The Ramsar Bulletin Board, 2 September 2004

Headline story. Dominican Republic's protected areas law raises concerns. The Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention reiterated last week his concern about the new law on Protected Areas which was approved by the Parliament of the Dominican Republic but which is now undergoing litigation as to its unconstitutionality. On the occasion of the nomination of H.E. Dr. Leonel Fernández as the new President of the Dominican Republic, the Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands, Dr Peter Bridgewater, reminded the Government of its international obligations regarding protected areas. [02/09/04]

¿Qué futuro para los humedales de la República Dominicana? El Secretario General de la Convención de Ramsar reiteró la semana pasada su preocupación acerca de la nueva ley sobre áreas protegidas aprobada por el Parlamento de la República Dominicana pero actualmente demandada por inconstitucionalidad. En ocasión de la toma de posesión de S.E. Dr. Leonel Fernández como nuevo Presidente de la República Dominicana, el Secretario General, Dr. Peter Bridgewater, recordó al Gobierno sus obligaciones internacionales en materia de áreas protegidas. Más aqui.

Announcement.High Andean Wetland Symposium set for Salta, Argentina, 14 to 18 February 2005. The High Andean Flamingos Conservation Group has been working for the past eight years for the conservation of the three flamingo species inhabiting the Andes. The conservation of high Andean wetlands requires transboundary cooperation and common training, research and monitoring programmes. The High Andean Wetland Symposium will provide an exchange opportunity for scientists and wetland managers, as well as for writing the final draft of the High Andean Wetland Strategy, which was discussed in March this year in Ecuador, following Ramsar's Resolution VIII.39 on High Andean Wetlands. The Symposium is sponsored by the Danone-Evian Foundation through funds administered by the Ramsar Convention. More details are available here. [01/09/04]

Simposio de Humedales Altoandinos - Primera circular: Salta, Argentina – 14 al 18 de febrero de 2005. El Grupo Conservación de Flamencos Altoandinos trabaja desde hace ocho años en la conservación de los flamencos altoandinos y sus ambientes con un enfoque regional. Dado qua la conservación de los humedales altoandinos requiere de cooperación transfronteriza y programas comunes de capacitación, investigación y monitoreo, el simposio propiciará el encuentro de científicos y administradores de humedales, y servirá para redactar el borrador final de la Estrategia de Humedales Altoandinos, cuyas discusiones iniciales tuvieron lugar en Quito, Ecuador, en marzo de 2004, en cumplimiento de la Resolución VIII.39 de Ramsar. El simposio está patrocinado por la Fundación Evian –Danone a través de fondos administrados por la Convención de Ramsar. Más información aquí.

Ramsar staff news. New Assistant Advisor chosen for Asia region. The Secretariat is pleased to announce that a new Intern/Assistant Advisor for Asia has been selected from a very strong field of candidates, to begin in late November and to replace Ms Liazzat Rabbiosi who will by then have been helping with Asian issues for the past 18 months. Ms Shahzia Mohsin Khan from Bangladesh is currently working with the IUCN Bangladesh office, where she has responsibility for project development for wetlands, implementing a trade and environment project on sustainable shrimp industry, and coordinating IUCN membership and commissions in Bangladesh. She has also worked on local community management issues in the Tanguar Haor Ramsar site, and on indicators and early warning systems for the Sunderbans wetlands. Shahzia has a degree in environmental sciences from the North South University, Dhaka, and is presently completing a Master's degree on rural development and development economics. It is hoped that she will be able to join the Secretariat soon after participating in the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Bangkok, 17-25 November 2004. [31/08/04]

Ramsar staff news.Annette Keller retires after years of service to IUCN and Ramsar. Annette Keller, presently the Convention's Human Resources Officer, joined IUCN in 1983 and participated in the logistics side of the early Ramsar COPs in 1984 and 1987, in the days when IUCN provided the secretariat duties for the Convention. Following the creation of the permanent Ramsar secretariat, Annette joined the Bureau, as it was then called, and served for many years as Small Grants Fund officer and Administration Coordinator, amongst other roles. For her logistical help, in any number of languages, to generations of Standing Committee, STRP, and COP participants over many years, she is doubtless one of the best known and most appreciated of all Ramsar staff members, and the first who's made it to retirement. Annette is extraordinarily active in cultural and charitable affairs and a great traveler, and one feels that her retirement from the burdens of the secretariat will be welcome to her and put to very good use. With, of course, nostalgic reflections about Ramsar from time to time. Here are some photos of Annette's retirement party and her congratulatory letter from the Chair of the Ramsar Standing Committee. [30/08/04] Photos of Annette Keller's last Ramsar staff meeting. [01/09/04]

Who's where?

