What's New @ Ramsar

The Ramsar Bulletin Board

2 December 2003

Headline story. Paraguay designates its 5th Ramsar site. The Ramsar Secretariat is very pleased to announce that the Government of Paraguay has designated "Laguna Chaco Lodge" (2,500 hectares, 22º17'S, 059º18'W), a private reserve in the Presidente Hayes department, as its fifth Wetland of International Importance, bringing its total Ramsar surface area to 777,500 hectares. As described by Ramsar's Iván Darío Valencia from the accompanying Ramsar Information Sheet, Chaco Lodge is a saltwater lake, the largest of the water bodies in the lake system of the Central Chaco, surrounded by xerophytic woods and shrubs and halophytic vegetation. The site is one of the few relatively undisturbed natural areas in the Chaco, hosting an impressive biodiversity, including the endangered Chacoan Peccary Catagonus wagneri and the Brazilian Tapir Tapirus terrestris. Several wintering shorebird species are abundant, with up to 25,000 Wilson's Phalaropes Phalaropus tricolor, 4,000 White Rumped Sandpipers Calidris fuscicollis, and 3,000 Pectoral Sandpipers Calidris melanotos, all of them figures above 1% threshold. Chaco Lodge is entirely devoted to conservation and small scale ecotourism, and hunting and cattle ranching pressures from the surrounding area are very limited. The greatest threat, however, comes from the intense drought affecting the region the past few years. The site designation was carried out with the support of the NGO Fundación DeSdelChaco (Foundation for the Sustainable Development of the South American Chaco). More details and photos are available here. [02/12/03] [Español]

Headline story. New publications on agriculture from Living Waters. WWF's Living Waters Programme has produced two new brochures to help spread awareness of the global water crisis and, specifically, the role of agricultural practices in that. "Agricultural Water Use and River Basin Conservation" (36pp.) provides an assessment of the crops that use most water in nine large river basins that are globally important for biodiversity conservation (Lake Chad, Niger, Zambezi, Indus, Mekong, Yangtze, Murray-Darling, Great Konya, and Rio Grande). It has been adapted from the recent WWF study by Rob de Nooy, "Water Use for Agriculture in Priority River Basins", and also recommends a series of measures for the four thirstiest crops - cotton, sugar, rice, and wheat - that could be adopted by farmers and irrigation engineers to increase water efficiency whilst maintaining output. "Thirsty Crops - Our food and clothes: eating up nature and wearing out the environment?" (19pp.) summarizes many of the same facts and arguments in an attractive and colorful format. The two leaflets, in English only, can be requested in hard copy from Berna Heikamp (bheikamp@wwf.nl) of Living Waters in the Netherlands or Amalia Romeo (aromeo@wwfint.org) of WWF International in Switzerland -- both of them as well as the de Nooy study can be downloaded in PDF format from http://www.panda.org/news_facts/publications/freshwater/index.cfm. [01/12/03]

Who's where? 

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, has been invited to contribute to a meeting on “Sustainable use and conservation of biological diversity: A challenge for society” organized in Berlin by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Science (a meeting bringing together “a large number of scientists and politicians and the public to discuss various topics concerning the current tasks for biodiversity research including social, economic and political aspects”). [01/12/03]

Guangchun Lei, Senior Advisor for the Asia/Pacific, is visiting Thailand as the guest of DANIDA (the Danish Agency for Development Assistance) and Thailand's Ramsar Administrative Authority, where he will deliver the keynote address at the National Ramsar Workshop and then visit several Ramsar sites and a DANIDA project area. He will be returning to the Secretariat on 6 December 2003. [25/11/03]

Estelle Gironnet, Assistant Advisor for Europe, is attending the conference "Diversité d'usages sur les grands
plans d'eau" organised by the Pôle-relais "Zones humides intérieures" and hosted by the Parc Naturel Regional de Lorraine in France, 27-28 November. [28/11/03]

Who was where? Cumulated record of travels throughout the year.

