The Ramsar Bulletin Board, 6 October 2010

First World Conference on Terraced Landscapes - Mengzi, China

From 11-15 November 2010 the government of Honghe Prefecture will be hosting the First World Conference on Terraced Landscapes in Mengzi, Yunnan Province, P.R. China. The Ramsar Convention Secretariat will be one of the collaborating institutions. More [05/10/10]

Second ‘Information Sharing Workshop and Training on Wetland Management’, Ramsar Regional Centre-East Asia Changwon, South Korea

The Second ‘Information Sharing Workshop and Training on Wetland Management’ organized by the Ramsar Regional Centre – East Asia (RRC-EA) took place from 13 – 17 September in Changwon City, South Korea. More [01/10/10]

New Project Management Officer for the Ramsar Secretariat

The Secretariat extends a warm welcome to Ms Virginie PIRENS as Project Management Officer. She will coordinate and administer the many activities undertaken and planned in partnership with, and with support from, the Danone-Evian Group. More | Français |Español [01/10/10]

International Training of Trainers Wetland Management Planning course, Netherlands, 22-23 September

The International Training of Trainers Wetland Management Planning course has just finished in Wageningen, Netherlands for 21 participants from 14 countries. This course, focusing on the facilitation of multistakeholder processes and curriculum development, is endorsed by the Ramsar Secretariat. More [29/09/10]

• Maria Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas will be attending the 14th Intergovernmental Meeting on the Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment Programme, 11th meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region and 6th meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) in the Wider Caribbean region from 5 to 9 October in Montego Bay, Jamaica. [29/09/10]

• DSG Nick Davidson and Monica Zavagli, Scientific and Technical Support Officer will be at Stetson University, Tampa Campus in Florida for two STRP workshops to advance on task 9.1 on mitigation and compensation for wetland loss guidance and task 2.4 on wetland & energy issues from 5 to 8 October. [01/10/10]
  

• Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe will take part in the second meeting of the BlackSeaWet Ramsar Regional Initiative (for coastal wetlands around the Black and Azov Seas) management board in Tulcea, Romania from 4-8 October.
  
  Tobias will then attend the first national Ramsar seminar on the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark, with large seabird cliffs that they plan to designate for the Ramsar List (an outcome of this year’s 2nd Nordic-Baltic Wetland Conference, organised in Norway as part of the homonymous Ramsar Regional Initiative) from 11-14 October. [01/10/10]

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

Internship opportunities at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)

Are you a recent graduate or enrolled in a graduate programme? Are you interested in making a difference in environmental research and policy? Do you have a commitment towards addressing issues of international importance related to water, environment and health? Are you looking for a research-focused work experience within the United Nations? If so, you may be interested in the UNU-INWEH Internship Programme. Next application deadline: midnight EST on Friday 1 October 2010. More [21/09/10]

Madagascar designates Nosivolo river and affluents

The Ramsar Secretariat is pleased to announce that Madagascar has designated its 7th Site of International Importance. Situated in a rich wetland area in the eastern part of Madagascar, ‘Rivière Nosivolo et affluents’ (358,511 ha; 20°03’S 48°07’E) comprises 130 km of main river system... More | Français |Español [17/09/10]

Vacancy Announcement - FIBA recruits a Programme Officer

The “Fondation Internationale du Banc d'Arguin” (FIBA), seeks a programme officer responsible for monitoring/evaluation of FIBA. The position would be based in Dakar, Senegal and the successful candidate is expected to enter duty by 15 November 2010. More [15/09/10]

A report on Niue’s preparations for joining the Ramsar Convention

Vainuupo Jungblut, the Ramsar Officer Oceania, traveled to the Pacific island nation of Niue from the 17-21 May 2010 to initiate their preparatory activities for joining the Ramsar Convention. More [15/09/10]

World Atlas of Mangroves: a global assessment of the state of the world's mangroves recently published

This atlas reveals that rare and critically important mangrove forests continue to be lost at a rate three to four times higher than land-based global forests. More [14/09/10]

Call for application to the Asian Waterbird Conservation Fund

The 'Asian Waterbird Conservation Fund' has been established to provide financial support to projects at site of importance for migratory waterbirds in the East Asia - Australasian Flyway. More [13/09/10]

Meeting of the International Contact Forum in the Barents Region, a platform for cooperation on habitat conservation

The sixth Meeting of the International Contact Forum on Habitat Conservation in the Barents Region was organized on 1 – 4 June 2010 in the old Russian city of Arkhangelsk by the Government of the Arkhangelsk Region, Institute of Ecological Problems of the North of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, WWF Russia, Province of Västerbotten (Sweden), Finnish Environment Institute, and Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management. More [10/09/10]

USA designates Roswell Artesian Wetlands in New Mexico

The government of the United States has listed its 27th Wetland of International Importance, the Roswell Artesian Wetlands (Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Bottomless Lakes State Park). As summarized by Sophia Mendez, Regional Assistant Advisor for the Americas, the Roswell Artesian Wetlands Ramsar Site (917 ha; 33°27’N 104°23’W) consists of a series of springs, seeps and sinkhole lakes located along the Pecos River but largely fed by natural groundwater discharged from the Roswell Basin; its wetlands contain two distinct areas: Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Bottomless Lakes State Park. More | Español [08/09/10]

Workshop to review implementation of the Regional Wetlands Action Plan for the Pacific Islands

From 2 to 4 August 2010, a workshop was held in Nouméa, New Caledonia to review the implementation of the 1999 Regional Wetlands Action Plan for the Pacific Islands, and to develop a new Action Plan for the coming three years. This was followed by a series of training session from 5-6 August on Ramsar implementation processes (for Ramsar Contracting Parties) and accession procedures (for non-Contracting Parties). More [06/09/10]

IUCN press release on African freshwater species threatened – livelihoods at stake

IUCN announced today that twenty-one per cent of freshwater species in continental Africa are threatened with extinction, putting the livelihoods of millions of people at risk. With so much to lose, inland waters must be managed not just for their supply of freshwater but also to sustain the abundant life within. More [01/09/10]

New staff member for the Secretariat

The Secretariat is very pleased to announce that Dr Paul Ouedraogo is expected to join the Secretariat at the beginning of November as Senior Advisor for Africa. A citizen of Burkina Faso, Paul has many years' experience in working on environmental matters, including forest and wildlife management as well as wetland conservation and sustainable use, both at local level and nationally. More [31/08/10]

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 ).