The Ramsar Bulletin Board, 12 March 2009

New books.Functional assessment of wetlands.Functional assessment of wetlands: Towards evaluation of ecosystem services, edited by Edward Maltby. “- provides a systematic methodology to evaluate how wetlands function;  - allows non-experts to assess wetland functioning rapidly and cost-effectively;  - automates aspects of the functional assessment through the accompanying CD-ROM;  - gives users the information they need to understand wetland ecosystem services and manage wetlands more effectively.” Available for purchase from Woodhead Publishing. [12/03/09]

Who's Where?

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Ede, The Netherlands, at the new offices of Wetlands International, 9-12 March 2009, for a project workshop on options for follow-up of the Wings Over Wetlands (WOW) initiative and talks with Wetlands International about the Ramsar Sites Information Service. [09/03/09]

Lew Young, Senior Regional Advisor for the Asia/Oceania, is in Nadi, Fiji, 4-18 March 2009, to assist on a "Regional Capacity Development Workshop on Wetland Management". On his return, he will be stopping in Bangkok, Thailand, to visit the IUCN Asia Regional Office and UNEP-Regional Office Asia Pacific. [03/03/09]

For more old Ramsar Secretariat travel news, see also 'Who Was Where', 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

News from the SGF.Moldova completes SGF inventory project. The Center for Strategic Environmental Studies ECOS in the Republic of Moldova carried out and successfully concluded an SGF project addressing a baseline inventory of priority wetlands in the Moldovan part of the Danube river basin which should be a part of the Danube River Basin Management Plan to achieve integrated management of water resources in line with EU Water Framework Directive. The Ramsar SGF project allowed Moldova for the first time to make an inventory of all inland and human-made wetlands, including all designated as IBAs and a number of large water reservoirs in the Moldovan part of the Danube river basin. Ramsar's Assistant Advisor for Europe, Nadezhda Alexeeva, provides an illustrated summary of the project results. [05/03/09]

Training opportunities. Wetland construction workshops in the USA and Canada. Thomas R. Biebighauser, Wildlife Biologist, US Forest Service, Center for Wetlands and Stream Restoration, South Morehead, Kentucky, USA, provides a listing of wetland construction workshops scheduled for the USA and Canada in the coming months, beginning with one in West Virginia on 21-22 April 2009. See it here. [04/03/09]

Vacancy announcement.Communications managers, WWF. WWF, the global conservation organization, is looking for two Managers, Conservation Communications based at WWF International in Gland, Switzerland. The Managers, Conservation Communications are responsible for designing and implementing external communications strategies that catalyse change, strengthen the brand, offer compelling stories and provide opportunities for action. They also provide a vital link between their conservation portfolio and the Communications and Marketing Division. Apply with covering letter and CV to recruitments@wwfint.org. For more information on the position, please consult the attached job description [PDF]. Deadline for applications: 20 March 2009. [03/03/09]

Mauritania names 4th Ramsar site. The government of Mauritania has added its fourth site to the List of Wetlands of International Importance, Lac Gabou et le réseau hydrographique du Plateau du Tagant (9,500 hectares, 17°56'N 011°52'W). As summarized by Ramsar’s Cynthia Kibata from the Ramsar Information Sheet, the new site is composed of a network of rivers that flow from the mountainous region at the limit of the Sahel and Sahara to form Lac Gabou, with several temporary lagoons and ponds as well as freshwater springs and oases. The presence of this water resource is important as it supports a diverse range of flora and fauna, largely indigenous to the region and of global conservation concern. Of particular note are Phoenix dactylifera and Hyphaene thebaica, two species of palms that are of great economic value, and L’Adansonia digitata and l’Adenium obesum, baobabs found typically in the Sahelian savanna. During periods of adverse conditions, Crocodylus niloticus suchus find refuge at the site;they are known to bury themselves in the muddy pools and trenches until the rainy season begins. Flights of migratory white storks (Ciconia ciconia) and black storks (Ciconia nigra) have been sighted in the area, proving that it is an important flyway for various migratory waterbirds. The main threats occur as a result of limited resources leading to overexploitation and continued desertification typical of the Sahel. [02/03/09]

