What's New @ Ramsar
2
March 2002
Headline
story. Review of national wetland inventory
in Europe. As part of the on-going review of national wetland inventory
information in Europe (being conducted under the RIZA-funded project "Pilot
Study Towards a Pan-European Wetland Inventory"), Scott Frazier and Claire
Nivet of Wetlands International have posted draft "country chapters" on
the www.wetlands.org Web site and have appealed via the Ramsar Forum for comments
and corrections. Here is their
message and the links to the European chapters. [02/03/02]
Headline
story. Mauritania places Diawling on the Montreux
Record. The Government of Mauritania has completed the procedure
for placing the Parc National du Diawling
Ramsar site onto the Montreux Record, effective 28 February 2002, with the intention
of drawing national and international attention to changes in the ecological
character of the site. Plagued in recent years by infestations of alien invasive
species, particuarly Salvinia molesta and Typha australis, this
extremely important site has seen a loss of biodiversity and diminution of open
water. Following a joint Ramsar Advisory Mission in September 2000 (see ram_rpt_42e,
ram_rpt_42f for the French original)
to Diawling and the nearby World Heritage and Ramsar site in Senegal, the Djoudj
National Bird Park, undertaken by Ramsar, the World Heritage Convention,
and IUCN-The World Conservation Union, financial assistance has been
forthcoming to address many of the Mission's recommendations, and it is thought
that the problems with Salvinia molesta are on the way to resolution.
There is a considerable hope that, with the added attention to be brought to
bear upon the Diawling site as a result of its Montreux Record listing, the
Typha australis and related problems can be solved satisfactorily and
the site removed from the Record in not too long a time. [français
et/y español] [01/03/02]
Headline
story. Colombia approves its National Policy
for Inland Wetlands. La Oficina se complace en anunciar que Colombia
aprobó su Política Nacional para Humedales Interiores el pasado mes de diciembre.
La Política de Humedales se formuló en el contexto de la Política Nacional Ambiental,
cuyo eje principal es el agua como recurso vital. La política se preparó a través
de un proceso participativo de los sectores público y privado, y su objetivo
principal es promover el uso racional, la conservación y la restauración de
los humedales interiores. Para ver este excelente ejemplo vaya a http://ramsar.org/wurc_policy_colombia_inland.htm.
[The Bureau is pleased to announce that Colombia approved its National Policy
for Inland Wetlands in December 2001. The Wetland Policy was formulated in the
framework of the National Environmental Policy, the main theme of which is water
as a vital resource. The policy was drafted through a participatory process
of private and public sectors, and its aim is to promote the wise use, conservation,
and restoration of all inland waters. To see this excellent example, go to http://ramsar.org/wurc_policy_colombia_inland.htm.]
[01/03/02]
Who's
where?
Margarita
Astrálaga, Regional Coordinator for the Americas, is in Fortaleza,
Brazil, to attend the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American
Development Bank and its workshop on "Strategic Issues in Water Resources
Management in Latin America and the Caribbean", and then to visit three
Brazilian Ramsar sites in Maranhao with national and provincial authorities.
[02/03/02]
New
on the Site:
Reprints of National Wetlands Policies of Colombia
and Costa Rica (in Spanish)
and Trinidad and Tobago (English);
New section - Special Subjects and Features;
Reprint of the 2001 management
plan of Ecuador's Laguna de Cube.
[01/03/02]
News
from the SGF. Sri Lanka publishes guide to
Bundala National Park. In coordination with its final Ramsar Small
Grants Fund project report, in early 2002 IUCN-Sri Lanka, on behalf of the Department
of Wildlife Conservation, has published an attractive 54-page book entitled
Guide to Bundala: a guide to the biodiversity of Bundala
National Park, a Ramsar wetland in Sri Lanka (ISBN 955-8177-12-1),
compiled and edited by Channa N. B. Bambaradeniya, with financial support
from the Ramsar Bureau. Nicely illustrated with maps and photos, this small
book will be useful, not only as a visitors' guide, but also for researchers
interested in Sri Lanka's wealth of wetland flora and fauna. A
few more details here. [28/02/02]
Society
for the Protection of Prespa announces job opening. The Society
for the Protection of Prespa (SPP), which provides secretarial, organisational
and logistical support to the trilateral co-operation between Greece, Albania
and the FYR of Macedonia within the context of the transboundary Prespa Park,
wishes to employ a collaborator for strengthening its human capacity in the
aforementioned activities. Fluency in Greek and English is required, the position
will be based chiefly in Athens, and the deadline for applications is 10 March
2002. Here are further details. [link
later removed] [27/02/02]
Asia
Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy reports on 2001.