Peter Bridgewater, the Secretary General, is visiting UNEP in Nairobi, Kenya, for a first meeting on international assessment of the impacts of agriculture and an Environmental Management Group meeting. He will then go on to Kampala, Uganda, 2-3 September 2004, to evaluate the progress there in preparing for COP9. [30/08/04]

Yesterday's News!

First of the Ramsar COP9 regional meetings announced. The preparations for the Ramsar Convention's triennial Conferences of the Parties (COPs) are complemented by regional meetings in which the Contracting Parties and environmental organizations can work together to develop common responses to issues scheduled for discussion at the COP. The substantial results of the eleven regional and subregional meetings held before Ramsar COP8 (Spain, 2002) can be seen here. In advance of Ramsar COP9 (Uganda, 2005), one regional meeting is presently planned for each of the regions of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe, and there are hopes that one can be arranged for the Oceania region as well. The 3rd Panamerican regional Ramsar meetingis now being organized for 7-12 November 2004 and will be hosted by Mexico in Merida in the Yucatan, with financial assistance from the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This will be a focused working meeting for national Ramsar delegates and observers and Ramsar partner organizations, not necessarily very interesting to the general public, but further details, the agenda, and the registration forms in English and Spanish can be found here. [26/08/04]

Lithuania signs up for AEWA. Lithuania has recently submitted its instruments of accession to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement and will become the Agreement's 48th Contracting Party as of 1 November 2004. Here's a succinct report on Lithuania's considerable waterbird virtues contributed by UNEP-AEWA's new Technical Officer in the AEWA secretariat of the Convention on Migratory Species, Sergey Dereliev, former Ramsar intern and Assistant Advisor for Europe. [26/08/04]

Nominations sought.Luc Hoffmann Medal for Wetland Science and Conservation. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Wetlands International announces a new award - the Luc Hoffmann Medal for Wetland Science and Conservation. The award will be presented every triennium in honour of Luc Hoffmann, one of the founders of Wetlands International and a continuing source of inspiration and support to those who share his passion for wetlands. It has been established to highlight Luc's belief that effective nature conservation activities need to rely on good science, as well as in recognition of his own outstanding achievements in this field. The award will be conferred to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in one or more of three categories: scientific research; communication, education and/or public awareness; and wetland management. Max Finlayson's call for nominations can be found here. [25/08/04]

News from the Secretariat.Ramsar welcomes a new staff member. The Secretariat is delighted to announce that Ms Catherine Loetscher is joining the team in the full-time position of Administrative Assistant. Catherine's native language is French but she has excellent knowledge of English, Spanish, and German as well and has considerable administrative work experience both in the French- and German-speaking parts of Switzerland and in Spain. She will be joining the "executive support team" and has already attended her first Ramsar staff meeting with no ill effects. We welcome Catherine to the Ramsar community. [25/08/04]

Ramsar Oceania officer appointed in Samoa. In order better to promote the Ramsar Convention and the conservation of wetlands and water resources in the Oceania region, a new subregional outposted office of the Convention has been created in Samoa and a new subregional adviser was designated last week. With strong experience in environmental issues in the region, Mr. Seiuli Vainuupo Jungblut will work under the supervision of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to provide the Small Islands States and Territories of the Oceania region with support for wetlands and water conservation and management. In particular, he will help the countries join and implement the Ramsar Convention. This new outposted office of the Ramsar Convention has been possible thanks to the support of the Australian Government, the US Government, SPREP, and WWF International. Here is the Ramsar and SPREP press release with further details, in HTML and PDF. [24/08/04]

Ramsar, governments, and international organizations critical of Ukrainian canal. Several international organizations and countries, including the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, UNESCO, the Government of Romania, Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Shröder, and the Government of the United States of America, have expressed their deepest concern regarding Ukraine’s repeated deafness to the recommendations of the international community. The country’s project to build a navigable waterway through the Bystroye arm of the Danube delta has raised significant international opposition, as the project is affecting an important natural area listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance and the core zone of a UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve, as well as a national protected area in Ukraine. Here you will find the text of the Ramsar press release protesting the further work on this canal and offering technical assistance in finding a solution to the problem. [24/08/04]