New CEO for BirdLife. Dr. Marco Lambertini has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of BirdLife International by the BirdLife Global Council and took up this position on 1 March 2009. or the last 10 years, Marco has been Director of Network and Programme at BirdLife. Prior to this he was Director of LIPU (Italian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife in Italy). More details on the BirdLife Web site. [02/03/09]

From the Ramsar Forum.New Web site on seagrass ecology. "Dear Colleagues: Paul Erftemeijer, Curtis Kruer and I are pleased to announce the availability of a new web site with information on seagrass meadow ecology, management and restoration, www.seagrassrestorationnow.com. We are soliciting other papers to include on the site's available papers for download, and links to other similar web sites. We welcome your participation, comments and questions. We would also remind everyone that we also have a similar web site on mangrove forest ecology, management and restoration, www.mangroverestoration.com." -- Roy R. "Robin" Lewis III, Certified Senior Ecologist, Ecological Society of America.

Now available.SC40 draft agenda. The 40th meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee, the first full business meeting of the newly-elected SC following Ramsar COP10 in November 2008, will take place at the Secretariat's facilities in Gland, Switzerland, 11-15 May 2009. The draft agenda is now ready in English, French, and Spanish versions, and the agenda documentation will be made available over the course of the next month. Here is the English version, with links to the French and Spanish in HTML, Word, and PDF formats. [25/02/09]

Now available. COP10 Proceedings now available on CD. The Secretariat has taken delivery of the CDs of the Proceedings of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties held in Changwon, Republic of Korea, from October 28th to November 4th 2008. We are pleased to make these available upon request to all those who attended the Conference or have an interest in the outcomes. Multiple copies will be sent to the Ramsar Administrative Authorities but further copies can also be requested. The Proceedings include the Conference Report; Resolutions (in Word and PDF), Changwon Declaration, List of Participants, the National Reports submitted to COP10, Information Papers, key PowerPoint presentations delivered during plenary sessions, some photos taken during COP ....and more. Copies can be requested from Montse Riera (riera@ramsar.org). Please remember to include your full mailing address. (Mouse over the image to see the back side of the CD cover). [19/02/09]

New Assistant Advisor for the Americas for Ramsar Secretariat. The last of our recent "wave" of Assistant Advisors has begun working at the Secretariat. Nadia Castro of Peru recently succeeded Mila Llorens as Intern/Assistant Advisor for the Americas region.

Nadia holds a BS degree (Hons) in Biology from La Molina National Agrarian University in Lima, Peru, and has recently completed a M.Sc. (Biodiversity and Ecology) from Göttingen University, Germany. She has participated, as project and field assistant, in several research projects (mainly concerning bird ecology) in different habitats in Peru, including marine, mountain and rainforest ecosystems and three Peruvian Ramsar Sites: Paracas, Lago Titicaca and Zona Reservada Los Pantanos de Villa. She has also led three research projects focused on urban birds, breeding ecology of Humboldt penguins, and post-dispersal seed predation in primary and secondary forest in the Peruvian Amazon. Nadia is seeking to apply her academic background and extensive fieldwork in projects aiming at nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, as well as to obtain hands-on experience in working with an intergovernmental treaty. We hope that the experience Nadia gains during her time at the Secretariat will be useful in her future career.

The picture was taken in the mountains of the department of Piura in northern Peru on the border with Ecuador. The hummingbird is a Tyrian metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina). [18/02/09]

Vacancy announcement.The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat is currently inviting applications for the consultancy post of Coordinator for the Lesser White-fronted Goose Single Species Action Plan. To see the full vacancy announcement please visit this page. The closing date for applications is March 9th, 2009. Please send applications and requests for further information directly to the AEWA Secretariat. [16/02/09]

Managing a Ramsar Site to prevent drought damage - a success story. A coordinated effort by the Banrock Station Wetland Complex Ramsar Site manager, Tony Sharley, scientists from two research institutions, and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, has resulted in the transformation of this wetland following a prolonged dry period. Good news for the Ramsar site, of course, but also some important findings during the closely monitored refill process provide useful lessons for managing other wetlands under similar stress. Read the site manager's illustrated visitor handout on the refill experiences here .

