The Ramsar Bulletin Board, 3 November 2003

Headline story.Uganda and Ramsar sign MOU for COP9. At a ceremony on 30 October 2003, Uganda signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands to host the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP9) in Kampala in late 2005. The offer, which was first made at Ramsar COP8 in November 2002 and gratefully accepted by the Contracting Parties, is a highly significant commitment for Uganda, and is the first time that the global Convention on Wetlands has come to Africa for its triennial meeting of its Parties, now numbering 138 countries. The new MOU formalizes the commitments on both sides and lays out the steps to be taken between now and COP9 some two years hence. The ceremony was held during a reception hosted by Wetlands International and the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Washington D.C., USA. Wetlands International's President, Max Finlayson, invited the Ramsar Convention's Secretary General, Peter Bridgewater, and the Uganda National Coordinator for COP9, Paul Mafabi, to sign the Memorandum. More details here, and a few photos. [02/11/03]

Announcement. Wetlands conference set for UK on World Wetlands Day. "Wetlands: Policy into Action" is the name of a professional conference scheduled for London around World Wetlands Day, 2-3 February 2004. Sponsored by CIWEM and organized by CMS-Coastal Management for Sustainability, the meeting will include speakers from RSPB, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), WWF-UK, English Nature and the National Trust, among others. Following a guided tour on WWD of the WWT's London Wetland Centre in Barnes and a reception in the evening supported by WWF-UK, the conference on the 3rd will consist of three sessions -- Policy Development and Practice, The State of Wetlands, and Good Practice Case Studies - and include the bestowing of the 2004 RSPB/CIWEM Living Wetlands Award. Here is a reprint of the CIWEM's announcement and registration form. [03/11/03]

Headline story. World Wetlands Day 2004 materials ready. 2 February each year is World Wetlands Day, marking the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971. WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997, and each year, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular. From 1997 to 2003, the Convention’s Web site has posted reports from more than 80 countries of WWD activities of all sizes and shapes, and the Ramsar Bureau has provided materials free of charge to help planners get the greatest effect from their activities. This year the Bureau has prepared a poster on the theme of "From the mountains to the sea -- Wetlands at work for us", a new 3-fold leaflet "Working for Wetlands", and a new sticker, all of them in English, Français, and Español. View these new materials here, and if you think that they will help you to get your wetland message across, follow the directions on ordering that you'll find on that page. All of these hardcopy materials are also available on CD-ROM in Quark XPress format so that you can if you wish amend them to suit your own circumstances and produce versions of your own, and limited quantities of WWD materials from past years can also be requested. But hurry! [01/11/03]

Who's where? 

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, goes to Germany on the 20^th  October to deliver the keynote speech during the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation 25th anniversary celebration, then will be in Brazil on the 23^rd October to meet Government representatives and attend a UNU meeting on synergies and linkages of environmental conventions, focusing on the Pantanal.  He will then go to Washington for the WI Board of Directors meeting on the 30^th October, followed by a meeting with Herb Raffaele of USFWS, the Focal Point for the USA’s Administrative Authority, and a meeting with the GEF Secretariat and the UN Foundation. [22/10/03]

Tobias Salathé, Regional Coordinator for Europe, is in Ukraine participating in the joint Ramsar/MAB Advisory Mission in the Danube Delta. [29/10/03]

New on the Site: Participants' list from COP3, way back in 1987; Diplomatic notification 2003/4 on the upcoming Standing Committee meeting;Draft agenda for Standing Committee's January 2004 meeting.[30/10/03]

Peru designates two high altitude wetlands. The Ramsar Bureau is delighted to announce that the Government of Peru has named two High Andean wetlands in Arequipa for the List of Wetlands of International Importance, effective 28 October 2003, bringing that Party's total to 10 Ramsar sites covering 6,777,547 hectares. Both are parts of the Reserva Nacional de Salinas y Aguada Blanca. As described by Ramsar's Iván Darío Valencia based on the Ramsar Information Sheets, Bofedales y Laguna de Salinas (17,657 ha., 16º22´S 71º08W) is a salt high Andean lake in the Puna at 4,300m altitude, lying at the bottom of an endorrheic basin with geothermal activities amidst snow-capped mountains and volcanoes. Laguna del Indio - Dique de los Españoles (502 ha., 15º46´S 71º03'W) is a natural high Andean seasonal pool at over 4440m in the Puna which became permanent with the building of a reservoir serving the water needs of the city of Arequipa and which is used for hydroelectric power generation downstream. More details and a map of their locations within the National Reserve can be seen here. [31/10/03]