Stockholm, world water capital. The 14th World Water Week, 16-20 August, finished recently in Stockholm, Sweden. During one week of debates and discussions, delegates analysed the main issues related to water and its management. One of the topics was particularly relevant to the Ramsar Convention: the development of a global convention on the human rights to water. The Secretary General of the Convention, Peter Bridgewater, was present in the discussion to explain the prominent role Ramsar has to play in this project. In his statement, Bridgewater stressed the "necessity to take into account and maybe use and increase the existing international agreements instead of investing too much effort in the difficult endeavour of creating a new convention on water". Bridgewater reminded the participants of the existence of the Ramsar Convention and the central role it can play on the water issue.

Spyros Kouvelis, coordinator of the MedWet Initiative under the Ramsar Convention, also participated in the Water Week sessions, bringing the Mediterranean experience to the discussions on the issue of "comprehensive assessment: identifying opportunities in the water-food-environment nexus". Another key session was a briefing discussion on the upcoming CSD13 (UN Commission on Sustainable Development, 13th meeting), to be held in New York in April 2005, in the presence of H.E. John Ashe, chairman of the CSD Bureau. The Secretary General pointed out that the Convention was available to implement immediately aspects of the decisions foreseen from CSD - a comment underlined by the panel on integrated water resources management. -- Sebastià Semene Guitart, Ramsar Secretariat. [23/08/04]

From 17 to 21 May 2004 there took place in Zagreb, Croatia's capital, the 3rd international conference of the European Centre for River Restoration (ECRR), organised jointly withCroatian Waters (Hrvatske Vode), the national water management authority.Nearly 40 conference papers were focused upon river restoration as part of integrated water management, on technical solutions to reconcile user conflicts in the river basin, on public awareness and support to river restoration, and on restoration projects in countries in economic transition. The Proceedings, including those conference papers, are now available in hardcover and in PDF format -- more details here. [23/08/04]Now available. Third ECRR International Conference on River Restoration.

Progress on the Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Initiative. The first meeting of the Interim Steering Committee of the Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Initiative took place in Sarapiquí, Costa Rica, 10-13 August 2004, and Ramsar's Margarita Astrálaga reports that representatives of Colombia, Costa Rica, Santa Lucia, Uruguay, and the United States, as well as the Ramsar and CMS Secretariats, WWF, BirdLife International, American Bird Conservancy and the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network were all on board {photo left}. A draft strategy document was hammered out painstakingly and will be distributed for comment throughout the region in the coming months, and the participants were able to groundtruth the strategy themselves in big rafts on the Sarapiqui river. Margarita's brief report on the objectives and the outcomes of the meeting includes a summary of her other discussions with government and NGO colleagues on the implementation of the Convention in Costa Rica and provides a useful update. Here is her illustrated report. [20/08/04]

Niger names three important Ramsar sites in the Niger basin. The government of Niger, which has been taking vigorous steps in recent years, with the energetic assistance of WWF International's Living Waters Programme, to designate for the Ramsar List a number of extremely valuable wetland areas along the Niger River and in the Lake Chad Basin, has recently listed three new sites, totaling over three quarters of a million hectares along the Niger and two of its former tributary valleys from the north. Ramsar's Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, was able to present Niger's president, Mamadou Tandja, with "site diplomas" for the three new sites at President Jacques Chirac's meeting in Paris on 26-27 April 2004, "Partenariat international pour le Bassin du Niger: vision partagée, de la stratégie vers un plan d'action", and now that the site datasheets have been thoroughly gone over by the Africa team in the Secretariat, the new RSs can be added to the List of Wetlands of International Importance. The three sites are Dallol Bosso (376,162 hectares), Dallol Maouri (318,966 ha), and Zone humide du moyen Niger II (65,850 ha) in the Niger floodplain. [17/08/04]

