The Ramsar Bulletin Board, 1 October 2001

1 October 2001

Headline story. Australia names its 57th Ramsar site. The Bureau is pleased to announce that the Commonwealth of Australia has designated its 57^th Ramsar site, as of 29 August 2001: the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands (261 hectares, 38°04’S 145°07’E) comprises two separate wetlands near Melbourne, including both freshwater and brackish lakes (types P, Q, R), both with similar morphology and ecological characteristics and both under an extensive rehabilitation and management regime by Melbourne Water. They are of exceptional significance as examples of cost-effective management of wetlands in an urban setting to provide conservation benefits, manage storm water, and encourage environmental research and education. The site meets Criteria 1 on uniqueness and 2 on support for vulnerable species, and surpasses the 1% threshold for Sharp-tailed Sandpipers (Calidris acuminata). Both wetlands remained after the draining of the once extensive Carrum Carrum Swamp in the 1860s, but additional local draining and encroachments by farming and grazing have continued into this century. In recent decades active flooding has been pursued through management intervention; in the 1980s ingress of saline groundwater resulted in brackish rather than fresh water in the artificial components of the site, but pumping from nearby creeks is returning the site to a freshwater system. A management plan and birdwatching facilities are in place, and education programmes are run by a local NGO. [01/10/01]

Older headline story. Sanbanze landfill cancelled. Following his visit to Sanbanze mudflats on Tokyo Bay, 2 September, Secretary General Delmar Blasco met with the Governor of Chiba Prefecture, Ms Akiko Domoto, and discussed the situation there. Now Maggie Suzuki of Japan Wetlands Action Network reports: "On September 26th, Governor Domoto of Chiba prefecture announced in the Chiba Prefectural Assembly that the remaining 101 hectares of landfill planned at Sanbanze tidal flat in Tokyo Bay were cancelled. Governor Domoto had promised to 'clean slate' landfill development at Sanbanze when she was elected Governor in April this year, but this announcement finally constituted the actual cancellation of two projects, one in Ichikawa and one in Funabashi, scaled down in 1999 from over 700 ha. of landfill. The announcement comes in the wake of a 'symposium' held by the Prefecture and attended by Gov. Domoto late last month, in which most of the twenty citizens invited to give an opinion opposed the remaining landfill projects. Delmar Blasco, Secretary-General of the international Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, visited the site on Sept. 2nd, and the Japan Wetlands Action Network held its annual International Wetland Symposium in Ichikawa on Sept. 15-16. Local citizens' groups and non-governmental organizations are celebrating, after a battle to save this remnant natural tidal environment for 30 years. We extend our appreciation to all of you who have lent your cooperation and support over the years. Thank you! Most cordially, Maggie Suzuki, Japan Wetlands Action Network, International Liaison, BYG05310@nifty.ne.jp". [27/09/01]  

Who's where? 

Delmar Blasco, Secretary General, Najam Khurshid, Regional Coordinator for Asia, and Najam's assitant "Tug" Sirisampan are in Bangkok, Thailand, for the Southeast Asia Ramsar subregional meeting, 1-3 October. [01/10/01]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, Margarita Astrálaga, Regional Coordinator for the Americas, and Margarita's assitant Marco Flores are in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, for the Central America/Caribbean/North America Ramsar subregional meeting, 26-29 September 2001. [23/09/01]

Anada Tiéga, Regional Coordinator, has been in Guinea, 19-23 September, to attend the regional workshop on the ongoing GEF PDF-B project on the Niger River Basin, in collaboration with the World Bank, UNDP, the Niger Basin Authority, WWF International, and Wetlands International. He will also have discussions with WWF, Wetlands International, and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation on development of the "Niger Basin Initiative" aimed at integrating conservation and food security objectives in river basin planning in the region, in the context of the Ramsar/CBD River Basin Initiative. From 24 to 28 September, Anada is Senegal for the last steering committee meeting of the GEF/UNEP "African Eurasian Waterbird Flyways" PDF-B project and plans, whilst there, to advance discussions with the Administrative Authority, the IUCN country office, and the Wetlands International regional office in Dakar, especially about the forthcoming workshop on invasive species to be held in the Djoudj National Park in mid-October. [20/09/01]

New on the Site: Terms of reference for Ramsar Mission to Germany; Draft agenda for the 26th meeting of the Standing Committee, December 2001: English, Français, Español [26/09/01]

