The Ramsar Bulletin Board, 11 February 2010

Consultative Regional Workshop on High Altitude Wetlands in the Hindu Kush Himalaya Region. From 3-4 December 2009, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Kathmandu, Nepal, organized a ‘Consultative Regional Workshop on High Altitude Wetlands in the Hindu Kush - Himalaya Region’. The meeting was attended by 41 participants from international organizations (IUCN, Wetlands International, WWF), research institutions, and academia in the six HKH countries, i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan, to discuss the key role of these wetlands, the challenges they are facing, and the opportunities. Attached is the Summary Report from the meeting as well as a Flyer containing the recommendations from the workshop. [11/02/10]

La France lance son deuxième plan national d’action en faveur des zones humides. La veille de la journée mondiale des zones humides, Mme Jouanno, Secrétaire d’Etat chargée de l’écologie a présenté le nouveau plan d’action pour la période 2010-2012. Ce document fait suite au plan de 1995-2000 et s’appuie sur le bilan réalisé par l’Autorité Administrative Ramsar sur 15 ans de politique publique sur les zones humides. Ce plan est le résultat du travail et des concertations menés au sein du groupe national des zones humides au cours de l’année 2009. En savoir plus. [09/02/10] {English version also}

Special. WWD in Switzerland. Amongst World Wetlands Day celebrations in Switzerland, a number of Ramsar staff participated in educational festivities in Estavayer-le-Lac, near two Ramsar sites, and got 13 classes of schoolchildren playing the floor-version of the Ramsar Game to great delight. See a brief report here (PDF). [10/02/10]

Who's Where?

The Secretary General, Mr Anada Tiéga, is visiting Panama and the USA, 9-19 February 2010, and the Republic of Korea and Indonesia, 21-26 February. A more detailed itinerary is available here. [11/02/10]

María Rivera, Senior Regional Advisor for the Americas, is participating in the CREHO board meeting in Panama, 9-12 February 2010, and accompanying the Secretary General in discussions with authorities in the USA, 13-19 February 2010. [11/02/10]

The Deputy Secretary General, Nick Davidson, is at Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat, 8-11 February 2010, for meetings of the Mediterranean Wetland Observatory (MWO) and the new European Space Agency GlobWetland-II project which will deliver wetland inventory and monitoring tools and capacity building for southern and eastern Mediterranean countries. [09/02/10]

Lew Young, Senior Regional Advisor for Asia/Oceania, will be in Japan from 12 – 20 February and in Seoul, Korea, from 21 – 23 February 2010. In Japan, he will principally be attending the 5th Ramsar Festival in Osaki City when there will also be a meeting of the Network Sites in Japan belonging to the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Partnership Network. At the same time, he will be making site visits and meeting with the Japanese Ramsar National Focal Point, NGOs and other stakeholders involved in wetland conservation in the country. In Seoul, he will be accompanying the Ramsar Secretary-General to hold meetings with government representatives and NGOs about the implementation of the Convention in South Korea [09/02/10].

Nadezhda Alexeeva, Assistant Advisor for Europe, is in Sofia, Bulgaria on the 14th – 18th February. She will attend the workshop “QR-modeling for wetlands management and education. Potentials and prospectives” organised by the Central Laboratory of General Ecology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences within WETLANET project, and she will meet with the Bulgarian Ramsar National Focal Point. [10/02/10]

Vainuupo Jungblut, Ramsar Programme Officer - Oceania, is in Honiara, Solomon Islands, 10 – 12 February 2010 to take part in the pre-inception workshop for the Mangrove Ecosystems for Climate change and Livelihood (MESCAL) project led by IUCN Oceania. The MESCAL Project is a USD$3.4 million project funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). The main goal of the project is to help reverse recent trends in the loss of mangroves, increase resilience of the people of the Pacific to climate change and provide natural insurance against the effects of climate change and extreme events. The project involves five countries: Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu and is due for completion at the end of 2013. [06/02/10]

For more old Ramsar Secretariat travel news, see also 'Who Was Where', 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Yesterday's News