Banrock Station Wines, a private company that manages the Ramsar site on its property (the site itself is stated-owned but under perpetual lease to the company), was a Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award winner in 2002 for its "innovative approach to supporting the sustainable use of wetland resources". Read more about their award here. [13/02/09]

New Assistant Advisor for Europe for Ramsar Secretariat. The Secretariat is very pleased to announce that Ms Nadezhda Alexeeva of Russia has started work in the Secretariat as Intern/Assistant Advisor for Europe, succeeding Monica Zavagli of Italy.

Nadezhda (Nadia) holds an MSc Biology degree from Saint-Petersburg State University and her scientific work has been devoted to studying flora of lichens. She has been working as a project coordinator and expert biologist in North-West Russia for the NGO, "Baltic Fund for Nature". This work included various aspects of biodiversity conservation such as improving the functioning of protected areas and sustainable rural development. Most recent projects were devoted to the development of a network of regional protected areas in NW Russia and strengthening cooperation between Russian and Finnish protected areas, management planning for Berezovye Islands and Kurgalsky Peninsula Ramsar Sites in the Leningrad region, as well as development of survey methodologies for biologically valuable forests.

We wish Nadia every success as she brings her scientific background and practical experience to her work in the Secretariat.

[Photo of the bear and Nadia taken at the Evo forestry station, Southern Finland].[11/02/09]

Return to Ramsar and WWF roots in Spain. Doñana National Park has a special place in the history of environment activism, with WWF owing its origins to a fund set up to save the wetland vital to millions of migrating birds from 1950s proposals for extensive eucalyptus plantations. Scientists and philanthropists prominent in saving Doñana then went on to lobby governments for a framework to protect wetlands of international significance and the international Convention on Wetlands (the Ramsar Convention) was the result. At WWD celebrations there, the guest of honor was Dr Luc Hoffmann, a key figure in the original fight to save Doñana, a founder member of WWF and key lobbyist for the Ramsar Convention, and both Anada Tiéga, Ramsar Secretary General, and James Leape, Director General of WWF International, were on hand as well. Here is WWF’s press release on the event.

World Wetlands Day statements from our colleagues.The Convention on Biological Diversity. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme

Australia launches "snapshot study" of Ramsar sites. The Hon Peter Garrett, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts of Australia, took the occasion of World Wetlands Day to launch his government's "Ramsar Snapshot Study Report" on the status and management of all 65 Australian Ramsar sites up to the end of 2007 and on the completeness and currency of Ramsar site documentation for Australian Ramsar sites. He concludes that the study "paints a damning picture of poor administration and inaction under the previous government". The minister's media release analyses the failings of the past decade and more and reports on the programmes that the Kevin Rudd Labor Government has got in hand to remedy that situation. Here is the media release, reprinted from Minister Garrett's Web site, with a link to the study itself and the response from the Wetlands and Waterbirds Taskforce comprising members of commonwealth, state and territory governments responsible for wetland management. [02/02/09]

World Wetlands Day greetings from the Secretary General. World Wetlands Day provides us all with one special opportunity every year to highlight the importance of the world’s wetlands to the planet’s health and to our own lives. This year’s theme – “Upstream, Downstream: wetlands connect us all” – is especially apropos, because it focuses our attention on the many ways in which our local wetlands depend upon, and influence, the actions of others, and it helps to demonstrate our need for cooperation and collaboration with many other stakeholders in other sectors of government and society and in other parts of our geographical regions.

Sooner or later, we find that it is nearly impossible to work alone to preserve the healthy functioning of our own natural environments. The interconnectedness of our wetland and water systems means that we must always look for opportunities to work together throughout our river basins or catchments, to find common ground and agree common objectives, and to do our own parts with a common sense of purpose.

All over the world, citizens and organizations and government agencies are celebrating and educating the public about the important values of our wetlands. On behalf of the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, I send my greetings to all of you, and I wish you a productive World Wetlands Day.

