONBs and habitats given international protection. The requirements of the Ramsar convention would only permit damage to the Pevensey levels site in the 'urgent national interest' and the Ramsar policy statement issued by DETR in November 2000 makes it clear that derogation of the urgent national interest can be used only where there are no alternatives and the benefits of the development demonstrably outweigh the acknowledged international status of the site. In my view, the balance of the arguments presented in favour of the bypasses is not sufficient to outweigh these very strong environmental requirements. I believe, therefore, we must look for alternative means to prevent the further decline of the area and to optimise its economic potential." [29/08/01]

Headline story. Tajikistan joins the Ramsar Convention. Tajikistan has informed the Director-General of UNESCO of its accession to the Convention on Wetlands, as amended by the Paris Protocol of 1982, on 18 July 2001, so that the Convention will enter into force for Tajikistan on 18 November 2001. In accordance with Article 2.1 of the Convention, which requires the name and boundary map of at least one wetland for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance, the "National Commission of Ramsar Convention in Republic of Tajikistan" has submitted maps for what appear to be five Ramsar sites, for which Ramsar Information Sheets have not yet been completed. Unoffically and based only upon information included on these maps, the five sites are: Karakul Lake (36,400 hectares, ca. 39°05’N 073°29’E) in the east part of the country; Kayrakum Reservoir (52,000 hectares, ca. 40°20’N 070°10’E), in the far northeast of the country; Lower part of Pyandj (or Pjandj) River (620km of river, shoreline, and islands, but no area given, ca. 37°10’N 068°30’E), in the far southwest of the country; Shorkul and Rangkul lakes (2,400 hectares, ca. 38°28’N 074°10’E), evidently very high altitude lakes in the far east of the country; and Zorkul Lake (3,800 hectares, ca. 37°23’N 073°20’E), also apparently at high altitude, in the southeast of the country. Tajikistan becomes the Convention’s 127^th Contracting Party and brings the total number of Ramsar sites to 1085, totaling 82,223,877 hectares. The Convention heartily welcomes Tajikistan to the Ramsar family. [27/08/01] [français et/y español]

News from the SGF. Latvia completes SGF project for Teici Reserve. The Ramsar Small Grants Fund 1999 project "Measures to improve the management of the Teici Nature Reserve Ramsar site and surrounding wetlands" has been successfully completed. It was carried out by the Administration of Teici Nature Reserve and partly financed by the European Habitat Conservation Stamp programme, run jointly by FACE (Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU) and Wetlands International. During the project implementation, The Teici Wetland Foundation (TWF) was established as the financial instrument for purchase/lease and management of land for nature conservation around the Teici Reserve Ramsar site. The SGF project contributed to the purchase of two most valuable land properties in Teici and provided seed money for future work. View a brief report and an annex of photographs and further detail, right here. [27/08/01]

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia declares succession. On 3 July 2001 the Director-General of UNESCO received from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia a notification that the FR of Yugoslavia accepted the Ramsar Convention as a successor State to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia "and undertakes faithfully to perform and carry out the stipulations therein contained as from April 27, 1992, the date upon which the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia assumed responsibility for its international relations". Yugoslavia confirmed the Ramsar status of its four existing listed sites, Ludasko Lake, Obedska Bara, Skadarsko Jezero, and Stari Begej. [27/08/01]

Cyprus accedes to the Convention. The Bureau is very glad to announce that on 11 July 2001 the Republic of Cyprus deposited its instrument of accession to the Ramsar Convention with the Director-General of UNESCO, and thus the Convention, as amended by the Paris Protocol of 1982, will come into force for Cyprus on 11 November 2001. In accordance with Article 2 of the Convention, Cyprus has designated "Larnaca Salt Lake" as its obligatory first Wetland of International Importance in the Ramsar List. Larnaca, or Larnaka, Salt Lake (1,585 hectares, 34°52’N 033°33’E) is a highly saline seasonal lake which supports significant numbers of overwintering and stopover waterbirds. The basis of its productivity is the unicellular alga Dunaniella salina, which supports "fairy shrimps" Artemia salina and Branchianella spinosa (especially in the "airport lake" southern arm of the main lake, adjacent to Larnaka International Airport), which forms the main food for flamingos, chiefly Phoenicopterus ruber. Water levels do not exceed one meter, and salt flat halophytic communities fringe much of the lakeside. An important Muslim shrine, Hala Sultan Tekke, as well as a late Bronze Age archaeological site and an impressive 18^th century aqueduct, add interest to the site. Private land, both Greek and Turkish Cypriot, fringe part of the lake, but the lagoons are state-owned and further acquisitions are planned, except for areas owned by Moslem and Christian Orthodox religious organizations, which are constitutionally protected from acquisition. The site was made a protected area in 1997 and a management plan is in place; an information centre and hides are planned. Urban development in the north and east of the lake and airport traffic in the south are seen as potential problems, but a shooting club facility is being relocated outside the reserve in order to reduce the threat from lead shot. Ramsar site no. 1081. [24/08/01] [français et/y español]