Paraguay designates another Ramsar Site in the Chaco. Following Laguna Chaco Lodge, listed in october 2003, Laguna Teniente Rojas Silva in Boquerón department joins the Ramsar List as of 14 July 2004 as the 6th Ramsar Site in the country. Fundación DeSdelChaco was instrumental in supporting the designation and preparing the Ramsar Information Sheet. As described by Ramsar's Iván Dario Valencia, based upon the Ramsar Information Sheet, the Laguna Teniente Rojas Silva (8,470 hectares, 22º38’S 059º03’W) is part of the watershed of the Riacho Yakaré Sur in the Paraguayan Chaco and alternates between freshwater and brackish conditions. Here is his brief report in English and Spanish. [16/08/04]

Paraguay designa un nuevo sitio Ramsar en el Chaco. Tras la inclusion de la Laguna Chaco Lodge en la Lista de Humedales de Importancia Internacional en octubre de 2003, la Laguna Teniente Rojas Silva se convierte en el sexto sitio Ramsar de Paraguay. La Fundación DeSdelChaco apoyó la designación y elaboró la Ficha Informativa Ramsar. Más.

Progress on the MA's Ramsar Synthesis Report. Deputy Secretary General Nick Davidson is in Kuching (Sarawak), Malaysia for the meeting of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment's Ramsar Synthesis Report Team (16-18 August). The Team, co-lead by Max Finlayson (STRP Chair) and Rebecca D'Cruz (former Ramsar Bureau Regional Coordinator for Asia) will be preparing the first full draft of this important MA product for the Ramsar Convention. The Synthesis Report will summarise and highlight key findings of the full MA chapters on the Conditions and Trends of Wetlands, future scenarios, and response options, in a succinct and accessible form for use by Ramsar Contracting Parties and all others concerned with the conservation and wise use of wetlands. The contents of the Synthesis report is being guided by the set of key questions setting out Ramsar's information needs from the MA, which were prepared by the Scientific and Technical Review Panel in the early days of the MA process. Later this year, the draft report will be circulated for review to all Ramsar Administrative Authorities and the STRP, before the report is finalised and published in 2005. [16/08/04]

INTECOL7 calls for wise use of wetlands. The 900 participants in the 7th INTECOL International Wetlands Conference, 25-30 July 2004, in Utrecht, The Netherlands, summarized their conclusions and recommendations in the so-called "Utrecht Declaration on Wetlands", in which, amongst other things, they called upon the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention to act upon "their obligation to identify all sites within their territories that can be classified as wetlands of international importance and ensure the conservation and wise use of these sites". The text of the Utrecht Declaration, borrowed from http://www.bio.uu.nl/intecol/declaration/, has been reproduced right here. [13/08/04]

Parliamentarian Hiroyuki Tani presses for Ramsar values in Japan. The Honorable Hiroyuki Tani, a member of the Japanese Diet (Parliament), who paid a visit to the Ramsar Secretariat in December 2003, has recently met with Ms. Yuriko Koike, Minister of the Environment in Japan, on the 3rd of August 2004 in order to discuss Ramsar issues in Japan. Specifically he urged the designation and sustainable management of more Wetlands of International Importance before COP9 and encouraged the government to facilitate the participation of NGOs and local communities in the Ramsar Site designation process. Here is a very brief illustrated report of that meeting. [13/08/04]

Wetlands Centre Australia plans national forum. The Wetlands Centre Australia is launching The Wetland Innovation Series through a National Forum. Entitled Innovations, Obligations and Incentives, the Forum will be held on Tuesday 21st September 2004 at The Wetlands Centre, 10 minutes from Newcastle in the lower Hunter Valley. The Forum will focus on: Interpretation and update on all significant legislation and reforms affecting development adjacent to wetlands in NSW, and Providing central access to cutting-edge approaches for managing activities in wetland catchments, including planning and policy-making; urban design; assessment and prioritisation; incentives and tools. The Wetland Innovation Series is designed to challenge current thinking and practice. It will provide direct access to up-to-date knowledge, tools and technology, and key players and specialists in the field of wetland management from across Australia. Here is the announcement, sent to us by Kylie Yeend, Project Officer, Hunter Ramsar Communication Strategy, with a link to a PDF brochure which includes application forms. [13/08/04]

From the Ramsar Forum. The National Flood Insurance Program, USA. "Can anyone recommend a good reference describing the National Flood Insurance Program in the USA. I am particularly interested in what happens when properties suffer repeated loses, whether the Program facilitates owners moving out of the risk zone and what happes to the property afterwards. I have had a quick look at www.fema.gov/nfip/ but couldn't find a good general text that addressed this issue. Many thanks. Duncan" Dr Duncan Huggett, Habitats Policy Advisor, The Environment Agency (duncan.huggett@environment-agency.co.uk). [13/08/04]

