The Ramsar Bulletin Board, 17 January 2011

USA designates the Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetland Complex

The Government of the United States has listed its 29th Wetland of International Importance, the Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetland Complex (1576 ha; 38°24´N 122°47´W). As summarized by Ramsar’s Sofia Mendez from the RIS, the wetland complex is composed of seasonal and perennial freshwater wetlands such as creeks, ponds, marshes, vernal pools, swales, floodplains, riparian forest and grassland located in the Laguna de Santa Rosa Watershed. More | Español [14/01/11]

NatuRegio offers a vocational training programme for young professionals (not older than 40 years) working with Floodplain/Wetland/Aquatic Ecosystem and Protected Areas Management in the Central and Lower Danube River Basin (Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine). More [14/01/11]

Sad news

The Ramsar Secretariat is deeply saddened by the sudden death of Dorothea August on 11 January 2011 at the age of 35, following complications after a viral infection. Dorothea worked in the Ramsar Secretariat in 2005 and 2006 providing assistance and advice to the European countries. More [13/01/11]

« Bringing together all stakeholders of the lake Shkodra Region » - Small Grants Fund project successfully concluded in Albania.
Albania’s Small Grants Fund Project “Bringing together all stakeholders of the lake Shkodra Region” was successfully concluded a few months ago and was funded through a contribution by the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea. The one-year cycle SGF project has been carried out by the Regional Environmental Centre (REC) Albania in close cooperation with the Administrative Authority for the Ramsar Convention, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Administration of Waters in Albania. More [07/01/11]

How to mobilize the partners around Ramsar Sites?

After a first successful seminar in Evian in October 2009 (see our report here), a second seminar involving French Ramsar Site managers took place on 1-2 December 2010 on Ré Island on the French Atlantic coast. More [06/01/11]

Two new Ramsar Sites for the end of the year

USA designates Humbug Marsh in Michigan as its 28th Wetland of International Importance and Italy designates an alluvial plain as its 52nd Wetland of International Importance. More [22/12/10]

Belarus names its 9th Wetland of International Importance

Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve (85,149 ha; 54°38'N 028°30'E) is also listed as a Natural Area of Strict Protection, Important Bird Area and Important Plant Area. As summarized by Kati Wenzel, this Ramsar Site is located in the northern part of the country, in the Belarusian Lakeland area. The site lies on three administrative districts in the watershed of the Berezina and Essa rivers’ basins, Lepel and Dokshitsy districts (Vitebsk region) and Borisov district (Minsk region), its nearest industrial centre being Minsk city. More [21/12/10]

How to deal with coastal development pressures on Ramsar Sites?

From 28 September to 1 October 2010, the Ramsar Secretariat executed its 68th Ramsar Advisory Mission. Four experts, representing the regional authorities of the Balearic Islands, the Spanish Ramsar administrative authority (Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs) and the Convention Secretariat, assessed the conflictual situation created by the development of a golf course in a former dune area at the edge of the coastal Ramsar Site N°449 S’Albufera de Mallorca. More [21/12/10]

The holiday season is almost upon us, as well as the gift season!

So far the Ramsar Small Grants Fund 2010 has received funding for two projects but 38 excellent ones still need funding.

Is there any chance you still have some spare funds in your budget for 2010? Would you like to give these projects a chance to be implemented? If yes, you can learn more about our 2010 Project Portfolio here http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/sgf/SGFPortfolio2010.pdf and if one or more projects take your fancy, please do let us know (dufour@ramsar.org). Do not hesitate to contact us if you need further information on any of these projects. At this stage in the process we welcome both specific project donations and general contributions to the Fund. So please do what you can! [17/12/10]

Irish Government launch guidance document on Integrated Constructed Wetlands

On Monday 13 December 2010 the Irish Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr John Gormley TD., launched a new guidance document on Integrated Constructed Wetlands (ICWs). ICWs represent created or restored natural wetland systems that are designed not only to deal with farmyard and domestic wastewater but which also deliver on a range of benefits including flood management, landscape aesthetics, educational opportunities and biodiversity.

See here for more information. [16/12/10]

 Who's Where? 


Monica Zavagli, Scientific & Technical Support Officer and DSG Nick Davidson are in Cambridge, UK at UNEP-WCMC from 18-20 January 2011 for a STRP workshop on Ramsar Information Needs. [17/01/11]



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

Thailand names a marshland

The government of Thailand has designated Kut Ting Marshland as its 11th Wetland of International Importance. This Ramsar Site is located in the northeast region of Thailand and features many wetland types and habitats with a diverse array of species. Streams, lakes, marshes and flooded agricultural land are common in Kut Ting and as such, this site is a stunning example of an intact array of important wetland types in the Mekong Ecoregion. More [13/12/10]

Ramsar's Secretary General, Anada Tiéga delivered a speech today at the UNFCCC/COP16 in Cancun, Mexico. He highlighted the role of wetlands in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Read more [10/12/10]

First Terraced Landscapes Conference - Honghe, China, 11-15 November

The ‘First World Conference on Terraced Landscapes’ was held in Mengzi City, Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province, P.R. China from 11-15 November 2010. The meeting aimed to discuss the conservation of terraced landscapes worldwide, but with a particular focus on the Yuanyang Hani Rice Terraces that lie within Honghe Prefecture. The Ramsar Convention was one of the collaborating institutions for the conference since it provided an opportunity to promote Resolution X.31 ‘Enhancing biodiversity in rice paddies as wetland systems’, and to learn more about the issues facing rice terraces farming. More [08/12/10]

First Ramsar seminar on the Faroe Islands

On 12-13 October 2010, Ms Annika Olsen, Interior Minister of the Faroe Islands Government invited Ramsar experts and representatives of local ministries for a special meeting on the Ramsar Convention. The seminar was prepared by Bergur Olson of the Faroe Marine Research Institute, based on exchanges and ideas created during this year’s Nordic-Baltic wetland conference in April in Norway. More [07/12/10]

Irish Ramsar Committee created

On 27 October 2010, the new Irish National Ramsar Committee held its constitutional meeting in Dublin. A significant development for this long-standing Contracting Party that presently has 45 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, covering marine and coastal areas, sand dunes, saltmarshes, river headwaters and estuaries, lakes, reedbeds, swamps, peat bogs and karstic limestone areas. More [06/12/10]

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 ).