New on the Site: Wetlands for the Future -- Operational Guidelines 2003-2008 [Español]; World Wetlands Day 2004 [français et/y español]; Draft agenda for Standing Committee's January 2004 meeting.[14/11/03]

Mexico designates 10 Ramsar sites to celebrate the National Conservation Week [México designa 10 nuevos sitios Ramsar celebrando la Semana Nacional de la Conservación]. In the third edition of the National Conservation Week, focusing on the International Year of Freshwater, Mexico is today announcing the designation of 10 new Ramsar sites with a total area of 777,814 hectares. This is a very important development for the implementation of the Ramsar Convention in Mexico, raising its number of Ramsar sites to 17, and reaching 1,881,790 ha of Ramsar sites in the country. The National Commission of Protected Areas (CONANP) promotes this week, celebrated every year in late November to commemorate the creation of the first protected area in the country more than 70 years ago. The new Ramsar sites include several National Parks and a Biosphere Reserve, but also areas not otherwise protected. Worth highlighting are the efforts to designate sites with coral reefs, karstic systems, seagrass beds, and mangroves, as well as two wildlife sanctuaries for the protection of nesting marine turtles. Brief descriptions of the new Wetlands of International Importance based upon the Ramsar Information Sheets that accompanied the designations have been prepared by Iván Darío Valencia, and further information is available in Spanish on the CONANP Web site. [27/11/03] [Español]

Bangladesh enlarges Sundarbans Ramsar site. The government of Bangladesh has recently provided an updated Ramsar Information Sheet on its Sundarbans Ramsar site, first designated for the Ramsar List in May 1992, enlarging its area from 596,000 to 601,700 hectares. Now to be called "Sundarbans Reserved Forest", this Ramsar and World Heritage site is one of the most important mangrove forests in the world and has been significantly threatened from a number of directions for many years. The nearby Sundarbans mangrove forest across the border in India is not yet a Ramsar site but it is hoped that it will be soon. This extension increase the area of Bangladesh's two Wetlands of International Importance to 611,200 hectares. Ramsar's Liazzat Rabbiosi has distilled from the new RIS a brief summary of the site's main ecological and cultural features, and that's available, with photographs, right here. [26/11/03]

Global wetlands surveyed from space. On 20 November the European Space Agency (ESA) formally began a project to map wetlands from space, providing data on around 50 sites in 21 countries worldwide. ESA's new €1 million Globwetland project is producing satellite-derived and geo-referenced products including inventory maps and digital elevation models of wetlands and the surrounding catchment areas. These products are intended to aid local and national authorities in fulfilling their Ramsar obligations, and should also function as a helpful tool for wetland managers and scientific researchers. The project will be carried out by an international consortium headed by the Canadian high-tech company Atlantis Scientific Inc., and the team is completed by the Dutch company SYNOPTICS, the German company Remote Sensing Solutions GmbH, and Wetlands International. More information is available from the ESA's press release today, the text which has been reprinted on our site as well. [25/11/03]

Waterbirds conference planned for April 2004. "Waterbirds Around the World is the first conference to focus entirely on all major themes and developments related to the global conservation of waterbird flyways during their full annual cycle: breeding areas, stop-over sites and wintering areas. It will address the achievements of the last 40-50 years and consider the need for initiatives to stimulate future conservation, research and management, not only of the world's migratory waterbird flyways, but also of threatened non-migratory species" (from the brochure). This "global review of the conservation, management and research of the world's major flyways" will be organized by Wetlands International and hosted in Edinburgh, UK, 3-8 April 2004 by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Scottish Natural Heritage of the UK and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, with the US Fish and Wildlife Service serving as co-chair and the sponsorship of a large number of other organizations, including the Ramsar Convention. For further information about the conference, side events, and excursions, and the application forms, visit the Wetlands International Web site or write to the Conference Secretary General, Dr Gerard C. Boere, International Programme Director, gerard.boere@wetlands.org. [25/11/03]

News from the Wetlands for the Future. Reserve Personnel Training in Laguna del Tigre, Ramsar Site in Guatemala [Capacitación de personal de reservas en la Laguna del Tigre]. With funding support of Wetlands for the Future (project WFF/01-2/GTM/1), Fundación Propetén (www.propeten.org) carried out in 2002 the "School of Agroforestry promoters and Wetland Park Rangers" in the Las Guacamayas Biological Station in Laguna del Tigre National Park (Ramsar site in the Montreux record). The course was developed by an interdisciplinary group of biologists, agronomists, environmental educators and sociologists. 39 community leaders and park rangers graduated from the course, including personnel from the National Commission of Protected Areas (CONANP). Here is Iván Darío Valencia's brief report in English and in Español. [24/11/03]

