Ramsar and the Society of Wetland Scientists reaffirm collaboration

At its annual conference in Prague, Czech Republic on 7 July, the Ramsar Secretariat and the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate on areas of common interest for wetland conservation and wise use through the signature of a third Memorandum of Cooperation, for 2011-2015. This follows a first Memorandum in 1999 and a second in 2004. Over recent years SWS has been making strong contributions and support various aspects of the work of Ramsar’s Scientific & Technical Review Panel (STRP) and in 2010 established a formal “Ramsar Section” (now chaired by the STRP lead on urban wetlands, Rob McInnes) designed to facilitate connections for scientific and technical collaboration between Ramsar and the SWS wetland expert membership worldwide. 

Nick Davidson, Ramsar DSG (right) and Ben LePage, SWS President

During the conference the Ramsar Section of SWS held a symposium on “Designation, wise use and restoration of Ramsar wetlands” as a contribution to Ramsar’s 40^th anniversary, with speakers including DSG Nick Davidson, STRP members George Lukacs and Max Finlayson, and others. It is planned that the papers from this symposium will be published as a special 40^th anniversary wetlands journal issue. Presentations from this symposium, and other sessions of the conference will be available to download from the SWS website on www.sws2011.com/   

"Wetlands of Libechovka and Psovka Brook” Ramsar Site, visited during the SWS conference