The Ramsar Archives The Ramsar Archives
4
May 1998
Headline Story: COP4 of the Convention on Biological Diversity gets under way. Opening statements begin today in Bratislava, Slovak
Republic, for the 4th Conference of the Parties of the CBD, and between now and the 15th
of May we'll bring you news of Ramsar's part in it. The Secretary General, the
Deputy Secretary General, and the Chairperson of the Standing Committee, Ms Louise Lakos
of Hungary, are all there and eager to contribute to the formation of policy and actions
concerning inland freshwater ecosystems. [4/5/98]
Another
Headline Story: Asian Waterfowl Census is ready. The Asian Waterfowl Census 1994-1996: Results of the
Coordinated Waterbird Census and an Overview of the Status of Wetlands in Asia,
edited by Alvin Lopez and Taej Mundkur, has been published by Wetlands International, with
financial support from the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on the Conservation of
Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), and is available from Wetlands International -
Asia Pacific in Kuala Lumpur wiap@wiap.nasionet.net.
The AWC is a coordinated international scheme for the collection and dissemination of
information on waterbirds and wetlands; it forms part of the International Waterfowl
Census, a global effort coordinated by Wetlands International and conducted once a year,
during January. Some 1,994 sites were covered at least once, including 75 wetlands
which proved to meet the Ramsar criteria though only six of those are presently on the
Ramsar List. The editors, in their executive summary, call for particular attention
to these sites in future, in order to identify their true potential for Ramsar nomination
under Criterion 3(a). [30/4/98]
New
on the Site: Finally, the famous
glossary of Ramsar terminology in a
Spanish version; Heads Up! history fans: the Final
Act adopted at Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, which established the Ramsar Convention;
The Ramsar
Manual, 2nd English edition, is here in all its glory in the
Ramsar Library; a summary of the Proposed
Joint Work Plan with the CBD, for those many readers daunted by the Plan
itself. [27/4/98]
Who's Where . . .
Delmar Blasco, the Secretary General, is attending the 4th COP of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, 3-4 and 11-15 May 1998.
Costa
Rica designates Isla del Coco as its 7th site. The
Government of Costa Rica has designated a new wetland of international importance:
Isla del Coco National Park, 535 km off the coast from Puntarenas on the
mainland, with a total surface of 99,623 hectares. Details
are available. [28/4/98]
Press release jointly issued by
WWF and IUCN, 22 April. Here are the best bits:
WWF and IUCN Urge Governments to take Freshwater Related International Treaties Seriously.
NEW YORK -- The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) and IUCN-The World Conservation Union today urged governments and international institutions at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development meeting to be serious in implementing existing international treaties that relate to freshwater ecosystems.
Among the key treaties that relate significantly to fresh water are the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, 1971) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992).
"Governments must show leadership in implementing integrated national water policies if they are serious about averting a global freshwater crisis," said Dr. Claude Martin, Director General of WWF International. "Putting freshwater ecosystem conservation at the center of any action plan on freshwater is critical if freshwater resources are to be available for people on a sustainable basis."
"Protection of freshwater ecosystems is a win-win investment for people," said Dr. Ger Bergkamp, IUCN’s Freshwater Resources Coordinator.
IUCN and WWF believe that destruction and deterioration of freshwater ecosystems is leading to negative impacts on human health, living standards and livelihoods. An effective strategy at any scale - local, national, regional or international - must seek to maximize benefits for both people and ecosystems. [end of quotation]
Brief
announcement. Joost van der Ven has been appointed
as Interim Executive Director of Wetlands International - Asia Pacific; contact him at joost@wiap.nasionet.net . [28/4/98]
Ramsar
visit to Iran. Almost like a pilgrimage.
The Convention’s Secretary General, Mr Delmar Blasco, visited the Islamic
Republic of Iran on 10-18 April 1998 at the invitation of Her Excellency Dr.
M. Ebtecar, Vice President of the Republic and Head of the Department of the
Environment, and dropped in on the seaside city of Ramsar.