Upcoming Ramsar meeting for African parliamentarians. The action plan of the environmental component of NEPAD includes wetlands among the environmental priorities for the continent, and political decision-makers have therefore an important role to play in the conservation and wise use of wetlands in human development. In that spirit, the government of Benin, the secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the Network for Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa (NESDA) have jointly organised the first meeting of West and Central African Members of Parliament about wetlands. The objective of the meeting is to brief the deputies of West and Central Africa and draw attention from decision makers and the public to a number of key issues involving the ecological and socio-economic aspects wetland sustainable use and what parliamentarians can do to help. The meeting will be held on 27-28 November 2003 in Cotonou, Benin, with financial assistance from the governments of Sweden, Belgium, and Norway, and it will gather representatives of the environment/development commissions from the National Assemblies of 17 countries of West and Central Africa, as well as the executive secretaries of river basin authorities covering the Gambia, the Senegal, the Niger, and Lake Chad Basin. Here is a NESDA press release on this meeting, in English and French. [21/11/03]

Web site for Prespa Park. The Prespa Park is an innovative transboundary wetland protected area including Ramsar sites, inaugurated on World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2000, by the prime ministers of Albania, Greece, and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Ramsar Secretary General. This Web site has been following the progress of the Park and its Coordination Committee, most recently its March 2003 meeting and GEF PDF B project. Now, as Frosso Mantziou (mantziou@medwet.org) of the MedWet Coordination Unit reports, you can follow all the news on Prespa Park's own Web site. "Dear all, As discussed at MedWet Com5, the Transboundary Prespa Park Web site has been set up (with financial support from the German agency GTZ) and is hosted at the MedWet Web site. You may visit it by clicking on the Prespa Park logo at MedWet's home page". [20/11/03]

Noticias del Fondo de Humedales para El Futuro. Proyecto de capacitación y vigilancia en Cayapas-Mataje. El más reciente sitio Ramsar de Ecuador, Reserva Ecológica Cayapas-Mataje,lleva el nombre de la Convención por toda su costa, pues un proyecto financiado por el Fondo Humedales para El Futuro (WFF/01/ECU/1) permitió adquirir un bote a motor llamado "Ramsar I" para llevar a cabo patrullaje y actividades de vigilancia. El proyecto, ejecutado por la Fundación Obra Maestra, capacitó a 30 líderes comunitarios acerca de los valores y funciones de los humedales, ecología y conservación de manglares, manejo de eventuales derrames de hidrocarburos, legislación ambiental en Ecuador, la Convención de Ramsar, y liderazgo comunitario y político. Se espera que estos 30 líderes se conviertan en multiplicadores en sus respectivas comunidades para llevar el mensaje del uso racional y frenar la utilización insostenible de los recursos del manglar. La Fase 2 del proyecto está en curso, también con aportes del FHF. [Fotos, English version] [19/11/03]

RSPB and CIWEM invite entries for Living Wetlands Award. RSPB and CIWEM are inviting entries for the prestigious RSPB/CIWEM Living Wetlands Award, which will be presented at the CIWEM Annual Dinner in London in April 2004. The winner will be announced at the CIWEM World Wetlands Day Conference in February 2004. The annual RSPB/CIWEM Living Wetlands Award was established in 2003 as a means of recognising and rewarding projects which demonstrate the multiple functions and sustainable use of wetland habitats. Funds for the Award are provided by CIWEM and the RSPB. The Award consists of the Mance Memorial Trophy (a bronze snipe), a framed certificate and a cheque for £1,500, to be used to fund the delivery of further UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) targets, publicity of the project and/or related education. Further information. [19/11/03] [More information on the World Wetlands Day Conference.]