Dr Taej Mundkur reports that "2001
has been an eventful year to promote the conservation of migratory waterbirds
and wetlands in the Asia Pacific region. The new Asia-Pacific Migratory Waterbird
Conservation Strategy: 2001-2005 was launched", and specific targets have
been set for the 5-year period in eight areas of work. Here
is his brief report to the Ramsar Forum. [25/02/02]
Nariva
Swamp removed from the Montreux Record. The Montreux Record was established
in 1990 as a register of wetlands on the List of Wetlands of International Importance
where "changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or
are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or
other human interference". The Nariva Swamp
(6,234 hectares) in Trinidad and Tobago
was added to the Montreux Record at the Government's request because of a number
of adverse changes in ecological character. Now, having implemented a number
of recommendations of the Ramsar Advisory Mission report of 1995, the Government,
and particularly the dedicated Nadra Nathai-Gyan of the Wildlife Section
of the Forestry Division, began the procedure for removing Ramsar sites from
the Montreux Record, which was completed with the adoption on 11 July 2001 of
a "National Policy and Programmes
on Wetland Conservation for Trinidad and Tobago". Thus, on the recommendation
of Ramsar Regional Coordinator Margarita Astrálaga, the Secretary General has
warmly welcomed Trinidad and Tobago's request and instructed that the Nariva
Swamp be deleted from the Montreux Record effective 7 January 2002. The Bureau
sends its congratulations to Trinidad and Tobago for these positive developments
and its best wishes for continued progress with Nariva Swamp and the other wetlands
with its territory. Here is the story.
[français et/y español]
[21/02/02]
Portugal
unveils new Centro de Zonas Humidas. On Monday, 18 February 2002,the
Secretary General for the Environment and Land Planning of Portugal, Mr. Pedro
Silva Pereira, inaugurated the new Portuguese Wetlands
Centre (Centro de Zonas Humidas) in Almada, which will be part of
the Nature Conservation Institute (ICN)
of the Portuguese Ministry of Environment. Here
is a brief report from the MedWet Coordinator, Spyros Kouvelis. [20/02/02]
Report
from the UNEP Governing Council meetings. Mr. Delmar Blasco, the
Secretary General, reports from Cartagena, Colombia, on the results of the Special
Session of the UNEP Governing Council and the Third Global Ministerial Environmental
Forum held there last week, with the attendance of some 90 Ministers of the
Environment or their equivalents. From the Ramsar perspective, the three major
outcomes of the meeting were: a) the adoption of the recommendations of the
Open-ended Intergovernmental Group of Ministers or their Representatives on
International Environmental Governance; b) the statement on the contribution
of UNEP to the World Summit on Sustainable Development; and c) the adoption
of the Guidelines on compliance with the enforcement of multilateral environmental
agreements (MEAs). Here is the rest of
his report. [18/02/02]
Guinea
declares the designation of six Niger Basin sites.
On 16 February at the summit meeting of the Heads of State of the nine-nation
Niger Basin Authority in Abuja, Nigeria,
the Prime Minister of Guinea announced that formal papers and datasheets have
been submitted to the Ramsar Bureau for the designation of six
new Wetlands of International Importance, all located in the headwaters
of the Niger River. Totaling over 4.5 million hectares in area, these new sites
are of extraordinarily great significance because they represent Guinea's recognition
of the vital importance of sustainable management of the entire vast catchment
of the Niger Basin and help to ensure adequate water supply downstream. In efforts
supported materially by the Living Waters Programme
of the World Wide Fund for Nature, the designation of this suite
of Ramsar sites can be seen in the context of a basin-wide effort for the wise
use and sustainable management of the entire system, similar to ongoing Living
Waters/Ramsar work in cooperation with the
Lake Chad Basin Commission reported elsewhere on this Web site. The
six new Ramsar sites will be added to the Ramsar List and reported more fully
as soon as the paperwork has been completed. [16/02/02] See also WWF's
press release, 16/02/02.