Questionnaire on wetland wildlife diseases. Ruth Cromie, Rebecca Lee & David Stroud, for Ramsar’s STRP, write: "We are contacting you to ask for your assistance concerning guidance on wildlife diseases for wetland managers and policy makers which is currently being developed by the Ramsar Convention. Our aim is to develop products that are targeted at non-disease specialists, and that provide guidance on key issues (for example, good practice responses in the event of disease outbreaks), and pointers to further sources of information and help." Read more and see the attached questionnaire. [09/02/10]

Decade-old dream comes true for Lake Chad. "World Wetlands Day is being celebrated with the full recognition of Africa’s Lake Chad as a wetland of international significance, fulfilling an agreement made a decade ago by the four nations that share it. The declaration by the Cameroon Republic that its portion of Africa’s fourth largest lake is being declared a wetland of international importance under the 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands follows similar declarations by Niger and Chad (both in 2001) and Nigeria (2008). Cameroon’s announcement will also clear the way for Lake Chad to become the largest of the world’s few recognised trans-boundary international wetlands, where countries make a formal agreement for joint protection and management of shared aquatic ecosystems and their resources." Read WWF International's press release on Cameroon's newest Ramsar site. [05/02/10]

Ramsar mission to two SGF / SGA projects in Africa. Last November Burkina Faso and Senegal welcomed a Ramsar mission assessing two projects supported by the Small Grants Fund and the Swiss Grant for Africa. Alexia Dufour, Ramsar Regional Affairs Officer, met the grant beneficiaries and visited the sites, two Sahelian lakes, “la mare d’Oursi”, a Ramsar site in Burkina Faso, and “la mare de Lothiandé” in the far east of Senegal. Read more. [04/02/10] (français aussi)

The draft agenda for the 41st meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee, set for Kobuleti, Georgia, 26 April - 1 May 2010, is now available. [05/02/10] (français et/y español) Prospective participants can also find travel and accommodation information here.

Wetland Globes prize launched. Mr Chris Rostron, Head of Wetland Link International (WLI), writes from the WWT London Wetland Centre: “The World Wetland Network is marking World Wetlands Day by launching the new International Wetland Prize, or Wetland Globes. These will recognise best practice in wetland management and restoration, as well as highlighting wetlands in danger, from the NGO point of view. A new interactive voting site will be created soon - watch this space at www.worldwetnet.org for more information.” [04/02/10]

World Wetlands Week in Seychelles. The World Wetlands Week 2010 celebrations in Seychelles continued on the 2nd of February with a  series of activities including the “adoption” of the North East Point Wetlands  by the Seychelles Scouts Association (SSA) in the presence of the national and  international media. Read more (PDF). [04/02/10]

World Wetlands Week in Seychelles. Anada Tiéga, Secretary General, Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, and Assistant Advisor Cynthia Kibata are in Seychelles to participate in World Wetlands Week celebrations in that country. Here is brief illustrated report (PDF) on the first two days of the festivities. [03/02/10]

Secretary General's message for World Wetlands Day. "This year’s theme, Wetlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change, with the slogan “Caring for wetlands: an answer to climate change”, captures the sense of urgency we all feel about the need to address the potentially disastrous consequences of global climate change as quickly as possible." Secretary General Anada Tiéga explains this year's suggested messages and encourages participants around the world for 2 February. [01/02/10] [français et/y español]

World Wetlands Day message from the CBD. Read here: a message from Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of World Wetlands Day 2010. [30/01/10]

WWD in Switzerland. In Switzerland the Grande Cariçaie Ramsar site will be celebrating WWD on the 2nd February at Estavayer le Lac. Throughout the day Ramsar staff members Nathalie Rizzotti, Montse Riera, Catherine Loetscher and Sandra Hails will be welcoming 13 different classes of schoolchildren from around the area and using a floor-sized version of the Ramsar game to raise their awareness about wetlands and water. Children will also visit other ‘stands’ organized by staff from the Ramsar Site to learn more about wetlands. In the evening the stands will be open to members of the public and there will also be a conference on wetland conservation in Africa with an opening speech delivered by M. Seydina Issa Sylla, past President of Wetlands International in Africa. More information on these events available here:http://www.grande-caricaie.ch/spip/spip.php?rubrique241 , http://www.grande-caricaie.ch/spip/IMG/pdf/jdg73.pdf [01/02/10]

In addition, six Ramsar staff will be in Geneva on 7 February to take part in an all-day WWD event for the public organized by the State of Geneva along the shores of lac Léman. Staff will be providing information and WWD publications for adults about Ramsar and wetlands, and will provide some hands-on activities for children. [01/02/10]

For other information about Ramsar staff members over World Wetlands Day, see the "Who's Where?" column just below.