Ecotourism conference in Adelaide, Australia. Ramsar's Peter Bridgewater presented a keynote address last week to the Ecotourism Conference in Adelaide, Australia. The idea of drawing together tourism operators more closely to nature conservation areas was a theme of the conference, and one that Ramsar needs to keep under review globally. Peter also visited the Ramsar award-winning site of Banrock Station Winery, some 220km from Adelaide (Peter with site manager Tony Sharley, left) and met with the Ramsar implementation team in the Department of Environment and Heritage, Canberra. More here. [17/11/03]

Follow-up on the Rhône River cycling trip. In June 2003, an announcement in "What's New@Ramsar" presented the Cycl'eauRhône, an initiative from an association Swiss-French "Dérives du Rhône" to promote the installation of a biking trail "du Léman à la mer" and raise awareness on water and wetlands values. Starting from the Rhône Glacier in Switzerland the 28th of June, the 26 participants finally arrived by bicycle to the mouth of the river in France on the 6th of July (please go to http://www.ramsar.org/w.n.cycle_rhone.htm if you do not remember anything!). As a follow-up, a film of this ecological transfrontier adventure was produced in which you can have a brief overview of Ramsar Convention implementation along the Rhône river thanks to a short interview of the Ramsar Advisor for Europe, Tobias Salathé [unflattering photo, inset]. For more news, please read the article that Léon Meynet, organizer of this biking trip, wrote especially for Ramsar Web site readers' interest (in French). -- reported by Estelle Gironnet. [18/11/03]

Francisco Bernis, one of Ramsar's first signers, passes away. Eduardo de Juana, President of the Spanish branch of BirdLife International, the Spanish Society of Ornithology (SEO), paid tribute in one of the main Spanish newspapers, El País, to Francisco Bernis, one of two members of the Spanish delegation that signed the Ramsar Convention when it was adopted in Iran on 2 February 1971, who has passed away at the age of 87. Francisco Bernis was one of the most respected Spanish ornithologists and helped to keep the science alive in that country during the Franco era, when there was practically no interest in these issues. Bernis founded SEO in 1954 and together with his wife, Cristina Carro, kept it going with very little support and meager means for 20 years. Presently SEO is a full fledged NGO, with a strong leadership and programme. Bernis also played a significant role in saving Doñana from reforestation with eucalyptus! His scientific works were also very significant, with countless articles and a dozen books. Spain has lost one of its most outstanding conservationists, but fortunately Bernis has left behind a strong movement, in particular through SEO/BirdLife. The Ramsar family should be proud to be able to count him among the small group of people who had the vision to launch the Convention 32 years ago. -- reported by Delmar Blasco. [14/11/03]

New publication. Managing rivers wisely. The World Wide Fund for Nature International's Living Waters Programme has recently published a very useful book on Integrated River Basin Management. The well-illustrated 94-page softcover work begins with a summary of the global freshwater crisis and briefly describes the principles of IRBM - the introduction then notes that "WWF and numerous partner organizations have launched conservation field projects . . . to demonstrate key aspects of IRBM in many countries around the world. The 'lessons learnt' from these projects reflect a broad range of geographical, socio-economic and cultural factors, and are based on findings and conclusions over a period of time." This book distills 11 'lessons' from 14 case studies from around the world, many of which involve Ramsar sites, including the Everglades, the Danube Delta, Gwydir in Australia, Lakes Chad and Prespa, Kafue Flats, and La Cocha. Compiled and edited by Tim Jones and Bill Phillips, both former members of the Ramsar Secretariat, and designed by Tim Davis, the book offers not only the lessons and the case studies but also an informative look at the way in which WWF and its partners work effectively on the ground. People who need the printed edition can obtain it free of charge from Berna Heikamp (bheikamp@wwf.nl) of the Living Waters Programme. More immediately, all of its parts can be downloaded in PDF chapter by chapter, by selecting individual case studies (in English) and/or the "Introduction & Synthesis" (in English, French or Spanish) from http://www.panda.org/news_facts/publications/freshwater/index.cfm. [14/11/03]

Now available. Wetlands for the Future guidelines 2003-2008. [Español] Wetlands for the Future is a joint initiative of the Ramsar Bureau, the United States State Department, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service which since 1997 has been co-financing projects in Latin America that are aimed at training and capacity building in furtherance of the Ramsar "wise use" principles and the Convention's Strategic Plan. In recent years, an enormous number of relatively small-scale projects have facilitated training workshops for managers, provided training or needed equipment for wetland site managers, helped to develop training materials and instructional videos, assisted in bringing GIS and modern database technologies to government agencies and NGOs alike, assessed wetland inventory techniques and evaluated the effects of cattle grazing at Ramsar sites, raised wetland awareness among indigenous people near wetland sites, and contributed to the building of wetland-related Web sites, and more. Now the "Operational Guidelines" (Directrices operativas), which combine the objectives and procedures of the programme and the needed application and reporting forms, are available for the period 2003-2008. Go to the WFF index page and select the Word or PDF, English or Spanish versions, as you wish. [12/11/03]