Anada Tiéga
Secretary General

New Ramsar video available on DVD. The new Ramsar video “Wetlands: keeping our planet alive and well” is now available on DVD in English, French, and Spanish versions. It was first screened at Ramsar COP10 in Changwon, Korea, to grand applause, and in fact was produced by Green.tv with generous financial support from the city of Changwon.The long version runs about 4 and a half minutes and the shorter version runs to 1 and a half minutes, and the DVD includes both long and short versions in all three Ramsar languages. If you would like to receive one of the DVDs, please send your name and postal address (and don't forget to specify your preference for PAL or NTSC) to Nathalie Rizzotti (rizzotti@ramsar.org), who was in charge of this project on the Ramsar side.

All six videos can also be downloaded individually in Quicktime .MOV format. Download here.

Now available.“Navigation and Wetlands”: update on the Kyliiske Mouth Ramsar site, Danube Delta. In October 2003, in response to Ukraine’s intention to re-establish a deep waterway through the Ukrainian part of the Danube delta, thus creating a navigable connection between the river Danube and the Black Sea, a joint Ramsar-UNESCO mission assessed the different options and provided its recommendation in Ramsar Advisory Mission Report 53. Discussions on the issue have continued, with a number of environmental conventions and organizations collaborating closely on helping the government of Ukraine to find the best way to accomplish its goals and meet its international treaty obligations. Most recently, an on-the-spot visit sponsored by the Council of Europe and facilitated by Ukraine took place 28-30 July 2008 and included representatives of the UNECE Espoo Convention Secretariat, the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, the European Commission Directorates General External Relations and Environment, and the Ramsar Convention Secretariat.

In this follow-up report, Ramsar’s Tobias Salathé provides a thorough summary of the background, the issues involved, and the on-the-spot visit and surveys the Ramsar Secretariat’s recommendations as elaborated during that recent visit. [29/01/09]

Additional link: "Overview of activities addressing the Bystroe Canal Project under multilateral environmental agreements and by intergovernmental organizations" (9 May 2008)

Small Grants Fund – call for nominations 2009. Each year the Ramsar Small Grants Fund provides support of up to 40,000 Swiss francs (US$ 35,000) for a number of small projects for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and circulates a fundraising portfolio of evaluated proposals for which we ourselves have insufficient funding to support. Parties from eligible developing countries are encouraged to submit proposals for the 2009 period, and NGOs and others may also apply as long as their proposals have the endorsement of the Ramsar Administrative Authorities (i.e., national focal points) in their countries. The SGF “Operational Guidelines” are presently being revised for the 2009 cycle, but in the meantime interested persons should continue to use the 2006-2008 forms, as the revisions will not significantly affect their proposals.

The forms in English, French, and Spanish and the current OECD eligibility list can be found here. The last deadline for submission of proposals is 30 June 2009, but the deadline for sending draft proposals to receive advice from the Convention’s Senior Regional Advisors is 30 April 2009. The portfolio of 2008 project proposals that is presently being circulated amongst donor organizations seeking their direct support can be seen at http://www.ramsar.org/sgf/sgf_portfolio_2008.pdf. [27/01/09]

Conférence de presse -- Genève. Le 27 janvier, le Département du Territoire (domaine nature et paysage) de l’Etat de Genève et le Musée d’histoire naturelle de la ville de Genève ont organisé conjointement une conférence de presse pour le lancement de la Journée mondiale des zones humides. Les participants ont été accueillis par Danièle Decrouez, directrice du Museum, et par Christina Meissner, chargée de communication au département du territoire, qui a présenté le programme de la journée de dimanche 1er février sur la jetée des Paquis. Alexia Dufour du Secrétariat Ramsar a ensuite introduit le thème de cette année « D’amont en aval, les zones humides nous relient les uns aux autres ». Plusieurs acteurs locaux ont illustré ce thème par des exemples concrets de gestion transfrontalière de bassins versants dans la région genevoise. Mélanie Barber et Robert Dechamboux, tous deux impliqués dans la gestion de contrats de rivières côté français, ont exposé différents travaux réalisés dans ce cadre. Gottlieb Dändliker, inspecteur de la faune et de la pêche du canton de Genève, a ensuite montré comment ces actions menées au niveau des bassins versants profitent aux poissons tels que l’ombre, la truite lacustre et le spirlin. Toutes nos félicitations pour votre implication dans cette journée mondiale des zones humides ! [28/01/09]

