Wetland week celebration in Korea

The Ramsar Secretary General, Mr Anada Tiéga, visited the Republic of Korea in May to attend the 2013 Wetland Week Celebration that was designated by the Ministry of Environment to be held from 5 to 12 May. The event was to increase public awareness on wetlands and the Ramsar Convention across the country by organizing a variety of wetland-related activities in various places during the week. More [13/06/13]

Important new additions from Burundi

The government of Burundi has added three important new wetlands to the List of Wetlands of International Importance, at the same time that it has vastly extended the boundaries of its existing Ramsar Site, now renamed Parc National de la Rusizi, from 1,000 to 10,673 hectares. Ramsar’s Charlotte Eyong has prepared these descriptive site summaries from the accompanying Ramsar Information Sheets. Burundi’s preparatory work for these new site designations and the expanded Rusizi site has been financially assisted by WWF’s International Freshwater Programme. [12/06/13]

Austria's newest Ramsar Site

At ceremonies at Güssing castle in Burgenland, 18 April 2013, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention in Austria, that country's latest Ramsar Site was announced, and Güssing fishponds (Güssinger Fischteiche) (148 hectares, 47°03’N 016°19’E) has now been included as Austria’s 22nd on the Ramsar List. More on the new site; the 30th anniversary. [11/06/13]

Finland has a national Ramsar Committee

On 21-22 May 2013, the Finnish Ministry of the Environment and Metsähallitus, the Finnish Natural Heritage Service, invited 20 wetland experts for the inaugural meeting of the new Finnish Ramsar Committee. The experts met in the impressive, recently expanded wetland centre of the Liminganlahti Bay Area Ramsar Site near the town of Oulu. Ramsar Standing Committee member Tiina Niikkonen (representing the Environment Ministry) and Arto Ahokumpu (of Metsähallitus) opened the meeting and made reference to the Finnish adaptation of Ramsar’s Strategic Plan 2009-2015 and the Government Resolution ‘Saving Nature for People’ on the Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Finland for the years 2012-2020. More [06/06/13]

Ramsar Secretary General attends the graduation ceremony of the masters students in Protected Areas Management at the University of Senghor in Egypt

In order to get more professional training and contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources at global level, the Senghor University in Egypt, through its Department of Environment, is developing partnerships with international organisations and Multinational Environmental Agreements. The Ramsar Convention has been providing help with several training modules on wetlands and protected areas management over several years, coaching students on the preparation of their theses, and also evaluating the University’s research and training curricula. More [06/06/13]

Report on the Ramsar Advisory Mission to Pakistan now available online

The report on the Ramsar Advisory Mission (RAM) to Pakistan in November 2012 has been released and is now available. The RAM was undertaken in response to the disastrous floods in 2010 that Pakistan faced and the aims were to visit the wetlands along the Indus River floodplains to a), devise a workable and cost effective strategy for wise-use of the floods b), to make recommendations for alteration in the prevailing flood control strategy so as to obtain maximum benefit from the flood water and c), identify high priority wetlands/Ramsar Sites for restoration by using the floods as a tool for restoration. More [05/06/13]

World Environment Day – 5 June 2013

Think.Eat.Save. This is the theme for World Environment Day on 5 June. Here at the Ramsar Convention Secretariat we examined the link between the role of water and food production in our World Wetlands Day material for our campaign day on 2 February of this year. More | français | español [05/06/13]

Coordinators of the Ramsar Culture Network (RCN) convened to discuss RCN and UNESCO cooperation

Report and photo by Irini Lyratzaki, Scientific Secretariat, Med-INA (Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos)

On Monday 13 May 2013, Thymio Papayannis and David Pritchard, the coordinators of the Ramsar Culture Network (RCN) had a meeting at the UNESCO offices in Paris to discuss several aspects of their cooperation. Tobias Salathé, Senior Regional Advisor for Europe was representing the Ramsar Secretariat during this meeting, which reviewed progress with specific areas of cooperation that had been previously agreed, including the ‘Indicative Work Plan for Mutual Cooperation’ drawn up in July 2011. Elements of the future process for monitoring, reporting and updating of such action lists were agreed. More [30/05/13]

Who's Where?