Children's artwork. Cornelia Aftodor of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority has (very belatedly) reported on the Authority's World Wetlands Day 2003 activities, which included a number of educational events organized for students, including a showing of the Ramsar video, and she has sent along some artwork by the students from the high schools of art for the annual exhibition "A chance for the blue Danube". [13/11/03]

Now available. Ramsar's address to SBSTTA-9. Ramsar's Nick Davidson is participating in the 9th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity's Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), and on 10 November he addressed the rapt throngs on the progress presently being made by Ramsar's own subsidiary body, the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), in furthering the two conventions' Joint Work Plan. If you need a quick but knowledgeable update on the present state of the work of STRP so far this triennium, you've come to the right place. [12/11/03]

Recommended reading. Poverty and reefs. "A diversity of different people worldwide depend on coral reefs for many different reasons. Many millions of these people are poor and for them the coral reef represents an important resource which contributes to many aspects of their livelihood. However, the ability of the reefs to provide income and food security and buffer seasonal and periodic hardships is being eroded. Coral reef ecosystems are extremely sensitive to change and easily suffer from disturbance. Reef degradation is removing many of the benefits on which the poor depend, climate change threatens further loss, and well-meaning policies aimed at conserving threatened reefs are often excluding the poor from access to benefit flows. The impact of these changes varies between different stakeholders, but in general the poor are finding that their livelihoods are being stressed more than most and they are the least able to respond." Poverty and Reefs, by Emma Whittingham, Jock Campbell, and Philip Townsley, offers a "Global Overview" in vol. 1 and "Case Studies" in vol. 2, 260 pages in all, ref. IOC/UNESCO/INF-1188, English only, and can be requested free of charge from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO at IOCMailService@unesco.org and downloaded in PDF format from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001318/131839e.pdf. [12/11/03]

News from Wetlands for the Future. CANARI completes WFF project on participatory management training. The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) has closed the file on the 1999 Wetlands for the Future project WFF/99/LCA/1 "Training in participatory and collaborative approaches to wetland management in the insular Caribbean" with a final report dated 2 October 2003. This US$15,485 project used the Mankòtè Mangrove Ramsar site in Saint Lucia as a model for the preparation and testing of training modules, following on from CANARI's earlier WFF project which helped to produce the leaflet "Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods: Collaborative Management of the Mankòtè Mangrove, St. Lucia" in August 1998. Here is a brief description of the successful results of the project and some background on CANARI itself. [11/11/03]

Ramsar visit to Bulgaria. Tobias Salathé of Ramsar and former Ramsar secretariat member Hervé Lethier of OMPO have been contracted by the French GEF (FFEM) to make an ex post evaluation for a project they supported to cover the Dobrudja region, a steppe and cultivated steppe region with the two Ramsar sites Durankulak and Shabla lake. The first of these is presently on the Montreux Record and both have management plans, at least nominally, so the mission will be looking at classical management problems and checking out the current situation in order to see if (and under what conditions) Durankulak could be removed from the Montreux Record of threatened sites. The mission team will also be holding discussions with the Bulgarian Administrative Authority about future opportunities for progress in wetland conservation and wise use. Tobias' in-country costs are covered by FFEM and the Bulgarian government. A full report will follow in due course, and a trip report with some of Tobias' excellent photos may come along much sooner than that. [10/11/03]

Name changes in the Ramsar Secretariat. Some restructuring has taken place in the secretariat, involving staff title changes and modest restructuring of the responsibilities, as well as the advent of the term "Ramsar Secretariat" to replace the venerable term "Ramsar Bureau". Here is the Secretary General's message explaining these recent alterations. [08/11/03]

Culmina con éxito taller sobre humedales de alta montaña en América Latina. Del 1 al 3 de octubre del 2003, en el Jardín Botánico de Bogotá, se llevó a cabo el taller "Turberas y otros humedales de Alta Montaña de América Latina" convocado por el Grupo Páramo y UICN; organizado por EcoPar y Fundación Humedales. El taller fue parte del proyecto del mismo nombre financiado por La Iniciativa Global de Turberas que está ejecutándose en los 8 países de América Latina con humedales de alta montaña: Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, Chile y Argentina. Informe. [07/11/03]

