The Ramsar Bulletin Board, 1 September 2003

Headline story.Three sites in Ukraine removed from the Montreux Record. The Ramsar Bureau is happy to announce that the Ukrainian Ramsar Sites Karkinitska and Dzharylgatska Bays, Tendrivska Bay and Yagorlytska Bay, at the request of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and in consultation with the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), have now been removed from the Montreux Record of Ramsar sites where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur, established through Resolution IV.8 during COP4 (1990). In 1996, COP6 adopted Resolution VI.1 which provides in its Annex "Working definitions, guidelines for describing and maintaining the ecological character of listed sites, and guidelines for operation of the Montreux Record". The latter asks Contracting Parties to submit information, according to a specific "Montreux Record-Questionnaire", for assessing possible inclusion or removal of a listed site from the Montreux Record. This procedure has now been completed by Ukrainian authorities and the three sites have been removed as of 29 August 2003. More details about the sites and the steps that have been taken are available here. [01/09/03]

Headline story.Improved Web site for LakeNet.Lisa Borre writes: "On behalf of the LakeNet Secretariat, I invite you to preview recent improvements to our website at http://www.worldlakes.org. The new and improved website is the culmination of five years of information collection about lakes and their management which is now part of a searchable, online database. We hope it provides more and better information in an easier to use format and serves as a catalyst for effective work to protect and restore the health of lakes throughout the world. . . . Improvements to the website and information management system were made possible with grants from the United States Agency for International Development and the Global Environment Facility and with the cooperation of the International Lake Environment Committee (ILEC) in Japan and Saint Michael's College in Vermont. The website is still a work in progress and other features will be added in the coming weeks, including a universal search, program updates and online forms to send us information. As always, we welcome your feedback and encourage you to send us information for inclusion on the website or to participate in LakeNet's e-Forum by sending a message to mailto:info@worldlakes.org or by posting a message to the group at: mailto:lakenet@yahoogroups.com." More details here. [01/09/03]

Who's where? 

Gordana Beltram (Slovenia), Chair of the Ramsar Standing Committee, is visiting the Bureau today, 1 September 2003, for discussions with the Secretary General, Peter Bridgewater. [01/09/03]

Margarita Astrálaga, Regional Coordinator for the Americas, is in Habana, Cuba, for the 6th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), through to 5 September 2003. [29/08/03]

Guangchun Lei, Regional Coordinator for Asia, and his Assistant Liazzat Rabbiosi are in Kathmandu, Nepal, organizing the Ramsar workshop on "Wetland Conservation and Wise Use in the Himalaya High Mountains" with WWF International and ICIMOD, 30-31 August 2003. [01/09/03]

Montse Riera is in Durban, South Africa, seconded to IUCN to help set up and run registration for the World Parks Congress, 8-17 September 2003. [01/09/03]

From the Ramsar Forum.Query on habitat zoning in Ramsar sites.Russell Seaman writes: "Dear Forum members, During 2002 and 2003 the Department for Environment and Heritage in South Australia, Australia, has undertaken a project to classify and map location of habitats within the Lower Lakes and Coorong Ramsar area. A habitat mapping report will be available via the Web in the future. The next stage of this project is to develop a habitat-zoning plan. In developing the zoning plan the information collected during the first project stage will be consolidated and analysed. By using GIS analysis, a series of habitat zones will be developed and then compared against existing State and local government planning zones, structures, regulations and policies. Through this process, identification of planning compatibilities and conflicts can be analysed against the Ramsar habitat zones and recommendations provided for improvements in planning at a State and local government level. I am currently undertaking background research into the South Australian planning system, and land use planning in general. I would be interested if any Forum members have undertaken similar projects, any references or comments would be most appreciated. Regards, Russell Seaman, Ramsar Habitat Investigation Officer, Conservation Strategies, Regional Services, South East Department for Environment and Heritage PO Box 314, Goolwa SA , e-mail: seaman.russell@saugov.gov.sa.au. [29/08/03]