Ramsar welcomes the Marshall Islands as its 140th Party. The Secretariat is extremely pleased to welcome another new Party from the Oceania region, the Republic of the Marshall Islands - the procedure for accession has been completed on 13 July 2004 and the treaty, as amended by the Paris Protocol of 1982, will therefore come into force for the Marshall Islands on 13 November 2004. The new Party's first Ramsar site, Jaluit Atoll Conservation Area (69,000 hectares, 06°00'N 169°34'E) is a large coral atoll comprising 91 islets with a land area of 700 ha enclosing a large lagoon and including diverse and relatively pristine marine and terrestrial habitats, such as reefs, sandflats, seagrass beds, mangroves, and sand cays. There is a considerable range of relatively healthy marine species populations of reef fish and invertebrates, and though terrestrial species are more limited there are turtle nesting beaches and seabird roosting islands in relatively stable condition. A human population of fewer than 2000 people practices a subsistence lifestyle. Traditional land ownership and resource management have been effective, but as resource uses fall increasingly under local government councils, there has been a decline in sustainable management awareness and practices. Potential threats include over-harvesting, especially of marine species for off-island markets, and the prospect of rising sea levels associated with global warming. A management plan is in effect, and the new site designation data, prepared by John Bungitak of the EPA, has benefited by the work of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and of Bill Phillips of Mainstream Consulting with funding provided by WWF. [12/08/04]

Now available.STRP midterm 2004 photos. From 20-24 July 2004, members and observers of the Convention's Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), joined by invited technical experts including authors of chapters of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the CBD Secretariat and the Chair of the Standing Committee, met in a series of intensive and very successful workshops in Wageningen, the Netherlands. The workshops were hosted by Wetlands International as part of their provision of the STRP Support Service. The final results of their labors are not to be viewed by the general public until Ramsar COP9 in November 2005, but a brief report of the meetings can be seen here, and here are the photos. [11/08/04]

Asian Wetland Symposium 2005: Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Livelihood, February 2005, India. "We are pleased to inform you that The Asian Wetland Symposium 2005: Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Livelihood will be held on 6-9 February 2005 in Bhubaneswar and Chilika Lake, India, jointly organized by Ramsar Center Japan, Chilika Development Authority, the Department of Forest and Environment, the Government of Orissa and the Ministry of Forest and Environment, India. The Symposium will be the third opportunity of the regional wetland symposium which aims to synergize cooperation among all stakeholders to achieve the wise use of wetlands in Asia and the Pacific. The organizers call on every academician, wetland manager, government official, university student, NGO, community leader, media person and nature lover who is concerned with the conservation of wetlands to come and join the forum. Further information and on-line registration are now available from the Web site http://www.aws2005.com. [link later removed] We are looking forward to your positive participation." - Reiko Nakamura, (reiko.nakamura@nifty.com), Secretary-General, Ramsar Center Japan. [10/08/04]

WWD materials to be available on CD-ROM as well. Every year since 1997, the Ramsar Secretariat has produced a number of materials to help people liven up their World Wetlands Day celebrations, and these have been distributed free of charge. This year, the design of a colorful WWD poster and three new stickers is proceeding on schedule, and the results should be ready by mid-October. As in the past few years, we would like to encourage everyone to consider personalizing and/or translating these materials in national or local languages so that they have more direct relevance to local audiences, and especially to consider printing them in his or her own country if large numbers are required. Thus, the print versions of the poster and stickers for 2005 will also be made available in a choice of two electronic formats: CD-ROM 1 (Quark): QuarkXpress Passport 4.11 and CD-ROM 2 (Photoshop): Adobe Photoshop 6.0. [09/08/04]

