Recommendation 4.1: Wetland restoration

4th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties
Montreux, Switzerland
27 June-4 July 1990

AWARE that wetland loss is still prevalent and that degradation threatens listed sites;

INFORMED that major restoration schemes are in operation or planned at several listed sites;

ADMITTING that existing manuals are of limited general applicability to wetland restoration schemes;

CONVINCED that maintenance and conservation of existing wetlands is always preferable and more economical than their subsequent restoration;

EMPHASIZING that degraded wetlands should be restored before destroyed wetlands;

RECALLING that restoration schemes must not weaken efforts to conserve existing natural systems;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

RECOMMENDS that

(a) all Parties examine the possibility of establishing appropriate wetland restoration projects;

(b) the Agency or Agencies responsible for wetlands in each Contracting Party should have wetland restoration in their mission; and

(c) opportunities for wetland restoration be sought and put into operation;

FURTHER RECOMMENDS that Contracting Parties provide the Bureau with available documentation on different stages of wetland restoration projects; and

FINALLY RECOMMENDS that the Standing Committee in its deliberations on necessary scientific work consider the need to prepare a technical manual on wetland restoration with emphasis on evaluation of case studies, and to consider the impact of global warming and sea level rise on wetlands.