Laura Máiz-Tomé, Assistant Advisor for Europe is in Norway from 10 to 14 June to attend the VII Contact Habitat Forum. She will deliver a presentation on how to strengthen the implementation of the Ramsar Convention in the Barents Euro-Artic Region. [10/06/13]

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer will be presenting the Ramsar Convention from the 10-11 June at the 3-week workshop on International Training of Trainers on Integrated Water Resources Management taking place at the Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation. [10/06/13]


Paul Ouedraogo, Senior Regional Advisor for Africa will attend a Symposium in Lomé (Togo) from 8-12 June on “Environmental assessment as a tool for disasters prevention and management”. From 13 to 15 June he will train Ramsar Site Managers in Togo on wetland inventory and management. Then he will co-facilitate local workshops with UN-Habitat in Aného (Togo) from 17 to 18 June, in Ga Municipality (Ghana) from 20 to 21 June and in Somone Municipality (Senegal) from 24 to 25 June. [06/06/13]

Lew Young, Senior Regional Advisor for Asia-Oceania will be away attending the 7th Meeting of the Partners of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAF-P) in Anchorage from 8 to 18 June. The EAAF-P is one of the Ramsar Regional Initiatives. [06/06/2013]

For more old Ramsar Secretariat travel news, see also 'Who Was Where', 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 , 2012

Yesterday's News

 

Mainstreaming wetlands issues within local environmental governance in Burkina Faso

The Africa Regional Team at the Ramsar Secretariat assisted with the Project “Enhancement of Local Environmental Governance » in Burkina to plan wetlands-related activities. This was done through the selection of 4 potential Ramsar Sites; a workshop to validate the process to develop a local land charter and a management plan of “Lac Dem”, Ramsar Site N°1882; and an awareness raising forum with local governments and other stakeholders. The Senior Regional Advisor for Africa also trained 15 Ramsar Site managers on wetlands inventory and site management, and facilitated the establishment of a network between wetland managers in Burkina Faso. See full document here in PDF. [30/05/13]

Illustrated publication about Russia's 35 Ramsar Sites available in English and Russian

Russia celebrates its 35 Ramsar Sites with an illustrated publication including maps, photos, and a brief descriptive text about each site. Prepared by Wetlands International in cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, support funding was provided by the Matra Programme of the Royal Netherlands Embassy in the Russian Federation. In both Russian and English, you can download this full colour publication here. [30/05/13]

Kiribati's first Ramsar Site

The island state of Kiribati joined the Convention on Wetlands on 3 April 2013, and the Convention will enter into force for Kiribati on 3 August. Information is now available on the new Party’s first Wetland of International Importance – as summarized by Ramsar’s Nessrine Alzahlawi, Nooto-North Tarawa (1,033 hectares, 001°31’09”N 173°00’08”E) on North Tarawa atoll is a complex of relatively pristine and healthy representative coastal wetland ecosystems which are significant for the bioecoregion. Read more. [29/05/13]

Austria names its 21st Ramsar Site

Wilder Kaiser (‘the Wild Emperor’) is the evocative name of Austria’s newest Wetland of International Importance. As summarized by Ramsar’s Laura Máiz-Tomé, the new site in the federal state of Tyrol is an outstanding limestone karst massif in the Alps, ranging between 480 and 2344 meters above sea level. Read more. [27/05013]

Cariwet in Paramaribo, Suriname hosts the 3rd meeting of the Regional Initiative for the Conservation and Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands

On 20 May, Mr Ginmardo Kromosoeto, Minister of Physical Planning, Land and Forest Management in Suriname, opened the Meeting of the Regional Initiative for the Conservation and Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands in Paramaribo, a UNESCO World Heritage site. On behalf of the President of the Republic of Suriname, his Excellency Desire Delano Bouterse, Mr Kromosoeto gave a warm welcome to the members of the initiative and the representatives of the different organizations present on site. Wetlands in the Caribbean are probably some of the least known, least protected and most threatened wetlands worldwide. It is essential that these wetlands are included in the development plans of Caribbean countries, he said. Read more | español [23/05/13]