Austria's
WWD contest for the best 100 wetland projects. "Under the title
"WasSerleben" (meaning "water
life" as well as "experience something impressive" in German),
the Austrian "Lebensministerium" (i.e. the "Life Ministry",
the Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water, in charge
of Ramsar), the Austrian League for Nature Conservation (Naturschutzbund Oesterreich)
and the Austrian Federal Forests Ltd company (Oesterreichische Bundesforste
AG) launched a campaign together with the Austrian Federal States, as a major
contribution to the implementation of the national CEPA programme." Read
a description of the campaign here. [14/02/02]
New
staff for MedWet Coordination Unit. Spyros
Kouvelis, the MedWet Coordinator, reports from Athens: "I am
very pleased to welcome at the MedWet Coordination Unit Maria
Anagnostopoulou, one of the two persons who are seconded by the Greek
Biotope/Wetland Centre (EKBY) to this unit, as described in the Memorandum of
Collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Environment. Maria will be working
with us as Communications Officer, and she is especially knowledgeable about
MedWet, having worked in the past through EKBY in many MedWet activities. Maria
is fluent in English and Spanish. Among her assignments, Maria will be preparing
the MedWet Newsletter (issue 16), making arrangements for the MedWet Technical
Network (Centres) meeting on 11&12 March, and collaborating with Carlos
Villalba in the Ramsar Bureau in preparation for COP8. Her e-mail address will
be anagno@medwet.org." [13/02/02]
News
from China. Update on developments in China's wetland conservation
efforts. Li Lukang (lilukang@public3.bta.net.cn)
of Wetlands International has provided a collection of brief news stories about
wetland conservation efforts in China as of January 2002, drawn from the new
Wetlands International Chinese and English Web site, http://www.wetwonder.org.
View it here. [13/02/02]
Llamado
a propuestas al Fondo Humedales para el Futuro [English
version]. La
Convención Ramsar hace un llamado a que se sometan propuestas al Fondo
Humedales para el Futuro (FHF). El FHF fue creado en 1995 para promover el concepto
de "uso racional" de los humedales fortaleciendo la capacidad de los
países en desarrollo de manejar a perpetuidad los recursos de sus humedales.
Los lineamientos del FHF se encuentran en http://ramsar.org/key_wff_guide_s.htm.
Todos los países de la Región Neotropical de la Convención
de Ramsar y México tienen acceso al Fondo. Los países que no son
Parte de la Convención pueden también solicitar asistencia para
poder avanzar hacia la adhesión a la Convención o responder a
situaciones de emergencias naturales. Se recomienda que entidades no-gubernamentales
que deseen someter propuestas obtengan el aval de la Autoridad Administrativa
de su país (http://ramsar.org/about_admin_auth.htm).
La fecha limite para someter propuestas es el 30 de
abril del 2002. La fecha limite para recibir asesoramiento en la
preparación de propuestas (revisión de borradores) es el 31 de
marzo del 2002. El FHF se hace posible gracias a la generosa donación
del Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos y el Servicio de Pesca y Vida
Silvestre de los Estados Unidos. Para mas información favor de comunicarse
a americas@ramsar.org. [11/02/02]
West
and Central Asia subregion agrees "Tehran Communiqué" for World Wetlands Day.
During the West and Central Asian Subregional Meeting, 3-5 February, the Department
of the Environment of the Islamic Republic of Iran hosted, on 3 February, a
celebration of the 31st anniversary of the signing of the Convention in its
city of Ramsar, which included a reading of the "Tehran
Communiqué" which had been agreed by the meeting's participants.
The communiqué outlines key issues for West and Central Asia about the delivery
of wetland conservation and wise use in the region. Nick Davidson reports
that the meeting was most successful, with lively discussions and strong consensus
on matters of common concern throughout the region, notably the severe impact
on many wetlands of the persistent drought in the region, and the priority for
international cooperation throughout the region, in relation to action on transboundary
wetlands and river basins, capacity-building and assistance from Parties to
their neighbouring countries who are working towards accession to the Convention.