Ramsar Coordinator for Africa exits in a decorous manner. Mr Anada Tiéga, the Ramsar Bureau's high-performance Coordinator for Africa, is leaving the secretariat after more than six years in the saddle, bound for new horizons (well, familiar horizons) as project manager for a GEF project for the Lake Chad Basin (details here). What could be more fitting than that, in the venerable tradition of Ramsar Bureau regional dinners, an "Africa night" should occur just as Mr Tiéga is flitting out the door with a dignified, gentlemanly wave. On 22 August 2003, Ramsar Bureau staff and friends gathered in Signy, many wearing African or faux-African garb, to devour African cuisine and bid farewell to Anada Tiéga and his family. Join in. [29/08/03]

Abou Bamba selected to succeed Anada Tiéga. The Ramsar Bureau is delighted to announce that, from a short-listed field of exceptional candidates, Mr Abou Bamba from Côte d'Ivoire has been offered and has accepted the position of Regional Coordinator for Africa, succeeding Mr Anada Tiéga. Mr Bamba has been working most recently with the Network for Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa (NESDA) since 1998; first as Program Officer and Acting Coordinator, since 2001 as Coordinator. It is planned that he will enter the Convention's employment two weeks before the Ramsar Meeting of African Parliamentarians, to be held in Benin at the end of November 2003, working from Abidjan and then at the meeting before joining the Bureau in Gland, Switzerland, at the beginning of December. Here is a brief biographical summary of Mr Bamba's educational background and areas of work experience, prepared by Annette Keller, the Bureau's Administration Coordinator. [26/08/03] [français] [español]

Philip Weller named head of ICPDR. The Ramsar Bureau is particularly happy to welcome Philip Weller as the new Executive Secretary of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River. As the former director of WWF's Danube-Carpathian Programme, Philip was instrumental in forging close links among the 13 Danube catchment basin states and the European Commission that are parties to the Danube River Protection Convention, of which ICPDR is the operative arm. Philip was the driving force behind the Lower Danube Green Corridor Agreement (of which the Ramsar Bureau is a depository), signed in 2000 by Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine, establishing the largest transboundary wetland protection and restoration initiative in Europe. Philip, together with his former colleagues of WWF and three national NGOs in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, received a Ramsar Award in 2002 for the preparation of the transboundary Morava-Diye floodplain Ramsar platform and conservation initiative. Here are brief press releases from Ramsar's Tobias Salathé and from the UN Information Service, with a photo of Philip Weller in at the UN offices in Vienna with his predecessor, Joachim Bendow. [25/08/03]

Vacancy announcement.WWF Chair in Freshwater Ecosystems, UNESCO-IHE. The mission of UNESCO-IHE is to contribute to the education and training of capable professionals, carry out research, and build the capacity of knowledge centres and other organizations in the fields of water, the environment and infrastructure in developing countries and countries in transition. The IHE's Department of Environmental Resources provides post-graduate education and training to professionals in the fields of environmental science, technology, planning and management, and carries out research and capacity building projects in these areas. The main fields of attention within the department are: wetland ecosystems, pollution prevention and control, and the dynamics of environmental systems. In partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), UNESCO-IHE has recently established the WWF Chair in the Wise Use of Freshwater Ecosystems to advance research and training on solutions for the interconnected issues of water management, sustainable development, poverty reduction and ecosystem conservation. A vacancy announcement has been posted for the: WWF Chair, Professor in Freshwater Ecosystems and can be viewed here. [link later removed] [25/08/03]

Slovenia joins AEWA. Bert Lenten, Executive Secretary of AEWA in Bonn (aewa@unep.dc, http://www.unep-aewa.org) reports: "On 23rd of July 2003 Slovenia deposited its instrument of accession to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), and Slovenia will become as of 1 October 2003 the 41st Contracting Party to AEWA. Slovenia has a short coastal strip on the Adriatic Sea, an alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys with numerous rivers to the east. Despite its small extent covering only 20,256 km2, Slovenia has a rich biodiversity. Regularly a total of 103 species of birds of European concern breed in Slovenia, amongst others e.g. the Corn Crake (Crex crex). The minimum total population of this AEWA species in Slovenia is estimated at 500 calling males. The UNEP/ AEWA Secretariat welcomes Slovenia in the AEWA family and looks forward to a fruitful cooperation." [25/08/03]

