Ramsar Bulletin Board, 6 February 1997

Headline Story: The 98th Contracting Party -- UKRAINE. UNESCO has advised the Bureau that Ukraine has formalized its situation vis-a-vis the Convention by depositing its declaration of succession to the former Soviet Union, and has thus become the 98th Contracting Party to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, retroactive to the date of its independence -- which, in the absence of better guidance, we reckon as the date of the referendum of 1 December 1991. The four sites originally designated by the former Soviet Union which lie within the territories of Ukraine allow that nation to become a Contracting Party with immediate effect. Bureau staff have been advised that Ukraine hopes to be able to designate as many as 22 more sites in the near future. [6 February 1997]

New on the Site:Excellent descriptions of great new sites in Argentina and Peru; Press Releaseon a soon-to-be new site in the UK; Report on a visit to Tunisia in late January; Updated List of Activities for World Wetland Day; new List of Wetlands of International Importance and the Lists of Contracting Parties, as of 30 January; Resolutions of the 5th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties, Kushiro, Japan, 1993, the full texts (under Key Documents) [6/2/97]

Coming soon: full texts of the Recommendations of the 5th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties in Kushiro, Japan, in June 1993.

Who's Where? Representatives of Denmark's overseas development agencies spent Friday, 31 January, at the Bureau in Gland, consulting with Ramsar personnel about assistance opportunities in the Contracting Parties. On Monday, 3 February, Bureau policy staff joined environmental attachés from the permanent missions to the United Nations, at the invitation of the Costa Rican mission, reviewing Ramsar developments since the Brisbane COP and implementation of the Strategic Plan 1997-2002, as well as the progress of preparations for the 7th COP in Costa Rica in May 1999. [3/2/97]

The 97th Contracting Party -- BOTSWANA. It was worth waiting for! UNESCO has belatedly notified the Bureau that Botswana deposited its instruments of accession on 9 December 1996, and the Convention will therefore come into force for that nation on 9 April 1997. This very welcome news comes as the result of years of patient labor by the staff of the Bureau, the IUCN Botswana Office, and government and NGO personnel in the country, with very important input from WWF. Naturally, Botswana's first designated site is the great Okavango Wetland System. Details will follow as soon as the paperwork has been sorted out. [29/1/97]

Kenya's Environmental Action Plan. Report on progress, reprinted from the Daily Nation on-line edition. [3/2/97]

South Africa names three new sites. Read all about them here -- these new sites bring the total wetlands designated for the List of Wetlands of International Importance to 862 and the total surface area to 54,806,477 hectares. [30/1/97]

New edition of the RIS. What's the RIS? The "Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands" in the Convention's three languages, to be used by government authorities and their collaborators when designating new Wetlands of International Importance or updating information on existing sites. The RIS includes the "Explanatory Notes and Guidelines" and its annexes, the Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Types and the Criteria for Identifying Wetlands of International Importance, all developed by Bureau personnel and advisors and the Ramsar Database Officer at Wetlands International. The new material is now being sent to the Convention's administrative authorities in the Contracting Parties and is available to the public both on this web site and in hard copy by request from the Bureau. [31/1/97]

Brisbane Proceedings -- Finally!! Suitably, it's nine months later. Most of the people who were present have forgotten that they were present. But, to remind them, the Proceedings of the 6th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Brisbane, Australia, March 1996, are finally ready in complete sets. Planned for publication in 12 separate brochures ultimately to be collected in special ringbinders, the first five volumes were distributed in July 1996. The remaining seven volumes have now been published, and complete sets are presently being posted to the embassies and administrative authorities of the Contracting Parties, the Observer States, and the principal NGOs present at the meeting. Follow this link for a fuller description of availability. [29/1/97]

Special Announcement:Small Grants Fund deadline approaching. The deadline for submitting project proposals for the Small Grants Fund for 1997 is coming up fast -- 31 March 1997. The Operational Guidelines for administration of the fund and submission of proposals, as well as replicas of the Request for Funding forms, are available on this web site in English, French, and Spanish under the Key Documents page. Assistance in the preparation of project proposals can be provided or organized by the Bureau's Regional Coordinators for the appropriate geographical regions, so don't hesitate to inquire. [21/1/97]