Seychelles names 2nd site for WWD 2010. The government of Seychelles has designated a small wetland on Mahé Island for World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2010. At ceremonies at Seychelles’ World Wetlands Week celebrations next week, Ramsar staff will hand over to national authorities the site certificates for Aldabra Atoll (announced here in November 2009) and for Mare Aux Cochons High Altitude Freshwater Wetlands (04°38’S 055°25’E). Read more. [28/01/10]

Bangladesh SGF project. Ann Aldersey, Ramsar's Assistant Advisor for Asia-Oceania, traveled to Bangladesh, 6-15 January 2010, to participate in activities to formally launch the 2008 Ramsar Small Grants Fund (SGF) project, 'People acting through social mobilization for the conservation and wise use of the wetlands in the southwest coast of Bangladesh'. The project is being undertaken by the Coastal Development Partnership, with financial support given by the government of Japan. Read more (PDF). [28/01/10]

Cameroon lists its part of Lake Chad. The Secretariat is very pleased to report that Cameroon has designated its portion of Lake Chad as a Ramsar site, effective on World Wetlands Day, 2 February, thus completing the Ramsar coverage of this important lake: Partie Camerounaise du Lac Tchad (12,500 hectares, 12°46’N 014°19’E). Read more. [27/01/10] WWF International press release.

South Africa’s newest Ramsar site in KwaZulu-Natal. The government of the Republic of South Africa has designated its 20th Wetland of International Importance, and its seventh in KwaZulu-Natal province, effective on World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2010 -- Ntsikeni Nature Reserve(9,200 hectares, 30°08’S 29°28’E). Details here. [27/01/10]

STRP Newsletter available. The first 2010 edition of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel's quarterly newsletter is now available. Read it here (PDF). [27/01/10]

MAVA Foundation seeks CEO. The MAVA Foundation has announced its search for a new Executive Director. The Foundation is one of the largest conservation foundations in Europe dedicated to promoting the protection of nature, and it provides CHF 45 million annually in grants to conservation initiatives and fosters a network of partnerships (most importantly with the WWF and IUCN) with advocacy, programme and funding components. The announcement is here. [27/01/10]

Call for AEWA grants fund applications. Sergey Dereliev of the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat writes: "The AEWA Secretariat is calling for applications from African countries for the Small Grants Fund cycle 2010. The deadline for submission of project proposals is 30 April 2010. For more information on the Small Grants Fund please visit this web link." [26/01/10]

Planning for the Regional Centre in Iran. The Ramsar Regional Centre – Central and West Asia (RRC) was established to enhance the implementation of the Ramsar Convention in Central and West Asia through training, research, advocacy and public awareness programmes. On 6th and 7th January 2010, the RRC held its 2nd Collaborative Management Board meeting to review the Centre’s work over the past couple of years and to develop a plan of action for 2010. Illustrated report. [25/01/10]

Position vacancy with BirdLife. BirdLife International is seeking a new Regional Director for our Africa Division, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Please find the attached advertisement, which outlines the requirements of the position for your information and for distribution within your contacts network. Further information can be obtained at www.birdlife.org.

It's only 19 days to World Wetlands Day. Ramsar's CEPA Programme Officer describes the state of preparations and announces a new WWD comic strip available for download in English, French, Spanish, or with no text. Read more. [15/01/10]

USA designates Mississippi River floodplains. The government of the United States has listed its 26th Wetland of International Importance, the Upper Mississippi River Floodplain Wetlands (22,357 hectares, 43°03’N 091°10’W). The site, which threads through four northern Midwestern states -- Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois – consists primarily of flowing main and side channel habitats, large shallow to moderately deep backwater marshes, flooded floodplain forests and shrub-dominated communities. Text and photos here. [13/01/10]