The meeting, attended by some 60 participants from Parties, non-Parties, International
Organization Partners and other regional and national NGOs, international organizations
and staff of the Department of the Environment and Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
was a success in no small part because of the excellent local organizing of
venue and arrangements, and received considerable media attention including
featuring on national television news. A full report will follow, and the
Tehran Communiqué can be found here. [08/02/02] [français et/y español]
France
hosts meeting on National Wetlands Plan.
The Water Management Agency of the Rhone-Mediterranean-Corsica (RMC) catchment
basin in France (Agence de l'eau RMC) hosted a perfectly organised meeting on
29 January, as a contribution to World Wetlands Day, in Lyon's state-of-the-art
Conference Palace and brought together 650 people to discuss the National Wetlands
Plan [Plan Coordinator Marie-Odile Guth,
left], representing many different administrations, elected
councillors and mayors, river, water and wetland technicians, managers and scientists,
industrials, local stakeholders, farmers, fishermen, hunters, NGOs and user-groups,
coming essentially from the extensive catchment basin covering about a fourth
of France's territory. Ramsar's
Tobias Salathé describes the meeting and the issues involved, providing a timely
update on wetland policy-making in France. [06/02/02]
Staff
notes. New Intern/Assistant to the Regional
Coordinator joins the Bureau. The Bureau welcomes Julio MONTES
DE OCA from Mexico/Costa Rica as our new Intern/Assistant to the Regional
Coordinator for the Americas, to replace Marco Flores whose internship
comes to an end on 14 February. Julio wrestled himself into harness on 4 February
and will have a week hovering over Marco's shoulder to learn quickly the perplexities
of Ramsar Bureau processes. Here
is a brief description of Julio's background
and qualifications for his next daunting challenge. [06/02/02]
Announcement.
Workshop set for October 2002 in Czech Republic.
The Czech National Committee for the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme
(MAB) and the Czech Ramsar Committee have issued a first announcement of the
workshop "The Role of Wetlands in Biosphere Reserves",
to be held in the Mikulov Chateau, Pálava Biosphere Reserve, in the Czech
Republic. The announcement
is available here, with a registration form attached. [06/02/02]
MAB
Programme launches new book for WWD2002. Located in the southern
part of the Czech Republic, the Trebon Basin has been influenced and modified
by human activities for more than eight centuries. The result is a diverse semi-natural
countryside - a mosaic of more than 500 artificial fishponds, deciduous and
coniferous forests, meadows, fields and wetlands crossed by numerous small streams,
canals and dykes. Trebon Basin has long been the focus of intensive ecological
research, and in 1977 was designated as a biosphere reserve within UNESCO's
Man and the Biosphere Programme. Trebon is also one of about 60 biosphere
reserves worldwide which include areas that are also inscribed on the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands. Katarina Vestin announces
that the MAB Programme took the occasion of World Wetlands Day to launch the
publication of a new book on the Trebon Basin Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar site
on the MAB/Ramsar joint
Web site -- J.
Kvet, J. Jeník and L. Soukupová. (Eds.), 2002. Freshwater
wetlands and their sustainable future - a case study of Trebon Basin Biosphere
Reserve, Czech Republic -- and here
is a description of the book taken directly from the MAB
Web site. [05/02/02]
News
from the Outreach Programme.
Sandra Hails reported to the CEPA e-mail list: "Here's a great initiative
from a partnership in Canada between the local high school, the Canadian
Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Town of Sackville.
Through the partnership, the Tantramar Wetlands Centre
was built right on the school's campus. It consists of a 40-acre constructed
freshwater wetland linked by foot trails to a large supporting laboratory situated
in the schools abandoned auto shop. The Centre delivers experiential wetlands
education programs to the thousands of Maritime students and teachers who now
visit annually in their indoor and outdoor classrooms. Now here's the most interesting
part - the senior students at the school play an important role in delivering
the programs to the visitors. Known as the Wetheads,
they assist in all aspects of the operation of the wetlands centre. As the centre
develops more working space, there are plans to offer more programs for teachers
and members of the general public Find out more about the centre at their Web
site, http://www.WetEd.com, designed and
maintained by the Wetheads. A great learning initiative all round!" [05/02/02]
West
and Central Asian Subregional Meeting takes off. The Islamic
Republic of Iran is convening and hosting the second Asian subregional
meeting in preparation for Ramsar's 8th Conference of the Parties, with participation,
from 3 to 5 February, by representatives of all or nearly all of the Contracting
Parties and non-contracting parties in the subregion. On 3 February, Vice
President and Head of the Department of the Environment, H. E. Dr Masoumeh Ebtekar,
will assist in celebrations of World Wetlands Day and the 31st anniversary of
the signing of the Convention in Ramsar, Iran. Topics for discussion include
reports of achievements in the subregion, the COP8 National Report format, the
draft Strategic Plan 2003-2008, preparations for the COP8 Technical Sessions,
inter alia. Other featured participants include Taej Mundkur (Wetlands Int'l),
Dave Pritchard (BirdLife Int'l), Zbig Karpowicz (Fauna & Flora Int'l), C. L.