7th Neotropical Ornithological Congress, Chile. Iván Darío Valencia, Ramsar Assistant for the Americas, attended the VII Neotropical Ornithological Congress in Termas de Puyehue, Chile, from 5 to 12 October 2003. The Neotropical Ornithological Congress is an event hosted every four years gathering ornithologists, birdwatchers and other people working with birds in the Neotropics. This year it was organized by UNORCH - Unión de Ornitólogos de Chile and the Neotropical Ornithological Society, in the vicinity of Puyehue National Park, in southern Chile, close to the border with Argentina, in a magnificent scenario. The event convened over 400 people from all of the Americas. Iván Darío's brief report of Ramsar's participation can be seen here in English and Español, with a handful of his excellent photos from the field trip to the nearby Carlos Anwandter Sanctuary Ramsar site. [31/10/03]

Conference on Western Hemisphere Migratory Species. "In a demonstration of shared commitment to wildlife conservation, representatives from 25 countries in the Western Hemisphere were joined by members from over 40 international NGO conservation groups and wildlife conservation stakeholders to develop strategies for cooperation for conservation of migratory species and collaboration on wildlife conservation issues among the countries of the Western Hemisphere." So reports the US Fish and Wildlife Service in its press release on the Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Conference held in Termas de Puyehue, Chile, 6-8 October 2003, with the participation of Margarita Astrálaga, Ramsar Regional Coordinator for the Americas. As the press release indicates, an interim steering committee has been chosen to help to build upon the momentum generated by the Conference, and Ramsar will continue to participate actively in this initiative. Here is the US FWS press release. [31/10/03]

Ramsar Advisory Mission under way for the Danube Delta. Ramsar's Tobias Salathé is in Kyiv and the Danube Delta Ramsar site called "Kyliiske Mouth" in Ukraine as part of a Ramsar Advisory Mission, 27-31 October, conducted jointly with the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme (Jan Kvets) to look at the proposed plans to construct a navigation channel through the Bistroye river arm in the core zone of the Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar site. More details to follow. [29/10/03]

Brazil names National Wetlands Committee. Created under a decree by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil's newly constituted National Wetlands Committee held its first meeting on 24 October 2003. Ramsar Secretary General Peter Bridgewater, who was in Brazil for discussions with the Ministries of Environment and Foreign Affairs, was able to participate and noted that the creation of the committee is a doubly significant step forward because of the natural difficulties of forming such a group in a federal state. The committee was presided over by João Paulo Ribeiro Capobianco, Secretary of Biodiversity and Forests, Ministry of the Environment, and in attendance were Joao Mauricio Cabral de Mello, Environmental Division, Itamaraty (Ministry of Foreign Affairs); Maurício Mercadante, Director of Protected Areas - Ramsar Focal Point, Ministry of the Environment; Raquel Breda, International Adviser, MoE; João Bosco Senra, Secretary of Water Resources, MoE; Valmir Ortega, Pantanal Program, Secretariat of Environmental Quality, MoE; Gilney Viana, Secretary of Sustainable Development; Rômulo Barreto Mello, Director of Fauna and Fisheries, IBAMA; Bernardo Brummer, UNESCO, and a number of NGOs. Maria Carolina Hazin, Ramsar's daily contact, made a short presentation on the Convention. The composition of the Committee means that there will be wide participation and discussion across a complex Ministry as well as with relevant external bodies and NGOs, which will significantly help to make the linkages between environmental conventions even more effective in Brazil and provides an excellent model for the future. [29/10/03]

Kapar Dedication ceremony on Waterbird Strategy Web site.Taej Mundkur, Regional Programme Director Asia and Asia-Pacific Waterbird Strategy Coordination Officer for Wetlands International, writes: "An informative and illustrated report has been posted on the 10 October dedication ceremony of the Kapar Ash Ponds to the East Asian-Australasian Shorebird Site Network. The site is the first for Malaysia. The event was organised excellently by the Tenaga Nasional Berhad, the national power generation company and owner of the site. Visit the Wetlands International Web site for more details." [29/10/03]

Vacancy announced. AEWA seeks Associate Technical Officer. The United Nations Environment Programme is seeking an Associate Technical Officer, to be based in Bonn, Germany, to work on matters concerning the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement.The official announcement from UNEP has been reprinted here.[link later removed] [29/10/03]