Position Vacancy in the Ramsar Bureau. At the Standing Committee meeting on 1 November, the Bureau's Senior Policy Advisor, Michael Smart, announced his resignation from his salaried post in the Bureau effective 30 September 1997, as he wishes to return to more field-based work in wetland conservation. It is understood that Mike will remain closely associated with the work of the Convention in an advisory capacity into the indefinite future. The vacancy announcement for his replacement was released earlier today and can be seen by clicking here or on the What's New index to the left. The position will have the new title of Senior Coordinator, Policy and Technical Affairs, and will be the second most senior position in the Bureau, after the Secretary General. [20/1/97] [The position has since been filled.]

World Wetlands Day press release. The Bureau has issued a press release announcing World Wetlands Day and providing journalists with background on its significance. The file is indexed next door to the left, and there's also a list of planned World Wetlands Day activities with links to a few more sources. [27/1/97]

Honors for the Australian Organizers. On 24 January, the Organizing Team for the Convention's 6th COP in Brisbane, March 1996, was awarded one of the Australian Achievement Awards for its performance, both in Policy and in Conference Organizing for the COP. The group is composed mainly of Director Bill Phillips' staff in what was then the Wetlands Unit of the Australian Nature Conservation Agency (now the Wetlands, Waterways and Waterbirds Unit within Environment Australian Biodiversity Group). Congratulations, and well-merited! [27/1/97]

No more Technical Officers in the Bureau! The post of Technical Officer has been abolished from the secretariat, and all the former Technical Officers have been retitled Regional Coordinators. They are:

The name change was established by the Bureau's PTG (Policy and Technical Group) (i.e., the Technical Officers) (plus the SG and the Senior Policy Advisor) at its meeting of 16 January 1997. [18/1/97]

Coastal Areas Management in Honduras. The President of Honduras, Carlos Roberto Reina Idiaquez, has established in September 1996 the Comisión de Manejo Integral Costero (COMICO, Commission for the Integrated Management of Coastal Areas), as part of the implementation of the Ramsar Convention in this country. The establishment of the COMICO was especially promoted by Dr Carlos Medina, former Minister of the Environment. The aim of COMICO is to promote the management and sustainable development of the entire coast of Honduras, especially the Golfo de Fonseca (on the Pacific coast). Its objectives include the coordination with other organizations of the land use planning and carrying capacity studies, and the coordination for the elaboration, with participation of all sectors involved, of Management Plans for coastal zones. Additionally it must promote the identification of coastal wetlands of international importance for inclusion in the Ramsar List.

Members of the COMICO include representatives from the Ministry of the Environment, the National Institute for Agriculture, the Forestry Development Corporation, the University, and the private business sector. (reported by Montserrat Carbonell, 11/1/97)

25th Anniversary in the Czech Republic. The Conference "Mokrady Ceské Republiky", sponsored by the Czech Ministry of the Environment, was held 3-5 December to mark the 25th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention. Michael Smart, the Bureau’s Senior Policy Advisor, represented the Bureau and also had the opportunity to visit two Montreux Record sites (Trebonské rybniky and Novozamecky & Brehyne fishponds) and one potential Ramsar site. Some 300 people attended the meetings in Trebon, not far from the headquarters of the Trebon fishponds Landscape Protection Area, which manages the Ramsar and Biosphere site, and some 200 more had to be turned away. Mr Smart’s suggestions for solution to some of the problems discussed have been included, as requested by the Czech authorities, in a diplomatic note to the Czech government. [6/1/97]

Ramsar Bureau Interns. The Bureau announces the inauguration of an Internship Programme. Read all about it, just next door, under Ramsar Interns. And, if you know anyone who might just fit this bill, let us know, and let him or her know as well. [24/12/96]

Wetlands for the Future -- Call for Proposals. "Wetlands for the Future" is a major new funding programme for training and capacity building on conservation of wetlands in the Neotropical Region. Sponsored by the United States State Department, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Ramsar Convention, this programme presents excellent opportunities for obtaining matching funds for appropriate projects in Central and South America and the Caribbean. The call for proposals, with a deadline of 31 May 1997, was released earlier today. (17/12/96)