Workshop on High Mountain Wetlands in Latin America was a Success. In the Botanical Garden of Bogota (Colombia), from the 1st to the 3rd of October the workshop "Peatlands and other high mountain wetlands in Latin America" was held. The workshop was set on invitation by Grupo Páramo and IUCN and organized by EcoPar and Fundación Humedales. It formed part of a project with the same name financed by the Global Peatland Initiative. This project is being executed in eight Latin American countries with high mountain wetlands: Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Here is the meeting's report. [07/11/03]

New publication. IUCN issues book on ecosystem approach. IUCN-The World Conservation Union has published a new book intended to contribute to the implementation of Decision V/6 (2000) of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Written by Richard D. Smith and Ed Maltby, Using the Ecosystem Approach to Implement the Convention on Biological Diversity: Key Issues and Case Studies (softcover, 118 pages) lays out the lessons learnt from a series of three regional workshops that were held in Southern Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia in 2000, coordinated by the CBD secretariat and the Royal Holloway Institute for Environmental Research in London on behalf of WWF International, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) with the support of the IUCN regional offices. The clearly written book will appeal both to those seeking to understand better the concept and application of the ecosystem approach and to those drawn to the 26 case studies from those regions. This addition to the conservationist's library can be ordered from the IUCN Publications Services Unit in Cambridge, UK (http://www.iucn.org/bookstore). [05/11/03]

Another new publication. Wetlands and Agriculture. At the Global Biodiversity Forum 17 associated with Ramsar's COP8 in Valencia, Spain, last November, a number of excellent papers were presented to a workshop on "Agriculture, Wetlands, and Water Resources" and resulted in GBF input to what became Ramsar Resolution VIII.34, Agriculture, wetlands, and water resource management adopted by COP8. The workshop itself was sponsored by the GBF, IUCN, the International Agricultural Centre (IAC), the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Wetlands International, and Slovenia's Ministry of Environment. The proceedings of this workshop, including the texts and illustrations of 19 papers presented by such authors as Brij Gopal, David Lindley, Inga Racinska, and Alfredo Quarto amongst others (and the text of Resolution VIII.34), edited by Rachel Wiseman, Doug Taylor, and Henk Zingstra, were first published in the International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Studies, vol. 29, nos. 1-2, and have now been re-issued as a 122-page softcover monograph by International Scientific Publications and the National Institute of Ecology in New Delhi, with financial support from the International Agricultural Centre in Wageningen, The Netherlands (http://www.iac.wur.nl). The book is available for purchase by a cheque for US$30.-- in the name of National Institute of Ecology, sent to Secretary General, NIE, 50-B Pocket C, Sidhartha extension, New Delhi, India, 110014. More information can be sought from Henk Zingstra (henk.zingstra@wur.nl). [05/11/03]

Another new publication. Cahier thématique "les zones humides et l'eau". Le PNRZH (Programme National de Recherche sur les Zones Humides), lancé en 1995 par le gouvernement français, constitue un des volets du plan d'action interministériel pour les zones humides. Cofinancé par les Agences de l'eau et les ministères chargés de l'Environnement, de l'Equipement, et de l'Agriculture, ce programme vise à fournir des clés rationnelles pour une gestion durable de ces milieux. Dans une démarche globale de valorisation des acquis, le PNRZH publie son premier cahier thématique " Les zones humides et l'eau ". // The Programme National de Recherche sur les Zones Humides (National Research Programme on Wetlands), launched in 1995 by the French government, is part of the inter-ministerial action plan for wetlands. Co-financed by the Water Agencies and the Ministries of Environment, Equipment and Agriculture, this programme aims to give key elements for a wise use and sustainable management of these habitats. In a global effort to develop the knowledge and share experience, the NRPW brings out its first thematic journal "Wetlands and water". More details here in English and in Français. [05/11/03]