International Symposium on mangrove conservation."The International Symposium on Conservation and Wise Use of Mangroves in Southeast Asia", jointly organised by the Forestry Department of Brunei Darussalam, University Brunei Darussalam and the Ramsar Center Japan, was held on the 6th-8th of October 2003 in Bander Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. Attended by more than 80 participants and experts from Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Viet Nam, the symposium set out to present the results of a joint project on the wise use of mangroves by the three organising institutions, to receive comments and suggestions from the experts, and also to establish information networks for mangroves in Southeast Asian countries. Ramsar’s Lei Guangchun, Regional Advisor for Asia, gave a presentation on "The Ramsar Convention as an International Instrument for Mangrove Conservation and Wise Use" and strongly encouraged Brunei Darussalam to accede to the Ramsar Convention in the near future.Here's a brief report by Reiko Nakamura, Ramsar Centre Japan, with photos. [24/10/2003]

Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation celebrates its 25th anniversary. During the celebration, held on 22 October 2003 in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, Ramsar's Secretary General, Peter Bridgewater, delivered a keynote address where he praised the work of the trilateral cooperation between Denmark, Germanyand The Netherlands noting “Historically your three countries have been world leaders in promoting the need to establish and manage protected areas in a wider context.” The Wadden Sea area includes 8 Ramsar sites, collectively covering over 1,000,000 hectares. From a Ramsar perspective he urged the three countries “to remain vigilant” in their efforts to avoid the further loss and degradation of their wetland habitats as well as the negative consequences of the intensification of agriculture “and increase the degree to which your national boundaries become blurred in the management strategies pursued in the Wadden Sea.” Dr Bridgewater used the opportunity to launch the Durban Link, a 10-point action plan towards achieving more sustainable protected areas while solving other pressing social and environmental issues, agreed at the recently concluded World Parks Congress in  South Africa. Read Peter's keynote address here. The Durban Link is available in PDF format in Danish, Dutch, English and German here. [22/10/2003]

International seminar on the shores of Lake Sevan Ramsar site.Current issues of conservation and wise use of wetlands and wetland biodiversity in the European New Independent States was the subject of a seminar organized 15-19 September 2003 by the Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection and the NGO “Professional and Entrepreneurial Orientation Union”, with financial support from Ramsar’s Small Grants Fund and USAID (via Lakenet). The audience, including 64 wetland and Ramsar experts from western countries, central European EU accession countries and Central Asian states as well as a number of key international organisations, heard a presentation about Ramsar challenges as well as several case studies highlighting ongoing major programmes, such as the conservation of biodiversity in the Caucasus region, global action on peatlands, the trilateral Ramsar initiative in the Morava-Dyie floodplains and presentations of different national projects and plans. Ramsar’s Tobias Salathé attended this meeting and noted that the seminar “provided a useful test for subregional meetings to exchange and discuss current Ramsar topics and their relationship to the socio-economic reality of countries in transition”. Here's his report. [17/10/03]

World Atlas of Seagrasses launched. At ceremonies held on 15 October at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, UK, UNEP's World Conservation Monitoring Centre launched its new World Atlas of Seagrasses, a concise, well-illustrated 310-page summary of opinions and scientific work of the world's leading seagrass experts on the global status of the ecosystem. Edited by Edmund P. Green and Frederick T. Short, the book is the result of a project generously financed by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) of the UK, DFID, UNEP DEWA, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the International Coral Reef Action Network, and is available for purchase from the University of California Press. Keynote speakers at the launch ceremony were Mark Collins, Director of UNEP-WCMC, Elliot Morley, UK Minister for the Environment and Agri-environment, and Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention. Further information about the new Atlas can be found at http://www.unep-wcmc.org/marine/seagrassatlas/.[16/10/03]

Climate change and deltas seminar. Climatic change and foreseeable impacts on deltas: a new challenge for the conservation of protected areas was the title of a seminar organized 8-9 October 2003 by the Ramsar site managers network Delta chiama Delta ("Delta calls Delta") in the small lagoon town of Comacchio, seat of the administration of the Po Delta Regional Park of Italy's Emilia-Romagna region. The seminar was followed by a short boat trip to the Valli di Comacchio, the coastal lagoons transformed for fish farming and waterfowl hunting since ancient times, including a visit of the former eel harvesting and canning facilities at Serilla Casone, now turned into a historical museum and visitor centre evoking the many cultural and natural heritage values of the Comacchio lagoon Ramsar Site. Ramsar's Tobias Salathé reports on these and related events and concludes that "these gatherings are a sign of the many bottom-up activities generated in the Po Delta area by the Emilia-Romagna Regional Park and its many partners nearby and abroad. They present encouraging signs for the establishment of very active networks of wetlands (and Ramsar Sites) managers to exchange experience and lessons to be learned." Here is his brief report. [15/10/03]