Trisal (Wetlands Int'l), Biksham Gujja (WWF Int'l), Hassan Partow (UNEP), and
Abdu Al Assiri (SRAP/UNCCD). On 6-7 February an optional visit to the city of
Ramsar on the Caspian shore will be organized by the hosts. A report of the
meeting will arrive in due course. [03/02/02]
Nicaragua
names 7 new sites for World Wetlands Day. The Ramsar Bureau is especially
glad to announce that the Government of Nicaragua has designated seven new Wetlands
of International Importance, effective 8 November 2001, to be announced in ceremonies
on World Wetlands Day 2 February 2002, comprising a very impressive array of
wetland types and values. An enormous effort has gone into the compilation of
the very thorough, almost book-length Ramsar Information Sheets, totaling a
coverage of 361,752 hectares in all parts of the country, carried out by MARENA
(the Ministerio del Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) assisted by a large number
of non-governmental organizations, namely the Asociación Ambientalista
Audubon Nicaragua (ASAAN), the Fundación del Río, Amigos de la
Tierra, PROGOLFO, the Coordinación Nacional del Corredor Biológico
Mesoamericano, the Centro Inter Universitario Moravo de la Bluefields Indians
& Caribbean University, and the Proyecto de Conservación y Desarrollo
Forestal PROCODEFOR. In particular, very substantial financial and technical
support was provided to the preparation for these designations by IUCN Mesoamerica
and its Nicaraguan Wetlands Working Group. Nicaragua, which joined the Convention
in 1997, now has eight Ramsar sites totaling 405,502 hectares. Here
is a brief description of the seven new sites. [01/02/02]
EAC
launches strategy for heritage management of wetlands. On the occasion
of World Wetlands Day 2002, a pre-briefing cocktail event was organised on 22
January in the European Parliament building in Brussels (Belgium) by GLOBE
and the European Archaeological
Council (or Europae Archaeologiae Consilium, EAC). Central to the
presentation on 22 January was EAC's paper presenting a strategy for the heritage
management of wetlands in Europe, which was delivered by Dr Adrian Olivier,
EAC's President. The further
significance of the event is unveiled here, with reprints of the addresses
by Dr Olivier and by Dr Tobias Salathé of Ramsar. [30/01/02]
News
from the SGF. Armenia completes SGF
project. Armenia has successfully completed its SGF 2000 project
"Regional training course on wetland management for
technical staff of wetland conservation and management institutions in the new
independent states of the European region". The project was carried
out by the NGO Professional and Entrepreneurial Orientation Union (NGO
Orientation) and additionally supported with funds by the Royal Netherlands
Embassy in Kyiv (Ukraine), Office of Agricultural Counsellor, MOU Programme.
The training course took place on the Lake Sevan from 9th to 23rd September
2001 and was based upon the subjects of the internationally recognized courses
on Wetland Management and Wetland Restoration organized by Wetland Advisory
and Training Centre of RIZA (the Netherlands). Significant contributions
to the project were made by the NGO Stichting Flevolandschap (The Netherlands)
and by the Department of Flora and Fauna and Especially Protected Natural Areas
of the Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia. The course was attended by
19 participants from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine.
The core lectures staff comprised experts from Armenia, Netherlands, Russia
and Ukraine. More info and some photos
are available here. [30/01/02]
The
application of Criterion 6 for Ramsar sites: Waterbird Population Estimates
now online. Wetlands International, as a part of its key role as
an International Organisation Partner (IOP) in providing scientific and technical
support to the Ramsar Convention, periodically prepares a global summary of
best available information of the status and trends of waterbird biogeographic
populations, drawing on the data compiled through their International Waterbird
Census and the expertise of their extensive waterbird Specialist Groups network.