Argentina ratifies the Regina Amendments. The Government of the Argentine Republic, in the person of President Fernando de la Rua, has deposited with UNESCO its instruments of acceptance of the amendments to Articles 6 and 7 (1987); in accordance with the terms of Article 10bis, the amendments will enter into force for Argentina on the first day of the fourth month following the date of deposit of its instrument, i.e., 1 October 2001. The Argentine Republic availed itself of the opportunity to renew its reservation concerning the United Kingdom’s extension of its ratification of the Regina Amendments "to the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and reasserts its sovereignty over those islands" (UNESCO translation). [24/08/01]

Announcement. Request for proposals to the Society of Wetland Scientists' Ramsar Support grant programme. The Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) is soliciting proposals to their Ramsar Support Grant Program, which was established to advance Ramsar Convention objectives, including the selection, designation, management, and networking of Ramsar sites; and the promotion of Ramsar's Wise Use guidelines. Two to four projects are funded each year at a level of US $5,000 on a competitive basis as reviewed by a 4-member Evaluation Committee. Eric Gilman's posting to the Ramsar Forum provides more detail. [24/08/01]

Tanzania names Lake Natron for the List. The Bureau is delighted to announce that the United Republic of Tanzania has designated "Lake Natron Basin" (224,781 hectares, 02°21’S 036°00’E) as its second Ramsar site, effective 4 July 2001. The site comprises a closed alkaline lake basin in the bottom of the Gregory Rift part of the Great Rift Valley, contiguous with the Kenyan frontier, surrounded by escarpments and volcanic mountains, one of which is active. It is the only regular breeding area for Lesser Flamingos in east Africa, with about 2.5 million individuals, and provides support for an estimated 100,000 individuals of other waterbird species, many of them Palearctic migrants. The fish Oreochromis alcalicus appears to be endemic to Lake Natron and Lake Magadi in Kenya. A number of permanent streams and rivers provide relief in a very dry and almost inaccessible environment. The Maasai tribe practice extensive, largely semi-nomadic pastoralism within the site. Some tourism, chiefly game viewing, birdwatching, and mountain climbing, occurs, especially in conjunction with Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, and other well-known attractions not far from the site, though recently "the security situation has been far from stable". A proposed hydropower plant for the Ewaso Ngiro River in Kenya and planned soda ash exploitation in Lake Natron itself are seen as potential threats. This is Ramsar site no. 1080 (1079 Ramsar sites presently in the List). [23/08/01] [français et/y español]

Mission to Czech Republic -- report available. In June 2001, the Ramsar czechmission3a.jpg (5689 bytes)

Bureau carried out a Ramsar Advisory Mission to the Sumava (or Shumava) Peatlands Ramsar site, at the invitation of the Czech Government, and studied recent problems of outbreaks of bark beetle populations, as well as the potential environmental impacts of proposed remedies, and the need for transboundary management with Germany on related problems. The RAM report, prepared by invited expert Hans Joosten and Tobias Salathé of the Ramsar Bureau, with the help of government and NGO experts from the Czech Republic, is now available on this Web site (with some photos). [22/08/01]

Armenia completes Ramsar project on management plans for Lake Sevan wetlands. A Ramsar project in Armenia on the "Implementation of the Ramsar Strategic Plan in the management of wetlands in Sevan National Park" has been finalised. Carried out by Orientation (the Professional and Entrepreneurial Orientation Union) in close collaboration with the Ministry of Nature Protection and with financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the project was a follow-up of the SGF 1997 project "Inventory of Armenian Ramsar Sites", with a focus on the Lake Sevan Ramsar Site. During the SGF97 project, the threats and values of Armenia’s main wetlands were assessed, and based on these findings, six draft management plans were elaborated for wetlands in Sevan National Park. Read a bit more detail here. [18/08/01]