Moldova designates the Lower Dniester. The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands is very pleased to announce that the Republic of Moldova, which joined the Convention in 2000, has designated its second Wetland of International Importance, effective 20 August 2003. Lower Dniester (Nistru de Jos) lies on both sides of the Dniester in Tighina and Slodozia districts and covers a surface area of 60,000 hectares. As Ramsar's Estelle Gironnet makes clear in her description of the site, based on the extraordinarily well-made Ramsar Information Sheets, the riverine habitats support a number of endangered and threatened bird and fish species and have an exceptional archaeological importance as well. Moreover, they help to complete the Ramsar status of the transboundary Dniester Delta, with two existing Ramsar sites in Ukraine. Here you will find Estelle's site description, and here you will find a page of nice photographs of the site, and here you will find a reprint of the exemplary RIS datasheets that accompanied this newest commitment by the Republic of Moldova to the well-being of its wetland resources. [14/10/03] [Français] [Español]

Vietnam adopts Decree on the conservation and development of wetlands. Pham Dinh Viet Hong, Ramsar Vietnam, reports that "a decision on the approval of a decree on the conservation and development of wetlands was signed by the Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on 23 September 2003", thus providing an important legal basis for promoting sustainable management of wetlands in Vietnam. Following this decree, she says, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will issue the "Strategic Action Plan on the Conservation and Sustainable Exploitation of Wetlands to 2010" and will make strong efforts to designate three new Ramsar sites over the next two years. Here is her brief report on the decree and planned follow-up. [13/10/03]

Announcement. Landscape Ecology Symposium set for March-April 2004.Nita Tallent-Halsell (tallent-halsell.nita@epa.gov), Research Environmental Scientist , USEPA/ORD/NERL, writes that "Dr. Bruce Jones and Nita Tallent-Halsell are pleased to announce that the Web site for the 2004 US-International Association for Landscape Ecology Symposium, 'Transdisciplinary Challenges in Landscape Ecology', to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, March 31 - April 2, 2004 (Short Courses March 30, Field Trips April 3&4) is now available at http://www.usiale.org/lasvegas2004/. We are looking forward to your participation. See you in March!" [13/10/03]

Now available.Ramsar-related Recommendations from the World Parks Congress. The Vth IUCN World Parks Congress was held in Durban, South Africa, from 8 to 17 September 2003, and Ramsar's Secretary General Peter Bridgewater participated as leader of the "stream" on Linkages in the Landscape and Seascape. All of the WPC's 32 Recommendations are available on the IUCN Web site, but those from the Linkages stream bear a particularly strong relevance to the Ramsar community, and those six have been reprinted here. The full report and other outputs of the WPC stream on Linkages in the Landscape and Seascape are also available on the Web site of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM). [10/10/03]

Now available.Standing Committee 30 draft agenda. The draft agenda is now ready in English, Français, and Español for the 30th meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee, which will take place 13-16 January 2004 in the IUCN/Ramsar headquarters building in Gland, Switzerland. Click here. [10/10/03]

Asian Waterbird Census Coordinators Workshop. Wetlands International is sponsoring the Asian Waterbird Census Coordinators Workshop in Kuala Lumpur, 9-10 October 2003, the first such workshop since the establishment of the AWC in Asia in 1987. Its purpose is to improve the communication between the national coordinators and to develop a strategy for the development of the AWC during 2004-2006. The Ramsar Bureau was unable to participate in person but contributed this statement to the Coordinators. [10/10/03]

