Working together for wetlands: Exchange training at Champ-Pittet centre

Located in the heart of the « Grande Cariçaie », the largest lakeside marsh area in Switzerland, Champ-Pittet has welcomed Ms Ouassila Berrebib for a five-week stay to share knowledge on wetland centre management. Ouassila works at El- Kala National Park in Algeria which is located at the extreme north-east of the country and is listed as a Wetland of International Importance. 

El Kala National Park

On 3 April, Ouassila visited staff at the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and talked about her stay at the Champ-Pittet centre at the Lake Neuchâtel Ramsar Site, where she has enjoyed the exceptionally sunny weather. She has learned about some important tools needed to run an education centre. As part of the capacity-building exercise, she shared her expertise by showing the large variety of activities organised at El-Kala and the conservation policies in place to protect the site’s cultural and natural heritage.

Ouassila giving her presentation	Ouassila discussing with Ramsar Africa team

Among the material produced by the park, Ouassila used an interactive CD-ROM (available in French, English and Arabic) for her presentation to Ramsar staff on El Kala, the largest national park of Northern Algeria (76, 438 hectares). She explained there is a strong will at national level to set up education centres in all national parks, some of which are designated as Ramsar Sites.

Page extracted from the CD-ROM

To illustrate some awareness activities in the park, Ouassila brought a report on World Wetlands Day 2012 events that involved many schoolchildren and local communities. At the end of her presentation, staff congratulated Ouassila for her commitment to nature and wetlands.

World Wetlands Day event on site	Ouassila at El-Kala National Park

Photo courtesy: El Kala National Park