And he brought his camera. Here's a tiny
report, and here are the pix -- The SG standing next to the original sign
at the Ramsar city limits! The very same hotel in which the Convention
was first adopted! Whole wetlands full of invasive weeds! And lots
more! [22/4/98]
Sneak
Preview: Draft
map of the Contracting Parties. Courtesy of Scott
Frazier's continuing campaign to make Ramsar data universally intelligible and
even fun, here's a low-resolution preview
of a draft map of Ramsar Contracting Parties around the world that he's
been working on. A little fuzzy round the edges in the interests of small
file size, but you'll get the idea of the thing. [22/4/98]
Conservation
Alert: Fires
in Nariva Swamp. At the Nariva Swamp Ramsar site
in Trinidad and Tobago, at present approximately 3,000 acres of marsh lands
have been destroyed by bush fires, and these continue daily. Here's
who to call. [19/4/98]
Ramsar
helps promote ecosystems approach at CSD6. The
UN Commission on Sustainable Development begins its 6th Session at UN Headquarters
in New York on 20 April, and Ramsar has joined forces with the Convention on
Biological Diversity and our partner organizations IUCN and WWF to urge the
UN to recognize and adopt the "ecosystems approach" as a central element
in its global freshwater strategy. A panel discussion on "Freshwater
Ecosystem Conservation: Water for People" will be hosted by WWF and IUCN
on Tuesday, 21 April, for which the speakers will include Dr Calestous
Juma (Executive Secretary of the CBD), Mr Delmar Blasco
(Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention), Mr Colin Rees
(World Bank), Dr Ger Bergkamp (IUCN), and a colleague from
WWF Brazil to present a case study on the Pantanal/Hidrovía. To assist in promoting
the ecosystem approach to CSD6, IUCN and WWF have prepared a recommendation
paper with the title "Strategic
Approaches to Freshwater Management", as well as a related
background paper describing the "ecosystem approach" more fully.
Both papers are reproduced here, and readers are also invited to refresh their
memories about Ramsar's involvement in this issue by referring again to the
Deputy Secretary General's interventions to the CSD's Intersessional Ad Hoc
Working Group on 23 February and
24 February this year. [18 April 1998]
Update
on training project at Dongzhaigang, China. Dongzhaigang
is the best and perhaps largest remaining contiguous area of mature mangrove
forest in China and is of primary importance for wintering and migrating waterbirds.
A Ramsar Small Grants Fund project enabled staff of the Forestry Bureau of Hainan,
Wetlands International, and the Bureau of Forestry in Beijing to come together
in late March and early April 1998 as a working group to formulate a draft management
plan for Dongzhaigang N.N.R. Here's
an update by John Howes on the site and the progress of
the work. [18/4/98]
Malaysia's
National Biodiversity Policy. Lim Kooi
Fong reports: The "ASEAN Review of Biodiversity and Environmental
Conservation (ARBEC)" is proud to present Malaysia's National Biodiversity
Policy (NBP) for public viewing. As Malaysia is one of the 12 mega diversity
countries of the world, many environmentally-conscious organizations and institutions
will be interested to know what action plan the Malaysian government has in
preserving its naturally rich and valuable resources. In conjunction with the
NBP official declaration on Thursday, April 16 1998, ARBEC - with permission
obtained from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Malaysia
- is hosting the global release of the policy for international access. You
can now download a copy of the policy at: http://www.cyberct.com.my/arbec For
further enquiries and any other information, please e-mail ARBEC at limster@pop.jaring.my
. [21/4/98]
Impact
assessment workshop set for NZ. "Addressing
Biodiversity and Impact Assessment" is a two-day workshop planned as part
of the 18th IAIA [International Association of Impact Assessment] meeting, Christchurch,
New Zealand (19-24 April 1998), organized by the IUCN Economic Services Unit:
here's the announcement. The
workshop advances the work that Dave Pritchard (RSPB) began when he presented
an important paper to Ramsar's 6th Conference of the Parties in Brisbane (here's
his Brisbane presentation), which resulted in the Contracting Parties requesting
"the Standing Committee and the STRP, in collaboration with the
Bureau and partner organizations, to examine existing EIA guidelines relevant
to wetlands and, if necessary, to arrange for the drafting of Ramsar guidelines,
as an aid to the wise use of wetlands, in a form suitable for adoption by the
7th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties"
(Recommendation 6.2). The Ramsar Bureau
supports the work of the IUCN workshop at IAIA as a further contribution to
this effort. The NZ workshop report will be presented for the consideration
of COP4 of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bratislava (May 1998).