From the Ramsar Forum.Wader Study Group charts decline in wader populations worldwide. The International Wader Study Group - a Specialist Group of Wetlands International and IUCN-The World Conservation Union's Species Survival Commission - has just held a technical workshop and Conference in Cadiz, Spain, which brought together 132 specialists from 20 countries to review the population and conservation status of waders (or shorebirds) around the world. The news is grim: David Stroud writes to the Ramsar Forum, "The Conference concluded that the majority of populations of waders of known population trend are in decline all around the world - a matter of international conservation concern. . . . Of populations with known trends, 48% are declining, in contrast to just 16% which are increasing: thus three times as many populations are in decline as are increasing." David's report to the Forum can be seen here, with some cute wader photos, and the meeting's conclusions and statistics have now been posted on the WSG's Web site, www.waderstudygroup.org. In addition, Ramsar's Nick Davidson has also reported on the meeting and included photos of the salinas at the Cadiz Bay Ramsar site. [09/10/03]

Appel de candidature.Secrétaire Exécutif de la Fondation Internationale du Banc d'Arguin. [link later removed] [09/10/03]

France joins AEWA. On 30 September 2003 France deposited its instruments of ratification of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). France will become as of 1 of December 2003 the 43rd Contracting Party to the Agreement. France covers 551,600 km2 and is in particular important to congregatory waterbirds. So are the coastal wetlands of importance for waders migrating to and from breeding and wintering grounds. This country is also of importance to wintering waterbirds e.g. Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber (40 % of the total European population), Dark-bellied Brent Goose Branta bernicla, Gadwall Anas strepera and Pied Avoset Recurvirostra avosetta. Over the last few months several countries of the EU joined. The last four EU countries are finalizing the internal process to join the Agreement in due course. The Secretariat hopes that this might be a clear signal of the value of AEWA regarding conservation of migratory waterbirds to Ranges States in other regions and that this will lead to more accessions in the nearby future. Finally on behalf of the Contracting Parties the UNEP/ AEWA Secretariat welcomes France to the 'AEWA family'. -- reported by Bert Lenten, Executive Secretary of AEWA. [09/10/03]

Now available. Wetland restoration in its legal context. At the Global Biodiversity Forum 17 preceding the Ramsar COP8 in Valencia, November 2002, Prof Roy Gardner of the Stetson University College of Law in Florida, USA, presented a very-well-received talk on the legal aspects of wetland restoration, especially in the Ramsar context, now supplemented by his comprehensive article in the Catholic University Law Review (Washington, D.C., USA), vol. 52, no. 3 (spring 2003), pages 573-620, entitled "Rehabilitating nature: a comparative review of legal mechanisms that encourage wetland restoration efforts". Prof Gardner's article first discusses the definition of the term "wetland restoration" and then began its analysis with "Restoration incentives in international law" (with a strong emphasis upon Ramsar but with due attention to the CBD, the CMS and its AEWA, and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, as well as the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol). Following which, he considers "Non-regulatory financial incentives to restore wetlands", then "Non-cash incentives outside of traditional, permit-based regulatory programs" and then "Restoration incentives in regulatory programs", including consideration of 'wetland mitigation banking' in the USA. With as much text in the footnotes as in the article, Prof Gardner's article offers not only a substantial review of the subject but a fine entry-point into the literature as well. Bill Streever (BP Exploration, Alaska), who created the Ramsar mini-Web site on wetland restoration for the Ramsar STRP, has successfully besought Prof Gardner to permit the re-publication of this important Catholic University Law Review article on this Web site in PDF format. Here is the enabling correspondence from Drs Streever and Gardner, and here too is the 2.1MB PDF article itself (you'll need Adobe's free Acrobat PDF Reader in order to view this file). [08/10/03]

Vacancy announcement.Ramsar opening for Intern for Africa (Vacance Ramsar pour stagiaire Afrique). The Ramsar Bureau welcomes applications for the position of Intern for the African Region / Assistant to the Regional Coordinator for Africa, a 12-month posting (possibly extendable to 18 months) in the Ramsar Bureau in Switzerland to begin 23 February 2004. With an age limit for applicants of 30 years old, the post offers an opportunity for young graduates to become acquainted with the workings of an intergovernmental treaty dealing with the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Candidates for this internship should be nationals of countries in Africa and have lived most of their lives in the region. Full ability to work in English and French is required for this post. Prospective candidates: please view the General Terms of Reference for Ramsar internships (also available from the Bureau), which includes conditions of service and salary structure, and send the application form (Word, PDF) attached to the General Terms of Reference, a covering letter, both in English and French, explaining your interest in an internship with the Ramsar Bureau and your future career goals, your CV including a photograph, as well as two letters of reference from your previous supervisors or dean of the faculty where you carried out your studies, to the Bureau's Administration Coordinator, Mrs Annette Keller, keller@ramsar.org. The deadline for applications is 31 October 2003. [07/10/03]