Ramsar increases cooperation across Africa through two new partnerships

13 May 2013. Ramsar and Senghor University in Egypt signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to mark the commitment of both organisations to the conservation and wise use of wetlands. The purpose of this Memorandum of Cooperation is to provide a flexible framework for collaboration between the Parties, mobilizing University Senghor’s technical and capacity-building expertise for an improved implementation of the Ramsar Convention. See the MOC here [PDF].

23 May 2013. Ramsar and the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to support existing mechanisms in sustainable wetland management in the Albertine Rift and the Great Lakes region. Activities listed in this MOC include the development of joint work plans, and the enhancement of synergies and partnerships. Read the joint press release here | Download the MOC here.

Photos: (top) - Anada Tiéga (right), Ramsar Secretary General with Prof Albert Lourde, Rector of University Senghor. (Right): Anada Tiéga, Ramsar Secretary General with Sam Kanyamibwa, Executive Director of ARCOS.

The Republic of Nauru considers joining the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Report by Vai Junblut, Ramsar Officer for Oceania (ROO)

Vainuupo Jungblut, Ramsar Officer for Oceania (ROO), recently conducted an in-country assistance visit to the Republic of Nauru (April 29- May 9) after a number of initial discussions on accession to the Ramsar Convention on Wetland with the Nauru Department of Commerce, Industry and Environment (DCIE) dating back to 2011. The Republic of Nauru is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific, with an area of 21km2 and population of some 9,300 people. More [23/05/13]

Raising the profile of Russia’s wetlands

Forty five people involved in wetland communication from all over Russia, 18 presentations on their work, and two intense days of sharing, listening and discussing on 14 and 15 May has set Russia further along the way to a Wetland CEPA Action Plan (CEPA refers to communication, education, participation and awareness). This plan will be based on the activities of an effective network of wetland education centres and will be the first National CEPA Plan of its kind for Ramsar – a good model perhaps for other countries to follow*. More [22/05/13]

The International Day for Biological Diversity, 22 May 2013
Statement by Anada Tiéga, Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

On this Biodiversity Day, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands joins in worldwide celebrations and calls for more actions to conserve wetlands for the planet’s biodiversity and human well-being. It is urgent to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues to prevent the loss of many species of plants and animals that cannot survive without wetlands. Water and biodiversity are vital for human survival but today’s increasing pressures (such as the impact of a growing human population, intense demands for economic growth, imperatives for poverty eradication and improving people’s livelihoods), continue to take precedence over maintaining a healthy wetland biodiversity. More | español | français [22/05/2013]

The Arctic Biodiversity Assessment

The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council has released the “Arctic Biodiversity Assessment,” a report containing the best available science informed by traditional ecological knowledge on the status and trends of Arctic biodiversity and accompanying policy recommendations for biodiversity conservation. The Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA), involving over 260 scientists, has been produced by some of the world’s leading experts and was presented to the Foreign Ministers of the Arctic Council countries at the Arctic Council Ministerial on 15 May. More [21/05/13]

30th anniversary celebrations of the Ramsar Convention in Austria

The Austrian Federal Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (i.e. the “Life Ministry”), Nikolaus Berlakovich, the regional Minister Andreas Liegenfeld of the federal state Burgenland, and Mayor Vinzenz Knor welcomed many participants to the anniversary ceremony on the sunny terrace of Güssing castle to celebrate the implementation of the Ramsar Convention in Austria on 18 April 2013. More [17/05/13]

Cleanup of the Wadi Wurayah Ramsar Site, UAE

On 1st May 2013, the Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) and Fujairah Municipality, led 150 volunteers to carry out a cleanup of the Wadi Wurayah Ramsar Site. The event was attended by H.E. Engineer Mohammed Saif Al Afkham (Managing Director, Fujairah Municipality) and Mr. Anada Tiéga (Secretary General, Ramsar Convention of Wetlands). More [16/05/13]

CEPA stories now online - Share your own CEPA success story!

