Recommendation 4.5: Education and training

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

RECALLING Article 4.5 of the Convention text which states "The Contracting Parties shall promote the training of personnel competent in the fields of wetland research, management and wardening";

EMPHASIZING the crucial role of training courses in mobilizing human resources for the conservation and wise use of wetlands;

NOTING the existence of organizations and institutions involved actively in conservation training and education throughout the world;

CONSIDERING the emphasis placed on partnership in the "Framework for the Implementation of the Ramsar Convention";

RECOGNISING the importance of a broad interdisciplinary approach to training that takes account of social and cultural requirements in the countries concerned;

ACKNOWLEDGING the need for adequate financial resources for training programmes and, in particular, the importance of directing resources to developing countries;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

RECOMMENDS that Contracting Parties place a high priority on the development and implementation of comprehensive pro-active cross-disciplinary educational strategies which target both the formal school-university systems and non-formal education of youth and adults across the broadest spectrum of the community;

RECOMMENDS that Contracting Parties place high priority on providing educational programmes at key reserves which are accessible to a wide spectrum of the population;

ENCOURAGES Contracting Parties to establish special reserves where education is the main objective;

RECOMMENDS Contracting Parties to provide for adequate training courses at all levels, which, wherever possible, should be established in the country or region concerned;

FURTHER RECOMMENDS that full account should be taken of cultural, social and economic circumstances when developing such training courses;

URGES Contracting Parties and other appropriate authorities and organizations to devote a sufficient part of their budgets for wetland conservation to training matters; and

REQUESTS the Convention Bureau to forge partnerships with relevant bodies to ensure that existing training facilities are used as efficiently as possible.