Sustainable management seminar concluded in Argentina. The International Seminar on Wetland Sustainable Management in Latin America took place in Paraná, 25-27 September 2003, organized by Fundación Proteger-Amigos de la Tierra, Argentina, with the support of Wetlands International and the Ramsar Convention. More than 700 participants from several parts of the world discussed and shared experiences regarding wetland sustainable management alternatives, and a number of important recommendations were concluded, including political commitments for a major Ramsar site designation along the 'Paraná Floodplain Fluvial Wetlands Corridor'. The press release from the Fundación Proteger can be seen here in English and Español, with photos, as well as a reprint of an article in English from the Buenos Aires Herald. [06/10/03]

Les zones humides et la ressource en eau - Guide technique. Les Agences de l'eau (France) proposent un guide à l'usage des gestionnaires sur " Les zones humides et la ressource en eau". Ce guide présente une synthèse des connaissances sur les zones humides et propose un ensemble de techniques à mettre en œuvre pour contribuer à une meilleure gestion de leur rôle fonctionnel et patrimonial. ICI. [29/09/03]

The Water Agencies (France) present a French-language guide book addressed to managers dealing with "Wetlands and water resource". This guide proposes a synthesis of the knowledge on wetlands and reports a set of techniques to be implemented in order to improve the management of their functional and patrimonial roles. It answers the most frequent questions through a hundred convenient cards about typology, functions, threats, actions, monitoring. HERE.

Workshop on Waterbird Conservation, Dafeng City, China, 4-6 November 2003. Zhang Xiaohong (wetgef@public.bta.net.cn) announces that a workshop on waterbird conservation, organized by Wetlands International-China Office and Dafeng National Nature Reserve will be held in Dafeng City in Jiangsu Province on the eastern coast of China from 4-6 November 2003. It follows an initial workshop held at Panjin, Liaoning Province in August 2002, in which the participants developed a list of recommendations for improving waterbird conservation in China. This second workshop at Dafeng will review and advance the implementation of these recommendations, and it will also help to progress the development of a National Implementation Plan for Shorebird Conservation in China. The workshop will be followed by a one-day visit to the Dafeng NNR coastal wetlands, one of the most important wintering and stop-over sites in the East Asian-Australasian Shorebird Flyway, a Ramsar site and a critical site for migratory waterbird and habitat management. The workshop and technical visit will provide a unique opportunity for participants to see examples of how wetlands conservation for waterbirds and can proceed. Here is the full announcement and programme and contact details. [28/09/03]

Czech Biosphere Reserve expanded to include Ramsar sites. Ramsar's Tobias Salathé reports that the Biosphere Reserve Palava (covering essentially limestone hills with an important biodiversity and many sub-mediterranean species), in the south of the Czech Republic, has recently been expanded to include the Dyje-Morava floodplains with its extensive oak forests (again with a specific assembly of important species supported). This brings the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve more in line with (and largely overlapping) the Ramsar sites "Lednice fishponds" and "Floodplain of the lower Dyje River" and can partly also be seen as a result of the international workshop organized in October 2003 by the Czech Man and Biosphere National Committee (with the participation of the Ramsar Bureau and others, reported here). Josef Chytil, until recently secretary of the Czech Ramsar Committee, working in the management authority of the now extended Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar site, has provided further detail and some excellent photographs, and a map as well. [26/09/03]

Now available. Framework for Himalayan Action Plan. In August 2002, the WWF International, the Ramsar Bureau, and the Government of the People's Republic of China organized a regional workshop in Urumqi, China, on 'Conservation of High Altitude Wetlands in the Himalayas'. This workshop marked the initiation of a regional cooperation on wetland conservation in the high mountain areas with a wide range of participation from countries in the Himalayan-Tianshan continuum. The workshop resulted in the 'Urumqi Call' for specific collaborative actions. In order to implement the Urumqi Call and the Ramsar Resolution VIII.12 on Himalayan wetlands, WWF International, the Ramsar Bureau, and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) jointly organized a follow-up workshop on 'Wetland Conservation and Wise Use in the Himalayan High Mountains' from August 30 to September 1, 2003, in Kathmandu (reported here). Now one of the outputs of that workshop, the Framework for an Action Plan on "Wetland Conservation and Wise Use in the Himalayan High Mountains", is available here and on the Web sites of the other workshop organizers. [25/09/03]

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.