Brazil names rainforest lake system for Ramsar List. The government of Brazil has designated Rio Doce State Park (Parque Estadual do Rio Doce) (35,973 hectares, 19º38’S 042º32’W) as its 10th Wetland of International Importance. Ramsar Assistant Advisor Nadia Castro summarizes that the site, located in the southeastern region of Brazil, is the largest vegetation fragment of the endangered Atlantic Rain Forest in Minas Gerais State. Read more. [13/01/10]

Brasil designa sistema lagunar en la selva tropical. El gobierno de Brasil ha designado Rio Doce State Park (Parque Estadual do Rio Doce) (35,973 hectáreas, 19º38’S 042º32’W) como su 10º Humedal del Importancia Internacional. La Consejera Asistente de Ramsar, Nadia Castro, señala que el sitio, ubicado en la región sureste de Brasil, es el fragmento de vegetación más grande de la amenazada Mata Atlántica en el estado de Minas Gerais. Continúe leyendo.

Ramsar Advisory Mission to Greenland. Initially triggered by a planned molybdenum mining development which would impact part of the Ramsar site Heden (Jameson Land) in eastern Greenland, the Ramsar mission quickly expanded to consideration of wider issues concerning the state of wetlands and Ramsar sites in Greenland generally. From 9 to 14 June 2009, Ramsar’s Tobias Salathé traveled to Greenland and worked with an expert team from the governments of Greenland and Denmark and a number of research institutions. His comprehensive report on the issues and the Mission’s recommendations is now available here. Some photos. [12/01/10]

International Training of Trainers on Wetland Management. Esther Koopmanschap of Wageningen International UR's Centre for Development Innovation (formerly known as Wageningen International) in the Netherlands has provided information about their long-standing course on Training of Trainers on wetland management, a course that is endorsed by the Ramsar Secretariat, and its next offering in September 2010. Please read the announcement carefully and take note of the various deadlines for course and funding applications. Also note the e-mail address for further information and follow-up.  [12/01/10]

Article 3.2 guidance from Australia. Article 3.2 of the Convention on Wetlands commits Contracting Parties to monitor their Ramsar sites and inform the Secretariat whenever the ecological character of a site has changed, is changing, or is likely to change as a result of human interference. To help interpreting that obligation, Australia’s Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts has published “National Guidance on Notifying Change in Ecological Character of Australian Ramsar Wetlands (Article 3.2)”, as module 3 in its National Guidelines for Ramsar Wetlands series. This very helpful document is available here in PDF and from the Australian authorities' Web site. [11/01/10]

Ramsar video available in German. The Convention’s short introductory video, Wetlands: keeping our planet alive and well, is already available in the official working languages, English, French, and Spanish. Now the Federal Ministry for the Environment of Austria, with the support of the Austrian Federal Forests Ltd and the Ramsar Secretariat, have produced a German version as well. Read more. [11/01/10]

El Salvador’s fourth Ramsar site. The government of El Salvador has designated its fourth Wetland of International Importance, effective World Wetlands Day 2010 -- Laguna de Olomega (7,557 hectares, 13º19’N 088º04’W). As described by Ramsar’s Nadia Castro, the Olomega Lake, located in the Central American Dry Forest ecoregion, is the largest body of freshwater in eastern El Salvador. The site also covers the surrounding vegetation, such as the herb-dominated marshes and a patch of seasonally saturated forest, known as La Chiricana and one of the last relicts of this community type in the country. Read more. [08/01/10]

Transboundary Water Resources Management in the Caucasus. A workshop on Transboundary Water Resources Management in the Caucasus was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 8-10 December 2009, organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia, and the Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus within the framework of the Convention on the Protection and use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (UNECE Water Convention). Some 48 experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Russian Federation and Turkey as well as from international organizations and NGOs had an opportunity to meet and discuss key issues facing transboundary waters and cooperation in the region. Karen Jenderedjian, Ramsar National Focal Point in Armenia, and the Ramsar Secretariat's Nadia Alexeeva report. [05/01/10]

Visit to the “Ecoles de protection de l’eau project” in Thailand: Raising awareness for improved management of Beung Kong Long Ramsar Wetland. As part of the “Ecoles de protection de l’eau initiative”, financed by Danone Evian, WWF with the support of the Ramsar Convention is implementing a three-year project that started in 2008 in order to reduce risks for the Ramsar site and to develop the wise use of water. Ramsar’s Nathalie Rizzotti visited the project in late November 2009 and has provided this report. [04/01/10]