Read some of Ramsar’s CEPA Focal Points best success stories on our Ramsar Community website. Join us on a trip around the world with our interactive map and find out what our Focal Points did and why they felt it was successful. Your journey starts here http://community.ramsar.org/.

And what about your success story? Do you have a CEPA story to share? Click on the globe below the map and start writing, we’re waiting to hear from you! [16/05/13]

Visit by the Ramsar Secretary General to Oman and the UAE

From 27 April to 3 May 2013, the Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands, Mr. Anada Tiéga led a small team from the Secretariat of the Convention to the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates. More [14/05/13]

Vacancy for Intern/Assistant to the Senior Regional Advisor for Asia/Oceania Region

The Ramsar Secretariat welcomes applications for the position of Intern/Assistant to the Senior Regional Advisor for the Asia/Oceania region, a 12-month posting (possibly extendable up to 18 months) in the Ramsar Secretariat in Switzerland to begin at the end of October 2013. IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, provides administrative services for the Ramsar Convention, and more information and online application for this post is available on the IUCN website at: https://hrms.iucn.org/iresy/index.cfm?event=vac.show&vacId=546

The deadline for applications is 10 June 2013. Note: A candidate should SUBMIT HIS/HER APPLICATION ONLINE, USING THE LINK ABOVE. No other method of application will be considered. [13/05/2013]

Designation of three Bulgaro-Romanian Transboundary Ramsar Sites

Through a joint letter of 15 April 2013, the Romanian Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Bulgarian Minister of Environment and Waters have requested the Ramsar Secretariat to recognize three already earlier listed Ramsar Sites, part of the Lower Danube Green Corridor, as Transboundary Ramsar Sites. Read more. (07/05/13)

Management plan for the Beung Kiat Ngong Ramsar Site, Lao PDR

The Beung Kiat Ngong Wetland, Lao PDR was designated as a Ramsar Site in September 2010 when the country acceded to the Ramsar Convention. The wetland is unique because of its diverse range of wetland types, such as lakes, marshes, and peatlands, for being an important spawning site for fish, and for having a high biodiversity value. At the same time, the site also supports the livelihoods of some 11,500 people in 13 villages. More [06/05/13]

Turkey designates a unique volcano caldera

The government of Turkey has named as its 14th Wetland of International Importance the Nemrut Caldera (Nemrut Kalderasi), the caldera of the Nemrut volcano located on the western shore of Lake Van in the eastern part of Turkey (Eastern Anatolia) and one of the most important wetlands of Bitlis province. Read more. (03/05/13)

Oman becomes Ramsar’s 167th Contracting Party

UNESCO, the Ramsar Convention’s depositary, has informed the Secretariat that as of 19 April 2013 Oman has completed the formalities and deposited its instrument of accession with the Director-General, along with the required name and map of at least one Wetland of International Importance. Thus the Ramsar community can warmly welcome the Sultanate of Oman as the 167th Contracting Party, for which the Convention will enter into force four months from that accession date, i.e., 19 August 2013. Read more. (02/05/13)

Montelimar, Nicaragua: 3rd Meeting of the Regional Initiative for the Conservation and Wise Use of Mangroves and Coral Reefs

The meeting was opened by the Minister of Environment of Nicaragua, Mrs Juanita Argueñal who gave a warm welcome to the initiative’s country delegates and the representatives of the different organizations. The Minister highlighted the relevance to work jointly and with the communities to face the many challenges of environmental issues. More | Español [02/05/13]

Kiribati joins the Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Secretariat is delighted to welcome Kiribati to the Ramsar family as its 166th Contracting Party, for which the Convention, as amended in 1982 and 1987, will come into force on 3 August 2013. Preliminary information about Kiribati's first Ramsar Site, No'oto-North Tarawa, can be seen here. [01/05/13]