Announcement. Wetlands for the Future / Fondo de Humedales para el Futuro -- Call for project proposals. The Ramsar Convention Bureau invites the Convention's Contracting Parties and other organizations from the Neotropical Region and Mexico to present proposals for the second cycle of 2001 Wetlands for the Future Fund (WFF). The deadline for proposal presentation is November 30 of 2001. The bureau offers advisory service to those who present project proposals before October 31st.

La Secretaría de la Convención de Ramsar invita a todos los países y organizaciones de la Región Neotropical de la Convención de Ramsar y México a presentar propuestas para el segundo ciclo del año 2001 del Fondo de Humedales para el Futuro (FHF). La fecha límite para presentación de propuestas es el 30 de noviembre del 2001. La Oficina de Ramsar presta servicios de asesoría a quienes sometan sus propuestas de proyectos a más tardar el 31 de octubre.

FHF apoya proyectos de adiestramiento y capacitación en el conservación y uso racional de humedales. Para mas detalles favor ver las directrices operativas disponibles en http://ramsar.org/key_wff_guide_s.htm. El FHF se hace posible gracias a una generosa donación del Departamento de Estado de los EE.UU. y el Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de los EE.UU. [18/08/01]

Brief report. TESEO study under way. The European Space Agency held a meeting on 8 August in Frascati, Rome, to kick off the ESA TESEO (Treaty Enforcement Services using Earth Observation) study that will seek to develop remote sensing support for the implementation of four intergovernmental environmental agreements (Ramsar, UNFCCC/Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, and MARPOL 73/78), in particular to develop remote-sensing tools for assessment and monitoring of wetlands, carbon, desertification, and marine pollution. (An announcement of the EAS TESEO programme and call for tenders, posted here in April 2001, provides more detail.) Nick Davidson, Ramsar Deputy Secretary General, reports that the project holds great promise for eventually providing the Parties with useful tools and techniques. He will report here soon on the project that has been chosen for implementation and suggest ways in which the Ramsar Parties might be able to assist. [12/08/01]

Lebanon designates Mediterranean islands for the List. The Bureau has been notified that Lebanon has named the Palm Islands Nature Reserve (415 hectares, 34°30’N 035°46’E) for the List of Wetlands of International Importance, effective as of 3 August 2001. The Reserve consists of a group of three flat rocky islands of eroded limestone, with associated outcrops and surrounding marine waters, rising from 1 to 12 meters above the sea about 5.5km northwest of Tripoli. The islands’ beaches support the endangered Loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta during nesting and breeding, and the critically endangered Green turtle Chelonia mydas occurs infrequently but regularly in surrounding seas. The endangered Mediterranean Monk Seal Monachus monachus was seen regularly until recent years but only very rarely since. The many caves and sheltered coastal rocks provide an important spawning ground for fish, and some 42 species of migratory birds (include 6 IUCN Red List species) feed and rest on the islands before moving on to the Lebanese mainland for breeding. During winter, freshwater is found in inland pools; a single well, built at the time of the Crusades and associated with archaeological remains of a Crusader church from AD 1224, yields potable water but is overextracted, increasing groundwater salinity. Alteration of the vegetation cover by a proliferation of rabbits (14 of which were introduced "by a misguided environmentalist in 1984") is seen as a threat to the biodiversity. Declared a Nature Reserve in 1992, visitors have been permitted for guided tours and swimming between July and September since 1998. This is Lebanon’s 4^th Ramsar site and the Convention’s 1078^th. [10/08/01] [français et/y español]