[14/4/98]
Cooperation with the CBD
highlighted. In response to the increasingly close
cooperation between the Convention on Wetlands and the Convention on Biological Diversity,
especially as the CBD's 4th Conference of the Parties (Bratislava, May 1998) draws closer,
we have added a special index page to bring
together all of the major documents and news. Prominent among these papers you'll
find the proposed Joint Work Plan (English, French, and Spanish versions) which is being
distributed by the CBD secretariat as a COP4 Information Document. Check this page
frequently -- there's a button for it on the main Ramsar index page -- and keep up with
developments as they occur. [9/4/98]
Big Announcement.
Bureau vacancy for African internship. For one
year, to begin 15 September; deadline for applications, 1 May 1998. Nationals of
African nations with a high-level of English or French and knowledge of the other are
encouraged to apply. Here is the terms-of-reference
statement. [10/4/98]
'Bad news from Ramsar sites' department. Greenwire (15 April) reported the following story on
15 April: "RAIN FLOODS WADING BIRDS OUT OF EVERGLADES. A recent federal bird count
showed an 83% drop since last year in the number of herons, egrets, ibis and wood storks
in the marshes north of Everglades National Park. Scientists blame the dwindling number of
wading birds in part on high water levels resulting from this winter's El Nino-fueled
rains. Although water levels are dropping, it may be too late to help the few remaining
birds that remain there, according to biologists. Ironically, the problem has been
compounded by efforts to save the endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrows living in the
Everglades. The Army Corps of Engineers has refused to drain the wading birds' habitat in
order to protect a group of nesting sparrows." [16/4/98]
Ducks Unlimited reports on
Ramsar-related activities. During the 1996 Ramsar Conference of the
Parties in Brisbane, Australia, Ducks Unlimited pledged 3.1 million Swiss francs to be
spent for habitat protection, restoration and enhancement, and wetland education and
training programs at Ramsar sites, as well as support of National Ramsar Committees and
proposed listings of new sites. An 8-page report just released summarizes activities for
the period March 1996 to February 1997, totalling some SFR 3,028,714, and offers some
interesting examples; it's available from Ducks Unlimited, and the text is reproduced here (with contact address).
[7/4/98]
Panama: New law will
protect wetlands, water quality [from Greenwire,
3 April 1998]. "A new Panamanian law attempts to put protection of the country's
fragile environment and vulnerable seafaring workers on an equal footing with promotion of
ports and maritime industry," reports the Miami Herald. Yvette Ng de Jaen,
administrator of Panama's new National Maritime Commission, speaking last week at the Law
of The Sea conference at the University of Miami, said the new law allows the NMC to
"establish a national authority that would regulate the destruction of wetlands and
try to protect water quality." Jaen said previous wetlands and water quality
decisions had been made by local officials with limited understandings of the larger
impacts of their rulings. Meanwhile, the 50-mile Panama Canal stands the risk of being
destroyed by deforestation and the loss of wetlands. Clearcutting of forests could cause
silt to wash in from the mountainous isthmus and destroy the channel (Cyril Zaneski, Miami
Herald, 4/2).
Eastern
curlew checks in. A year ago we
reported on the The Far Eastern Curlew Satellite Tracking Project
along the East Asian Australasian Shorebird Reserve Network (SRN). Taej
Mundkur, Wetlands International - Asia Pacific, forwards a note from
Maki Koyama with this introduction: "Dear colleagues,
Attached is some very interesting news. This project has gone on for
two years as part of a Japanese-Australian collaborative government-supported
programme under their bilateral agreement. It has produced some very good
results, identifying some staging areas and breeding areas." The
forwarded note reads: "Hi, all, One of the nine eastern curlews that had
transmitters mounted for satellite tracking at Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia,
at the end of January, was seen at the Yoshino Estuary, Japan, one of the two
SRN sites in Japan, on 21 March. The curlew was videotaped and the pictures
were in today's local papers. It took the bird about two weeks to get
here (departed Moreton Bay on 6 March). We are all pretty excited about
the news! We'd always thought that it'd be a fat chance for those birds
to be tracked down (up?) to Japan! Best regards, Maki, Environment Agency
of Japan." [6/4/98]
More to follow. Watch this space.
Feedback and suggestions to: the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney
28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail
). Updated
regularly by Dwight Peck, Ramsar.
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Issues of the Bulletin Board. Early in every month the current edition of
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