World Wetlands Day -- are you ready? Only six more days until World Wetlands Day and even less if you plan to celebrate at the weekend, so now it is time for a final reminder and an update. Our slogan this year with its focus on river basin management, Upstream – Downstream: Wetlands connect us all, is already proving to be popular and we have many emails detailing peoples’ plans for WWD, as well as a number of emails informing us that our poster or leaflet has been customised and/or translated for national/local languages. Sandra Hails provides a last-minute update on what's available and what's being planned. [27/01/09]

Wetland stakeholders in the Philippines meet to update the National Wetland Action Plan. The Philippines is recognized as one of the world's biologically richest countries, but with over 7,000 islands making up the country, and the archipelago stretching over 1,810 kilometers from north to south, the challenges of managing this diversity - much of it associated with wetlands - is enormous. To chart the way forward for Philippine wetlands, over 60 people representing a broad range of stakeholders in wetland conservation met for three days, 12-14 January 2009, in the beautiful grounds of Silliman University in Dumaguete City located in the Visayas island group. The principal aims of the conference were to review implementation of, and to update, the National Wetlands Action Plan published in 1993; to set the stage for the development of a National Wetlands Policy; and finally to set up a National Wetlands Committee to oversee the finalisation of these two documents and the implementation of the plan. Ramsar’s Sandra Hails was there and here is her brief illustrated report. [21/01/09]

International Training of Trainers on Wetland Management course. The highly regarded International Training of Trainers on Wetland Management course run by Wageningen International will be taking place in June of this year. This course has been run for several years and has included many Ramsar 'people' in the past. Please take note of the 1 February deadline regarding the applications for sponsorship.[20/01/09]

New Assistant Advisor for Asia-Oceania for Ramsar Secretariat. The Secretariat is very pleased to announce that Ms Ann Aldersey of Australia arrived in Gland this week to take up the position of Assistant Advisor/intern for Asia/Oceania, to succeed Pragati Tuladhar from Nepal. Ann holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Hons) degree from the University of Adelaide in South Australia and has recently completed an MSc (Nature, Society and Environmental Policy) from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Ann has worked in South Australia for a number of government organizations, most recently for three years as Regional Planning Manager for a Natural Resources Management Board. This involved leading the strategic planning activities of the organization across the region. Previously she was employed by the South Australian Department of Environment and Heritage to prepare a management plan for the Bool and Hacks Lagoons Ramsar wetlands and to prepare nomination documentation for another wetland in the region. We wish Ann every success during her time at the Secretariat. [15/01/09]

 CREHO's course on EIA and SEA.The II International Course on Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Management of Wetlands has been successfully completed. During 12 days of theoretical - practical sessions, 18 representantives from seven Latin American countries and the Caribbean participated in the second version of the international course on Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Strategic assessment for Wetlands Management, which was organized by the Ramsar Regional Center for Training and Research on Wetlands in the Western Hemisphere – CREHO. The course was held in Panama City from November 24th to December 5th, 2008, and was made possible thanks to the kind support of the Ramar Convention, the Organization of American States, the Panamanian Authority of Aquatic Resources (ARAP, spanish acronym), the Environmental National Autority of Panama (ANAM), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Photos and version español. [14/01/09]

Central American monitoring workshop. El primer Taller Centroamericano de Monitoreo de Aves de Pantano se realizó en el Parque Nacional de Palo Verde, Estación Biológica Palo Verde, Costa Rica, del 7 al 11 de diciembre 2008. Para este curso se becó a un grupo de 16 participantes de países de Centroamérica y Colombia. Informe y fotos. [13/01/09]

The first Central American Workshop of Swamp Birds Monitoring  took place at the Palo Verde National Park, Palo Verde Biological Station, December 7 – 11, 2008.  For this course 16 participants from Central American countries and Colombia were given scholarships. Report and photos.