Sri Lanka designates 12th century reservoir system for the List. The Government of Sri Lanka has completed the required paperwork for the addition to the List of Wetlands of International Importance of an exceptionally interesting new wetland site. Annaiwilundawa Tanks Sanctuary (1,397 hectares, 07°42’N 079°49’E) in Northwestern Province has been added to the List as of 3 August 2001. It comprises an ancient system of human-made cascading tanks or reservoirs, ranging between 12 and 50 hectares each and totaling some 200 ha, dating back to the 12^th century, which help to sustain traditional paddy fields in the area as well as islets of natural vegetation. In addition to being unique to the biogeographical region, the site harbors quite a few species of threatened fish, amphibians, birds, mammals, and especially reptiles and supports up to 40% of the vertebrate species found in Sri Lanka. The system serves as an important refuge for migratory birds and also supports about 50% of the country’s freshwater fish species, including at least three endemic species. Only 3-4 meters deep, it is a highly productive wetland with an array of zooplankton and phytoplankton, which also makes it extremely important for migratory fish. The tanks store water, in this dry region, for irrigation purposes, and also play a major role in flood control, aquifer recharge, retention of pollutants and sediments, and nutrient export. Local communities have practiced sustainable traditional farming and fishing since ancient times, but extension of prawn (shrimp) farms in surrounding areas has resulted in mangrove destruction and pollution and eutrophication caused by waste water releases; other potential threats derive from the spread of two species of alien invasive fish and four of plants and from the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in nearby coconut plantations. An upgrade to the status of Nature Reserve, with permanent staff, is foreseen. [08/08/01] [français et/y español]

Albania joins AEWA. News has arrived today that Albania has deposited its instruments of accession to the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) as its 33rd Party. Ramsar and the AEWA secretariat collaborate extraordinarily closely on a number of issues, and this is very welcome news. Further information can be sought from the Executive Secretary of AEWA, Bert Lenten, in Bonn (aewa@unep.de). [08/08/01]

News note. Ted Hollis scholarship for former Ramsar intern. Ms Musonda Mumba of Zambia (right), a Ramsar intern and Assistant to the Regional Coordinator for Africa in 1998-1999 and presently Freshwater Programme musonda1.jpg (7478 bytes)

Officer with WWF International in Switzerland, has been awarded the prestigious Ted Hollis Scholarship in Wetland Hydrology & Conservation in the the Department of Geography, University College London, where she will be supported for three years in a programme leading to the doctorate under the guidance of Dr Julian Thompson. She begins her studies in late September 2001. The scholarship was created in honor of Dr Ted Hollis (left), a well-known pioneer in research on the hydrology, management and conservation of wetland ecosystems, who died very prematurely in 1996 (more details on the scholarship here). [08/08/01]

UK designates Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean territories. Diego Garcia (35,424 ha. 07º19’S, 072º28’E) is the southernmost atoll of the Laccadive-Maldives-Chagos atoll chain. The archipelago has an exceptionally low level of pollution and provides a standard for measuring the impact of human pressures on other coral reef systems. The part of the atoll which is not included in the Ramsar site is the area which, under a 1976 UK/USA agreement, is set aside for military uses as a US naval support facility. The site qualifies for the List under 7 of the 8 Ramsar Criteria and is a particularly good example of a relatively unpolluted coral reef system in a near-natural state, of special value for maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of the region, especially its marine life. It provides habitat for marine flora and fauna at critical stages of their biological cycles, including the threatened Hawksbill and Green Turtles, and regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds, including Greater frigate, Red-footed boobies, brown and lesser noddies, amongst others. A feral cat eradication programme is under way and a rat eradication programme is planned. The site’s international importance is legally recognized in the BIOT Conservation Policy Statement (1997) which specifies that it will be managed in accordance with the requirements of the Convention subject only to defense requirements. This is the Convention’s 1076^th Ramsar site and the UK’s 162^nd. [6/8/01] [français et/y español]

6th international Living Lakes conference. From 30 July to 3 August, the 6th international conference on "Living Lakes" took place in the capital Ulan-Ude of the Republic of Buryatia of the Russian Federation. Two days were devoted to oral and poster presentations on the themes "water quality and traditions in lake areas". Ramsar's Regional Coordinator for Europe presented the Convention on Wetlands and its tools for wise use and conservation, as more than 100 participants, from over 20 countries, gathered in the parliamentary hall of the Buryatian capital. Here is a brief report on the event. [07/08/01]