Announcement.IWRM course set for October. This year's 5-day Integrated Water Resources Management course, sponsored by the World Bank Institute and the Swiss Development Corporation, will be held 11 to 15 October 2004 in Divonne, France (near Geneva), co-hosted by UNITAR and the WMO with contributions from FAO and IUCN. The convener, Dr Keith Kennedy, Executive Director of IWRM.org (www.iwrm.org), says that the course "provides policy-makers, water managers, operators, stakeholder representatives including water-user associations and NGOs, the opportunity to directly address challenges of sustainable development (SD) targeted at aspects of improved comprehensive and effective water resources management. It focuses on strengthening their ability to impact and implement means of reaching SD particularly related to water sector reform in their country/region. . . . The course looks carefully at key policy, institutions, legal and regulatory considerations and economic principles as well as critical interaction of social, ecosystem and hydrologic dimensions in fair and reasonable practices in water management." The brochure is available here in PDF format [since removed], and more information can also be got from the IWRM.org and WBI Web sites. [10/08/04]

Novedades del Centro Regional Ramsar para la Capacitación e Investigación sobre Humedales en el Hemisferio Occidental. En cumplimiento del Convenio entre el Gobierno de la República de Panamá y la Secretaría de la Convención, así como de la Resolución VII.26 de la COP7, el 5 de enero del 2004 inició operaciones el Centro Regional Ramsar, luego de un proceso de varios meses para la selección de la Directora Ejecutiva y la asignación de la partida presupuestaria aportada por Panamá, como capital semilla para su operación inicial. Durante los primeros seis meses de gestión, ha enfocado sus esfuerzos en el desarrollo de una estructura legal y operativa que incluye su reconocimiento mediante una ley (Ley No.33/2004), el establecimiento de los sistemas administrativos y financieros, el plan estratégico y de trabajo, la línea base para la evaluación de su desarrollo institucional y el diseño de diversos proyectos. Por otra parte, se está realizando un diagnóstico regional dirigido a identificar las necesidades de fortalecimiento de los puntos focales de la Convención así como de otros actores relevantes en la región para los ecosistemas de humedales, con base en el cual se diseñarán los diversos programas de capacitación que el Centro ofrecerá, considerando que como parte de sus objetivos se encuentra apoyar el cumplimiento del Plan Estratégico de la Convención Ramsar y las prioridades de los países miembros.

Adicionalmente, se están concretando alianzas estratégicas en diversos sectores tanto a nivel de organizaciones no gubernamentales nacionales e internacionales, como de organismos internacionales. Un ejemplo de ello ha sido su participación como miembro fundador del Centro Internacional para el Desarrollo Sostenible (CIDES). Igualmente, está organizando su primer taller regional sobre manejo de humedales, a realizarse en noviembre del presente año. Con esta base de trabajo durante sus primeros meses de existencia, el Centro Regional Ramsar, está delineando sus áreas de acción que continuará desarrollando durante el próximo año en cuatro pilares estratégicos: capacitación, investigación, política y operatividad. [09/08/04]

Mekong wetland biodiversity programme launched. A new US$ 30 million programme to promote conservation and sustainable use of the biodiversity of wetlands in the lower Mekong Basin was launched in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Representatives from the governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam attended a ceremony held in Vientiane on 19 July 2004 to launch the scheme. The Mekong River Basin Wetland Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use Programme (MWBP), led by UNDP Lao PDR, is a joint initiative between UNDP, IUCN - the World Conservation Union, and the Mekong River Commission (MRC). Working in partnership with the governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam as well as civil society organizations, NGOs and rural people, the programme is the first of its kind to undertake a combination of assessments, dialogues and pilot interventions addressing a range of ecological, economic and social challenges to the region. Further details can be seen in this timely press release sent to us by Dr. Charlotte MacAlister, MWBP Program Manager, Environment Division ~ Mekong River Commission Secretariat. [06/08/04]

Ramsar to assist in legal debates on alien species. In a few months' time, Ramsar's Secretary General, Dr Peter Bridgewater, will be helping to evaluate the finalists in a worldwide environmental legal competition sponsored by the Stetson University college of law in Florida, USA. The Ninth Annual International Environmental Moot Court Competition, 28-30 October, will focus on the hypothetical problem of the legal and policy issues associated with an alien invasive species and its impact on a wetland of international importance. Law students from around the world compete regionally to earn a spot in the competition, and this year teams from eight countries including Australia, Canada, India, and South Korea will be participating. View here a press release reprinted from the Stetson University Web site. [06/08/04]