Premio para la Autoridad Administrativa Ramsar en México. El Gobierno de México representado por Flavio Chazaro, Director de Desarrollo Institucional de la Comisión Nacional del Areas Protegidas (CONANP) recibió en Madrid, España el 15 de Diciembre el Premio de la Fundación BBVA por la Conservación de la Biodiversidad en Areas Protegidas. El BBVA mencionó que el premio fue otorgado a México en reconocimiento a su destacado trabajo en la colaboración internacional de áreas protegidas y la conformación de nuevas áreas en diferentes tipos de ecosistemas siendo el segundo país con más designaciones de sitios de importancia internacional en el marco de la Convención de Ramsar (Ramsar Iran, 1971) puesto que ha designado 116 sitios Ramsar en los últimos 6 años. La Secretaria de Ramsar felicita a nuestra Autoridad Administrativa en México por este premio y los invita a continuar con el rol activo en la conservación de áreas protegidas.  Ver más en la nota de prensa preparada por CONANP.  [17/12/09]  

Visit of the Ramsar Secretariat to Uruguay. From the 19-22 of October 2009  the Secretary General Anada Tiega and Senior Advisor Maria Rivera visited Uruguay to have an overview of the implementation of the Convention on the ground. Report by Maria Rivera. [17/12/09]

Visita de la Secretaria de Ramsar a Uruguay. Del  19-22 de Octubre el Secretario General Anada Tiega y la Consejera par alas Américas Maria Rivera, visitaron Uruguay para tener referencia sobre la implementación de la Convención a nivel nacional y regional. Informe por Maria Rivera.

Networking with wetland managers in Nordic-Baltic countries. The 5th seminar of the Nordic-Baltic Wetland Initiative (NorBalWet) focused on networking with wetland managers in Nordic-Baltic countries was held on 25-27 August 2009 in Turku, Finland. It brought together 30 Ramsar focal points from administrative authorities, wetland managers, nature conservation and environmental monitoring specialists and others and provided an excellent opportunity for experts to share practical experiences of wetland management, restoration and conservation, as well as to discuss progress since the previous meeting and plans for future work. Ramsar's Nadia Alexeeva reports. [16/12/09]

Report on the 3rd East Asian Seas Congress. The 3rd East Asian Seas Congress was held from 23-27 November 2009 in Manila, Philippines, under the theme of "Partnerships at Work: Local Implementation and Good Practices," to review progress with implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), as well as to highlight initiatives and good practices that are being carried out in East Asia for the sustainable use of the coastal and marine resources in the region. Some 1,400 government officials, scientists, consultants and NGOs attended the event which was hosted by the Government of the Philippines and organized by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia. Lew Young provides a report with photos. [16/12/09]

Iran extends Caspian Sea Ramsar site. The Islamic Republic of Iran has significantly extended the boundaries, from 500 to 3,177 hectares, of the Caspian shore Ramsar sites that was first listed in June 1975, as “Bandar Kiashahr Lagoon and mouth of Sefid Rud”. The site now encompasses all of the Bujagh National Park and that will be its new Ramsar name. Ann Aldersey’s description of the site can be found under that name in the Annotated Ramsar List, here. [14/12/09]

Vacancy for Mediterranean Programme Leader. Wetlands International and the Biological Station of Tour du Valat are seeking to recruit a Mediterranean Programme Leader to be based at the Tour du Valat in the Camargue, France. The deadline for applications is 8 January 2010. The announcement is here (PDF). [15/12/09]

Visit of the Ramsar Secretariat to Argentina. Anada Tiega, Ramsar Secretary General, and María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, visited Argentina from the 15-18 of October 2009 to participate in the la Plata River Basin Regional initiative and visit some Ramsar sites. Report by María Rivera (PDF). [14/12/09]

Visita de la Secretaria de Ramsar a Argentina. Anada Tiega, Secretario General de Ramsar, y María Rivera, Consejera para las Américas, visitaron Argentina del 15-18 de Octubre 2009 para participar en la reunión de la iniciativa  de la Cuenca del Plata y visitar algunos sitios Ramsar. Informe por María Rivera.

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 ).