Announcement. Ramsar Bureau seeks Intern for the Americas. The Ramsar Bureau is seeking applications for the position of Intern/Assistant to the Regional Coordinator for the Americas. For this internship the applicants must be nationals of countries from the Americas. The position requires full ability to work in English and a mother-tongue-level of Spanish. Qualified candidates from that region are encouraged to read the general terms of reference for Ramsar Internships and apply by 31 October 2001, to begin on 1 February 2002. Annette Keller, Ramsar. [27/09/01]

Ramsar Advisory Mission to Mühlenberger Loch Ramsar site, Germany. On 23 January 2001 the Federal Republic of Germany informed the Ramsar Bureau of its wish to restrict the boundary of the Mühlenberger Loch Ramsar site, an extensive area of tidal mudflats on the Elbe River near Hamburg, in accordance with Article 2.5 of the Convention, and proposed compensatory measures as indicated in Article 4.2. In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety, the Ramsar Bureau is visiting the area 24-26 September in order, briefly put, to examine the manner in which the “urgent national interest” clause in Article 2.5 was invoked and study the compensation measures proposed. Accompanying Ramsar’s Dr Tobias Salathé on this 45^th Ramsar Advisory Mission are an international legal expert, David Pritchard of BirdLife International, and an expert on mudflats ecology, Dr Mike Pienkowski, in addition to Dr Fritz Dieterich from the Federal Ministry, officials of the Hamburg Environment Authority, and representatives of the NABU/BUND NGO. The mission's terms of reference are available here, and the resulting report will be available in due course. [26/09/01]

New Ramsar Intern for Europe appointed. The Bureau is pleased to announce that Mr Sergey Dereliev of Bulgaria has been selected as the next Intern for Europe/Assistant to the Regional Coordinator for Europe, to begin as soon as Swiss working papers are cleared later in the northern autumn. He replaces Inga Raçinska (as if anyone could) of Latvia. Sergey has an MSc in Biology, with specialization in zoology of vertebrates and anthropology, from Sofia University, and speaks English, Russian, and Bulgarian. He presently works with the BirdLife International partner in Bulgaria, BSPB, and is serving as project manager for the UNDP/GEF project "Study of capacity building needs of Bulgarian biodiversity conservation organizations in the area of GIS" as part of the establishment of the CBD Clearing-House Mechanism in Bulgaria. He is involved in the management of several Ramsar sites along the Black Sea coast, cofinanced by the Swiss SDC. He is presently in The Netherlands serving as a mentor in the RIZA/WATC International Course in Wetland Managment, which draws to a close in early October. The Bureau welcomes Mr Dereliev and looks forward to greeting him in the secretariat. [25/09/01]

Announcement. Seminar set for Argentina, November. An international seminar on inland fisheries in Latin America, supported by the Universidad Nactional del Litoral, the Ramsar Convention's Wetlands for the Future, IUCN - Sudamérica, and the Coalición Ríos Vivos, will be held in Santa Fe, Argentina, 23-25 November. Here is the Spanish and English language announcement, with more details, from Fundación PROTEGER. [24/09/01]

Ramsar and climate change at Kushiro meeting. Because, owing to many previous commitments, the Ramsar Bureau was unable to participate in the International Workshop on Climate Change and Wetland Conservation, Kushiro, Japan, 20-21 September 2001, Dr Taej Mundkur of Wetlands International, one of the Convention's International Organization Partners, agreed to make a keynote workshop presentation on behalf of the Ramsar Convention, in addition to his own contributions to the meeting, and also to deliver this statement from the Secretary General to the high-level segment of the meeting -- "The Ramsar Convention, international cooperation, climate change and wetlands", a worthy text, is available here. In addition, at the same workshop, George Begg of ERISS (Australia's Environmental Institute of the Supervising Scientist) is offering a presentation of the Asian Wetland Inventory, which has been endorsed by Ramsar's Standing Committee, as a tool for monitoring climate change effects on Asian wetlands. [20/09/01]

Secretary General attends ceremonies for three enormous new sites in Bolivia. The Ramsar Bureau is pleased to announce that, at ceremonies attended by the Secretary General, Mr Delmar Blasco, in Santa Cruz on 17 September 2001, Bolivia has designated three new Ramsar sites, also to become Gifts to the Earth with the assistance of the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Living Waters Campaign. Technical details will follow here soon, and in the meantime here is WWF’s press release in English, French, and Spanish. [18/09/01]