“Ramsar soft law is not soft at all”. In 2006, the Competent Authority of Bonaire in the Caribbean Dutch territory of Netherlands Antilles permitted the construction of a resort in proximity to the Ramsar site “Het Lac”, and the Governor annulled that decision, largely on the basis that it infringed upon Article 3 of the Ramsar Convention and Resolution VIII.9 (2002) on environmental impact assessment. Following Bonaire’s appeal to the Dutch Crown, as reported here by Eric C. Newton in November 2007 the Crown supported the Governor’s decision and argued that resolutions, decisions and guidelines accepted unanimously by the Conference of Parties to the Convention, of which the Netherlands is a signatory, must be considered part of the national obligations under the Convention.

Prof. Jonathan Verschuuren, vice dean of the Tilburg University School of Law, has translated the case law annotation and provided his own commentary on the significance of this decision. He notes the Crown’s conclusion that the Governor was justified in using his authority to guarantee performance of the Kingdom’s obligations under the Convention and stresses the importance of the finding that, in line with Article 31 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), the “soft law” of COP resolutions intended to interpret the treaty’s commitments must also be fully taken into account. Prof Verschuuren’s paper “Ramsar soft law is not soft at all” can be downloaded (PDF) from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1306982, and he has kindly allowed us to include it here as well. [09/01/09]

International seminar on the Bug River. The Bug river (772 km long) has its source in the Lviv region of Ukraine -- further downstream it forms the border between Ukraine and Poland and then between Poland and Belarus. Arguably the Bug river floodplain forms the backbone of the wider Polesie region, containing some of Europe’s richest natural treasures. Long stretches are in a natural state with natural discharge patterns, regularly flooded floodplain areas, a relatively good water quality and high biodiversity values. In order to clarify the current state of cooperation between the three governments and to explore possibilities of enhancing transboundary cooperation between relevant government bodies, NGOs and scientific institutions, an international seminar was held in Lublin (eastern Poland) on 13-14 November 2008. Tobias Salathé explains the background and summarizes the conclusions of the meeting. [09/01/09]

Now available.Language versions of the Changwon Declaration. The primary purpose of the  “Changwon Declaration on human well-being and wetlands”, adopted by Resolution X.3 of the recent meeting of the Conference of the Parties, “is to transmit key messages concerning wetland-related issues to the many stakeholders and decision-makers beyond the Ramsar community who are relevant to the conservation and wise use of wetlands, to inform their actions and decision-making”. At the COP, the Parties agreed to disseminate the Declaration as widely as possible, and the Republic of Korea generously agreed to help with the translations and logistics of that task. Language versions of the document are now available in PDF format in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. [06/01/09]

British honors for David Stroud. Congratulations to STRP member David Stroud, of the UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee, who has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the UK's 2009 New Year Honours list, recently announced. David is recognised for this honour for his services to nature conservation. This is a hugely deserved recognition of David's tireless efforts for wetlands, waterbirds and much else both nationally and internationally. I hope you will all join me in congratulating David on his award of such a prestigious honour. A BBC News item about David's award is on: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/7805406.stm. -- Nick Davidson, Ramsar. [05/01/09]

New Ramsar video available for download. The new Ramsar video “Wetlands: keeping our planet alive and well” is now available for download in English, French, and Spanish versions, both long and short. “The movie tells a story about the importance of wetlands for human beings and issues that these most precious resources are facing. The Ramsar Convention helps people to work together and manage these vital ecosystems.” It was first screened at Ramsar COP10 in Changwon, Korea, to grand applause, and in fact was produced by Green.tv with generous financial support from the city of Changwon.The long version runs about 4 and a half minutes, about 30MB each, and the 1 and a half minute shorter version is about 12MB. These downloadables are in QuickTime .MOV format – in the new year we’ll be making all of them available free-of-charge on a DVD in PAL and NTSC formats, and if you would like to be put on the list to receive one of the DVDs, please send your name and postal address (and PAL or NTSC preference) to Nathalie Rizzotti (rizzotti@ramsar.org), who was in charge of this project on the Ramsar side.

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 ).