Panama names fourth Ramsar site. The Ramsar Bureau is very pleased to announce that Panama has designated its fourth Wetland of International Importance, the "Bahía de Panamá" (48,919 ha., 08°57'N 079°01'W ) in the province of Panamá, effective 20 October 2003. Ramsar's Iván Darío Valencia describes the new site thus: Located to the east of Panama City on the the Pacific coast, the site features broad intertidal mudflats divided by several estuaries, mangrove forests, swamp forests, and freshwater pools. It is renowned as an important stopover for migrating shorebirds: up to 360,000 individuals have been counted in one season and it is estimated that 1-2 million birds stop there during migration. The site harbours over 8% of the world population of Western Sandpipers Calidris mauri with records of over 280,000 birds, 20% of Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus, and over 1% of the biogeographical populations of Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla, Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus and the Plover Pluvialis squatarola. Endangered species in the area include the Giant Anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla, Baird's Tapir Tapirus bairdii, American Crocodile Crocodylus acutus, Loggerhead Turtle Caretta caretta and the endemic tree species Annona spreguei. Fishing and agriculture are the main human activities in the area, but due to its proximity to Panama City, pressures from urban development are increasing, as well as pollution from sewage waters discharged into the sea. Several research activities with shorebirds have taken place, and the site was recently declared an Important Bird Area. The Sociedad Audubon de Panamá assisted in the preparation of the technical data for the designation. [04/11/03] [français et/y español]

Water and wetland work under the Danube Commission. The Danube river is a source of life for 83 million people living in its 800,000 km2 basin, covering 18 European countries. In 1994, the Danube River Protection Convention was signed to encourage Contracting Parties to intensify their water management cooperation. With its entry into force in 1998, the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (www.icpdr.org) was established as the main decision-making body. It represents a common platform for the sustainable use of the basin's resources. Ramsar's Tobias Salathé has provided an update on the Commission's recent work and the results of the 7th meeting of its Ecological Expert Group, 22-23 September 2003, held near Munich, Germany, nicely illustrated with photos of a field trip to floodplain restoration sites along the Isar river. Click here now. [04/11/03]

Now it can be told. Australia names its 64th Ramsar site. "NSW Central Murray State Forests" (84,028 ha., 35°39'S 144°39'E) in New South Wales was designated as a Wetland of International Importance as of 20 May 2003 but the announcement has been delayed a bit -- composed of discrete but interrelated forest units that together with the Barmah and Gunbower Forests Ramsar sites in Victoria form the largest complex of tree-dominated floodplain wetlands in southern Australia, the site contains rare wetland types within the Riverina bioregion, particularly floodplain lake and floodplain meadows and reed swamps. Linked through an unbroken riparian corridor along the Murray and Edward Rivers, the forests are in high ecological condition and contribute significantly to the conservation of globally and nationally threatened species (more details of which can be seen here). The site has been managed under multiple use principles including forestry for almost 150 years, making it one of the longest continuously managed natural resources in Australia. Currently the site is used for timber harvesting, apiculture, fishing, bird watching and scientific study. [04/11/03] [français et/y español]

Uganda and Ramsar sign MOU for COP9. At a ceremony on 30 October 2003, Uganda signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands to host the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP9) in Kampala in late 2005. The offer, which was first made at Ramsar COP8 in November 2002 and gratefully accepted by the Contracting Parties, is a highly significant commitment for Uganda, and is the first time that the global Convention on Wetlands has come to Africa for its triennial meeting of its Parties, now numbering 138 countries. The new MOU formalizes the commitments on both sides and lays out the steps to be taken between now and COP9 some two years hence. The ceremony was held during a reception hosted by Wetlands International and the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Washington D.C., USA. Wetlands International's President, Max Finlayson, invited the Ramsar Convention's Secretary General, Peter Bridgewater, and the Uganda National Coordinator for COP9, Paul Mafabi, to sign the Memorandum. More details here, and a few photos. [02/11/03] [français] [español]

Announcement. Wetlands conference set for UK on World Wetlands Day. "Wetlands: Policy into Action" is the name of a professional conference scheduled for London around World Wetlands Day, 2-3 February 2004. Sponsored by CIWEM and organized by CMS-Coastal Management for Sustainability, the meeting will include speakers from RSPB, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), WWF-UK, English Nature and the National Trust, among others. Following a guided tour on WWD of the WWT's London Wetland Centre in Barnes and a reception in the evening supported by WWF-UK, the conference on the 3rd will consist of three sessions -- Policy Development and Practice, The State of Wetlands, and Good Practice Case Studies - and include the bestowing of the 2004 RSPB/CIWEM Living Wetlands Award. Here is a reprint of the CIWEM's announcement and registration form. [03/11/03]