Photo Essay. High altitude wetlands of Pakistan. Six fine photos contributed by WWF Pakistan, all taken by Hassan Zaki, illustrating a number of characteristic features of this wetland type. View them here. [14/09/01]

Photo opportunity. The Secretary General's visit to Japan. Tamako Tsukiji, Ramsar Center Japan, offers Ramsar readers this report: "Mr Delmar Blasco visited two tidal flat areas in Chiba Prefecture, which is located next to Tokyo, on 2nd September after his visit to another tidal flat area - Fujimae in Central Japan. According to newspaper articles, Mr Blasco has encouraged both the Nagoya City government and the Central Government to designate Fujimae as a Ramsar site." View the rest of her brief report, with her and additional photos of the Secretary General, mud flats, and Mayor Araki of Narashino City, right here. [13/09/01]

USA, 11/09/01

Headline story. Wetlands International's 3rd International Update Report on Lead Poisoning in Waterbirds is available. The report reviews the large-scale environmental problem of lead shot ingestion by waterbirds and presents an analysis of responses to a questionnaire prepared by Wetlands International and returned by 75 countries (governments and NGOs) and 9 international organisations worldwide. The analysis addresses the current state of legislation concerning the use of lead shot, and describes levels of lead shot awareness, coordination, research and development. It also reviews relevant developments since 1995, and then concludes with recommendations to governments, non-governmental organisations, hunters' associations and ammunition manufacturers about lead shot. Research and production of the report, which was compiled by Nienke Beintema, was financially supported by the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee JNCC and the African – Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement AEWA.

The report is being distributed in hard copy form to governments, organisations and to individuals who contributed information, and is available for download from the Wetlands International Web site at http://www.wetlands.agro.nl/news/Documents/Lead_P_Report.htm. [link later removed][12/10/01]

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Job announcement. RSPB seeks European Programmes Manager. Apply within. [link later removed] [13/09/01]

Announcement. Wetland training course set for European former-Soviet states. Mr Karen Jenderedjian has passed on the details for the "Training Course on Wetland Management for Wetland Conservationists from the New Independent States of European Region", 9-23 September 2001, Sevan, Armenia. The course is intended for managers from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine: staff of central and regional state environmental bodies, nature reserves, NGOs, research institutes and universities, international organizations, business: total 19 participants, with financial support for the participants from the  Ramsar Small Grants Fund and the Royal Dutch Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. Further information and a few photos can be found here. [06/09/01]

COP8 Support Officer joins the Bureau. "On behalf of the Ramsar Bureau it is a great pleasure to welcome a new member of Bureau staff. Carlos Villalba from Spain joins the Bureau as our 'COP8 Technical Support Officer', and will be working with us until December 2002, with financial support from the Government of Spain. Carlos comes with a strong background in biodiversity conservation, natural resources management, and information systems, and has recently been working in Hungary assisting the Hungarian Government with the establishment of biodiversity information systems, in particular the Natura 2000 network (in implementation of the EC Birds and Habitats Directives), as part of their preparations for accession to the European Union. Before that he was developing Natura 2000 information systems in Spain. Carlos will be spending part of his time working in the Ramsar Bureau in Gland to helping to develop the technical programme for Ramsar's COP8 in Valencia, Spain, in November 2002, and part of his time working with the MedWet Coordination Unit, based in Athens, in the development of the technical programme of the MedWet Initiative." -- Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General. (05/09/01)

New Ramsar Intern for Asia. Jia MA from China has accepted the position of Ramsar Intern for Asia/Assistant to the Regional Coordinator for Asia, to replace "Tug" Sirisampan in mid-November. Jia obtained a Bachelor in Environmental Engineering in 1998 from Xian University of Architecture & Technology. From July 1998 to July 2000, she worked as an Engineer in the China Northwest Building Design & Research Institute. Since October 2000 she has been studying at the University of Edinburgh and hopes to get her MSc in Natural Resource Management in September/October of this year. Jia's career objective is to work in the field of water resources/environmental management in China after her Ramsar internship. -- Annette Keller, Ramsar Administrator. (05/09/01)