As the 3rd edition is still being prepared for publication in time for Ramsar
COP8, the out-of-print 2nd edition has been made available on-line. Nick
Davidson provides further detail and describes the operation of Criterion 6
for the identification of Wetlands of International Importance. [30/01/02]
BirdLife
International partners team up for study of threatened bird species.
The Hellenic Ornithological Society in Greece, the Romanian Ornithological Society
(ROS), the Society for the Protection of Nature (DHKD) in Turkey, and the Bulgarian
Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), all BirdLife International partners,
are cooperating in a project, funded by the Government of Greece, on "Actions
for the research and conservation of two globally threatened species in the
Balkans (Pygmy Cormorant and White-Headed Duck)". Read
more about it here. [29/01/02]
 |
Ramsar's
first postmark Not. See more here. |
Society
of Wetland Scientists awards its 2001 Ramsar grants. Eric
Gilman reports that in 1999 the Society of Wetland Scientists
(SWS) formed a SWS Ramsar Support Grant Program to advance Ramsar Convention
on Wetlands objectives, including the selection, designation, management, and
networking of Ramsar sites, and implementation of the Ramsar Convention's Wise
Use guidelines. Projects are funded at a level of US $5,000 per year on a competitive
basis as reviewed by a 5-member Committee of members of the SWS International
Chapter, Ramsar Convention Bureau, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division
of International Conservation, and matched with additional funds from the US
FWS. This year's awards have been made to
Dr. Gleb Gavris, Kyiv Sozological Centre, Ukraine; Dr. Fátima
Mereles of the Fundación Desdel Chaco (Foundation for the Sustainable
Development of the South American Chaco), Paraguay; Mr. German I.
Andrade, Fundación Humedales de Colombia; and Sabir Bin Muzaffar,
Independent University of Bangladesh. Eric's
summaries of the winning projects are available here. [28/01/02]
Argentina
names its 10th Ramsar site. The secretariat is very pleased to announce
that the Republic of Argentina has named, effective 18/01/02, the Lagunas
y Esteros del Iberá (24,550 hectares, 28°31'S 057°09'W, Natural
Reserve) as its 10th Wetland of International Importance. Located in Corrientes
province in the northeast of the country, the site is centered about the Laguna
del Iberá and is part of the macrosystem of Iberá,
a catchment area of some 1.3 million hectares drained by the Río Corriente
into the middle reaches of the Paraná,
representative of wetland types found in Corrientes and southeastern Paraguay.
Iberá Lake, at 5,500 hectares, is one of the largest and most characteristic
components of the system - with an average depth of 3m, it is almost always
clear with variations caused by seasonal growth of plankton. The site supports
high biological diversity, including an appreciable number of endemic species.
Among rare, vulnerable, and endangered species covered by CITES within the site
are the yacaré overo, or Broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris),
yacaré negro (C. Yacare), anaconda amarilla or curiyú (Eunectes
notaeus), the pato crestudo (Sarkidiornis melanotos), the Neotropical
otter "lobito de río" (Lontra longicaudis), and ciervo de los
pantanos, or Marsh deer (Blastoceros dichotomus), among others. The surrounding
marshlands of Esteros del Iberá
support a sizable number of indigenous fish species and subspecies at key stages
of their biological cycles, particularly Salminus maxillosus. Agriculture,
particularly rice, and grazing are practiced in the area, and the development
of ecotourism is foreseen. Ramsar site no. 1162. [français
et/y español]
The datasheets for this Ramsar designation were compiled by the Dirección de Recursos Naturales y Gestión Ambiental of the Province of Corrientes based upon work by Sr. Tomás Waller, of the Fundación Reserva del Iberá, and Sr. Guillermo Lingua of the Dirección de Recursos Ictícolas y Acuícolas de la Secretaría de Desarrollo Sustentable y Política Ambiental of Argentina. With this designation, the Government of Argentina has completed its pledge made during the 7th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in San José, Costa Rica. [28/01/02]
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.
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