World Wetlands Day 2004 materials ready. 2 February each year is World Wetlands Day, marking the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971. WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997, and each year, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular. From 1997 to 2003, the Convention’s Web site has posted reports from more than 80 countries of WWD activities of all sizes and shapes, and the Ramsar Bureau has provided materials free of charge to help planners get the greatest effect from their activities. This year the Bureau has prepared a poster on the theme of "From the mountains to the sea -- Wetlands at work for us", a new 3-fold leaflet "Working for Wetlands", and a new sticker, all of them in English, Français, and Español. View these new materials here, and if you think that they will help you to get your wetland message across, follow the directions on ordering that you'll find on that page. All of these hardcopy materials are also available on CD-ROM in Quark XPress format so that you can if you wish amend them to suit your own circumstances and produce versions of your own, and limited quantities of WWD materials from past years can also be requested. But hurry! [01/11/03] [français et/y español]

Peru designates two high altitude wetlands. The Ramsar Bureau is delighted to announce that the Government of Peru has named two High Andean wetlands in Arequipa for the List of Wetlands of International Importance, effective 28 October 2003, bringing that Party's total to 10 Ramsar sites covering 6,777,547 hectares. Both are parts of the Reserva Nacional de Salinas y Aguada Blanca. As described by Ramsar's Iván Darío Valencia based on the Ramsar Information Sheets, Bofedales y Laguna de Salinas (17,657 ha., 16º22´S 71º08W) is a salt high Andean lake in the Puna at 4,300m altitude, lying at the bottom of an endorrheic basin with geothermal activities amidst snow-capped mountains and volcanoes. Laguna del Indio - Dique de los Españoles (502 ha., 15º46´S 71º03'W) is a natural high Andean seasonal pool at over 4440m in the Puna which became permanent with the building of a reservoir serving the water needs of the city of Arequipa and which is used for hydroelectric power generation downstream. More details and a map of their locations within the National Reserve can be seen here. [31/10/03] [français] [español]

7th Neotropical Ornithological Congress, Chile. Iván Darío Valencia, Ramsar Assistant for the Americas, attended the VII Neotropical Ornithological Congress in Termas de Puyehue, Chile, from 5 to 12 October 2003. The Neotropical Ornithological Congress is an event hosted every four years gathering ornithologists, birdwatchers and other people working with birds in the Neotropics. This year it was organized by UNORCH - Unión de Ornitólogos de Chile and the Neotropical Ornithological Society, in the vicinity of Puyehue National Park, in southern Chile, close to the border with Argentina, in a magnificent scenario. The event convened over 400 people from all of the Americas. Iván Darío's brief report of Ramsar's participation can be seen here in English and Español, with a handful of his excellent photos from the field trip to the nearby Carlos Anwandter Sanctuary Ramsar site. [31/10/03]

Conference on Western Hemisphere Migratory Species. "In a demonstration of shared commitment to wildlife conservation, representatives from 25 countries in the Western Hemisphere were joined by members from over 40 international NGO conservation groups and wildlife conservation stakeholders to develop strategies for cooperation for conservation of migratory species and collaboration on wildlife conservation issues among the countries of the Western Hemisphere." So reports the US Fish and Wildlife Service in its press release on the Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Conference held in Termas de Puyehue, Chile, 6-8 October 2003, with the participation of Margarita Astrálaga, Ramsar Regional Coordinator for the Americas. As the press release indicates, an interim steering committee has been chosen to help to build upon the momentum generated by the Conference, and Ramsar will continue to participate actively in this initiative. Here is the US FWS press release. [31/10/03]

Ramsar Advisory Mission under way for the Danube Delta. Ramsar's Tobias Salathé is in Kyiv and the Danube Delta Ramsar site called "Kyliiske Mouth" in Ukraine as part of a Ramsar Advisory Mission, 27-31 October, conducted jointly with the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme (Jan Kvets) to look at the proposed plans to construct a navigation channel through the Bistroye river arm in the core zone of the Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar site. More details to follow. [29/10/03]

More to follow. Watch this space. Feedback and suggestions are welcome to: the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). Updated regularly by Dwight Peck, Ramsar Secretariat.

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.

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