Azerbaijan joins the Ramsar Convention. The Ramsar Bureau is delighted to announce that on 21 May 2001 Azerbaijan deposited with the Director General of UNESCO its instrument of accession to the Convention on Wetlands, as amended by the Paris Protocol of 1982 and Regina Amendments of 1987, and thus the Convention and amendments will enter into force for Azerbaijan on 21 September 2001. Two wetlands have been designated as the new Party’s first additions to the List of Wetlands of International Importance: Agh-Ghol (500 hectares, 40º01’N 047º38’E) is listed as wetland types Q and Sp (permanent saline/brackish/alkaline lakes and marshes/pools) and is said to be particularly important for wintering waterbirds (Criterion 5), with some 130,000 birds counted in 1994/95, the most recent year for which data are available. Ghizil-Agaj (99,060 hectares, 39º07’N 048º59’E) includes both coastal lagoons and shallow marine waters with permanent lakes and marshes/pools both brackish and freshwater; like Agh-Ghol, this site has been designated under the representativeness criterion and under the 20,000+ waterbirds Criterion 5. The data for both sites exist presently only in Russian but translations are being arranged. This accession brings the Convention to 125 Contracting Parties and is the 22nd in the Bureau's Asian administrative region, with 1075 wetlands on the List of Wetlands of International Importance. [03/08/01] [français et/y español]

Call for applications for Ramsar Intern for Europe. The Ramsar Bureau welcomes applications for the position of Intern for the European Region / Assistant to the Regional Coordinator for Europe, a 14-month posting (with possible extension to 18 months) to begin 22 October 2001. With an age limit for applicants of 30 years old, the post offers an opportunity for young graduates to become acquainted with the workings of an intergovernmental treaty dealing with the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Candidates for this internship should be nationals of countries in Europe and have lived most of their lives in the region. Full ability to work in English is required for this post, while fluency in Spanish and/or French would be a clear asset. Candidates should view the General Terms of Reference for Ramsar internships (also available from the Bureau), which includes conditions of service and salary structure, and send a detailed curriculum vitae with a covering letter, both in English, with two letters of reference, to the Bureau’s Administration Coordinator, Mrs Annette Keller, keller@ramsar.org. The deadline for applications is 31 August 2001. [27/07/01]

Ramsar signs MOC with Ducks Unlimited. At a ceremony on Saturday 21st July at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Washington, Mr Delmar Blasco, Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention, Mr D.A. (Don) Young, Executive Vice-President of Ducks Unlimited USA, Mr Rod Fowler, Executive Vice-President of Ducks Unlimited Canada, and Sr Eduardo Carrera, Director General of Ducks Unlimited México, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to strengthen the working relationship between the Ramsar Convention and the three sister organizations of Ducks Unlimited.

Call for nominations for the Wetland Conservation Award. The Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award was established in 1996 by Resolution VI.18 in order to recognize and honor the contributions of individuals, organizations, and governments around the world towards promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands. It was awarded for the first time at the 7^th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (San José, Costa Rica, 1999) (1999 winners' profiles, ceremony photos). The Ramsar Standing Committee, in October 2000, revised the criteria and procedures for adjudicating the Award and determined to select three winners for presentation at the 8^th Conference of the Parties, to be held in Valencia, Spain, from 18-26 November 2002. The Committee gratefully accepted the offer of the Danone Group (France) to complement the Ramsar Award with the Evian Special Prize, a cash prize of US$ 10.000, which will be granted to each of the three laureates who will receive the Award at COP8.

Ramsar Newsletter 32 is now on the stands. To those many librarians round the world who have inquired whether they've been dropped from the subscription list of the quarterly Ramsar Newsletter, since they haven't received a single quarterly issue since Newsletter 31 a year ago, we can report "it's okay now" and you can begin updating your records. Newsletter 32, after many adventures, is now being posted to its 5000 subscribers from the Bureau, in English, French, and Spanish versions. With lead stories on the cultural heritage of wetlands and 16 pages of news of recent Contracting Parties and new Ramsar sites, as well as brief background items on recent important meetings, Ramsar Advisory Missions, and cooperative agreements with other environmental instruments, Newsletter 32 lends tangible weight, body, and archival librariness to the news that all readers of the Ramsar Web site having been enjoying, usually in somewhat greater detail and with better photos, over the past 1.42% of our lifespans (using Dante's estimate of 70 years).

More to follow. Watch this space. Feedback and suggestions are welcome 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.