MedWet prepares for the 6th MedWet Committee meeting. MedWet/Com will be holding its 6th meeting in Algeria in mid-December 2004, and MedWet Policy Adviser Nejib Benessaiah visited the venue 16-19 July to view the preparations. In collaboration with Mr Ammar Boumezbeur, the Ramsar focal point in the government, and Ms Nassima Aghanim, former Ramsar staff member and now Executive Secretary of MedWet's North African Wetlands Network Focal Unit, Nejib got to take a good look round the facilities and provide this encouraging photographic report.[08/06/04]

Lesotho becomes the Convention's 139th Party. The Ramsar Secretariat is delighted to report that UNESCO, the Convention depositary, has notified us that on 1 July 2004 Lesotho deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention on Wetlands, as amended by the Paris Protocol (1982) and Regina Amendments (1987), and the Convention will therefore enter into force for Lesotho on 1 November 2004. The new Party's obligatory first Wetland of International Importance is "Lets'eng-la-Letsie", a human-made lake and associated marshes covering 434 hectares along the Mohlakeng River, a far-upstream tributary of the Orange River which descends through South Africa and Namibia to the Atlantic Ocean. The area is a "biodiversity hotspot" in the Drakensberg Mountains area. A more substantial description of the fascinating new Ramsar Site, with some stunning photographs, will follow after the site data has been studied by the Africa team in the Secretariat, but in the meantime we welcome Lesotho to the Ramsar family as our 139th Contracting Party. IUCN's Southern Africa regional office has been extremely helpful in moving the accession process forward. [05/08/04]

Wetland Professionals Platform launched at 7th INTECOL Wetlands Conference. At the closing session of the 7th INTECOL Conference in Utrecht, The Netherlands, on 30 July 2004, Dr. Gordana Beltram, the Chair of the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention, officially launched the "Wetland Professionals Platform". The platform, a joint initiative between the RIZA institute, Lelystad, and UNESCO-IHE (Institute for Water Education), Delft in the Netherlands, will provide space for wetland professionals worldwide to interact, exchange information, announce events and training opportunities, and much more. [05/08/04]

Lake Chad Basin Commission and the CHADWET Initiative. The 51st Session of the Lake Chad Basin Commission was held 21 to 22 June 2004, amongst other business, the Commissioners expressed satisfaction with the take-off of the Lake Chad Basin Initiative and decided that the five pilot projects undertaken within the framework of the LCBC/GEF project (all coinciding with existing or planned Ramsar sites in the Lake Chad Basin) be considered as concrete contribution to the CHADWET Initiative launched in June 2003 at Izmir (Turkey). Here is a by Anada Tiéga, formerly of the Ramsar Secretariat and now the GEF project manager. [05/08/04]

News from Ramsar's STRP Working Groups. From Tuesday to Saturday last week (20-24 July 2004), members and observers of the Convention's Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), joined by invited technical experts including authors of chapters of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the CBD Secretariat and the Chair of the Standing Committee, met in a series of intensive and very successful workshops in Wageningen, the Netherlands. The workshops were hosted by Wetlands International as part of their provision of the STRP Support Service. The workshops reviewed progress against the large number of tasks in the Panel's 2003-2005 Work Plan, and made significant progress in refining and further developing technical review papers and a suite of guidelines and advice for Contracting Parties, for consideration by COP9 in 2005. [30/07/04]

Announcement.European Ramsar Meeting: change of date! The 5th European Regional Meeting on the implementation and effectiveness of the Ramsar Convention will be held in the Armenian capital Yerevan in early December, at the invitation of Armenia's Environment Minister Mr Ayvazyan, sent to more than 200 Ramsar focal points throughout Europe's 44 Contracting Parties. Up to the initial deadline for registration (15 July), 53 delegates have done so. However, we know that many more European delegates have the intention to participate. In order to assure the best possible organization of the meeting, we ask you to register now, by sending the attached registration form to the Ramsar Secretariat at: europe@ramsar.org. Registered participants will receive more details of the meeting over the coming weeks.

Please note that the meeting will start and end one day earlier than originally announced: starting Saturday 4 December 2004, closing on Wednesday 8 December. This is for purely practical reasons: though there are daily flights from Moscow to Yerevan, from Vienna, London, Paris, Prague, Athens and other European cities flights only operate on specific days of the week, many of them arriving in Yerevan on 3 December and departing on the 9th. [28/07/04]

More to follow. Watch this space. Feedback and suggestions are welcome to: the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, 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 Secretariat.