Bonus Photo Treat

Ramsar in Asia. Three Ramsar Regional Coordinators for Asia -- Dr Satoshi "Satoshi-san" Kobayashi (1991-1996), Ms Rebecca "Rebecca-san" D'Cruz (1996-2000), and Mr Najam "Najam-san" Khurshid (present) -- smiling in a benign fashion at the Asian Wetland Symposium in Penang, Malaysia, 28 August 2001. (Sent to us by Tamako Tsukiji, Ramsar Center Japan)

Announcement. US NGO Ramsar Committee calls for grant proposals. The U.S. National Ramsar Committee, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, announces its Small Grants Program for 2002 to assist wetland conservation and awareness at and adjacent to U.S. Ramsar sites. Grants will be made on a matching funds basis to local organizations for projects to support various needs at the Ramsar-designated sites. The deadline is 14 September, so view the details now. (05/09/01)

Long-awaited report. Ramsar Mission report on Ebro Delta now available. The long-awaited Ramsar Mission Report no. 43 on the Delta del Ebro, Cataluña, España, is now available. Led by the Bureau's Dr Tobias Salathé and invited experts Dr Patrick Dugan, consultant, and Dra María José Viñals of the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia/SEHUMED, with the participation of a number of Spanish experts, the mission visited the site in September 2000 and the draft report and recommendations have been under discussion for some time. Here is the final report in Spanish, and here is the English summary. [4/9/01]

The United Kingdom stands by international status of listed wetlands. On 12 July 2001 the UK Government announced decisions on the first of its Multi-Modal Studies examining some of the most severe transport problems around the country. The study looked at transport issues in Kent and the area around Hastings in southeast England. Although the proposed highway bypasses would offer the opportunity for environmental improvement within Hastings, they would themselves cut through areas of designated high environmental value. Stephen Byers, Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, said: "Both 'A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England' and the Ten Year Plan provide a strong presumption against harming sensitive sites including sites of special scientific interest, AONBs and habitats given international protection. The requirements of the Ramsar convention would only permit damage to the Pevensey levels site in the 'urgent national interest' and the Ramsar policy statement issued by DETR in November 2000 makes it clear that derogation of the urgent national interest can be used only where there are no alternatives and the benefits of the development demonstrably outweigh the acknowledged international status of the site. In my view, the balance of the arguments presented in favour of the bypasses is not sufficient to outweigh these very strong environmental requirements. I believe, therefore, we must look for alternative means to prevent the further decline of the area and to optimise its economic potential." [29/08/01]

News from the SGF. Latvia completes SGF project for Teici Reserve. The Ramsar Small Grants Fund 1999 project "Measures to improve the management of the Teici Nature Reserve Ramsar site and surrounding wetlands" has been successfully completed. It was carried out by the Administration of Teici Nature Reserve and partly financed by the European Habitat Conservation Stamp programme, run jointly by FACE (Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU) and Wetlands International. During the project implementation, The Teici Wetland Foundation (TWF) was established as the financial instrument for purchase/lease and management of land for nature conservation around the Teici Reserve Ramsar site. The SGF project contributed to the purchase of two most valuable land properties in Teici and provided seed money for future work. View a brief report and an annex of photographs and further detail, right here. [27/08/01]

Announcement. Request for proposals to the Society of Wetland Scientists' Ramsar Support grant programme. The Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) is soliciting proposals to their Ramsar Support Grant Program, which was established to advance Ramsar Convention objectives, including the selection, designation, management, and networking of Ramsar sites; and the promotion of Ramsar's Wise Use guidelines. Two to four projects are funded each year at a level of US $5,000 on a competitive basis as reviewed by a 4-member Evaluation Committee. Eric Gilman's posting to the Ramsar Forum provides more detail. [24/08/01]

Mission to Czech Republic -- report available. In June 2001, the Ramsar Bureau carried out a Ramsar Advisory Mission to the Sumava (or Shumava) Peatlands Ramsar site, at the invitation of the Czech Government, and studied recent problems of outbreaks of bark beetle populations, as well as the potential environmental impacts of proposed remedies, and the need for transboundary management with Germany on related problems. The RAM report, prepared by invited expert Hans Joosten and Tobias Salathé of the Ramsar Bureau, with the help of government and NGO experts from the Czech Republic, is now available on this Web site (with some photos). [22/08/01]

More to follow. Watch this space. Feedback and suggestions are welcome to: the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Updated regularly by Dwight Peck, Ramsar Bureau.