10th WATC wetland management course under way. Ramsar's Tobias Salathé represented the Ramsar Bureau at the opening ceremony of the 10th International Course on Wetland Management run by the Dutch Water Management Agency's (RIZA) Wetland Advisory and Training Centre (WATC) in Lelystad. This edition of the course is likely to be a very successful one, based on the long experience accumulated by RIZA staff and course consultants over the past ten years, and this year's group of participants is particularly promising, wetland managers, reserve administrators, NGO educators and CEPA people, and others from Brazil (2), Bulgaria (1), China (2), Georgia (1), India (2), Lithuania (1), Mongolia (1), Philippines (3), Russia (2), Senegal (1), Switzerland (1), Turkey (1), and Ukraine (2). The good news is that this course stands as an international reference for wetland training in Ramsar principles and practice, and has been improved ever since its first edition ten years ago. The bad news is that, as a result of shifting priorities within the government, this will probably be the last year for the successful International Course on Wetland Management. Here's more detail and a few photos. [22/08/03]

Announcement.Wetland Conservation Policy: Examples and Progress on the World Scene -- An Open Invitation to Submit Papers for a special session during the INTECOL VII International Wetlands Conference, Utrecht, The Netherlands, July 25-30, 2004. Organizer: Clayton Rubec, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Ottawa, Canada. E-mail: clay.rubec@ec.gc.ca. Phone: 1-819-953-0485. "Wetland Policy is one of the key instruments that nations can use to assist in implementing the wise use of wetlands and is a cornerstone of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Convention adopted Guidelines for the Development and Implementation of National Wetland Policies in 1999 and has published this as part of the Ramsar Toolkit Series. Many countries are making progress in planning and delivering such policies or strategies and update reports have become standard information at Ramsar meetings of the Contracting Parties. However, an in-depth look at experience in applying these Guidelines and in understanding their utility as well as development of further actions to foster national wetland policies and strategies is essential. Colleagues with experience in leading forward policy initiatives and in their implementation, particularly where the Ramsar Guidelines have been used, are invited to contribute and present a paper in this Special Session during the INTECOL VII Wetlands Conference next year. A maximum of 10 papers will be accepted with an objective that they be gathered and edited for publication. Clayton Rubec of Canada, acting as the organizer of this session, invites you to contact him directly and be prepared to submit an abstract through the conference web server (www.bio.uu.nl/INTECOL)." [21/08/03]

'Flow: the essentials of environmental flows'. IUCN and its Water and Nature Initiative have published a very handy new guide to "environmental flows" -- the "water regimes provided within a river, wetland or coastal zone to maintain ecosystems and their benefits where there are competing water uses and where flows are regulated". Flow has been edited by Megan Dyson, Ger Bergkamp, and John Scanlon and includes a chapter on international legal instruments, including the Ramsar Convention, by Alejandro Iza and John Scanlon of the IUCN Environmental Law Centre in Bonn, with research assistance by Angela Casser, a recent ELC intern and Ramsar Bureau sort-of-intern. Mike Acreman (co-author of the Ramsar book Economic Valuation of Wetlands) is lead author for the chapter on "Defining Water Requirements" and assisted with the chapter on "Building Capacity". Here you will find a launch press release by Elroy Bos of IUCN as well as a link to opportunities to download a 1.3MB PDF version of the book and/or to order the hardcopy version from the IUCN Publication Services Unit in Cambridge, UK, for 30 Euros. [20/08/03]

From the Ramsar Forum - new Web site on catchment management for upcoming WPC. "Dear Forum members - those interested in the topic of managing catchment or river basins, and in particular how to integrate 'protected areas' into these approaches, may be interested in one of the workshop sessions that will be held at the upcoming World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa (8-17 September). One stream of the Congress is looking at Linkages in the landscape/seasape for which the lead organiser is Dr Peter Bridgewater (formerly with UNESCO-MAB and now Secretary-General of the Ramsar Convention). WWF's Living Waters Programme was invited to help bring together a workshop under this stream to look in particular at The role of protected areas in integrated catchment management. The programme is now in place and abstracts are assembling, so to allow likely participants to get across the issues we've set up a mini-web site http://www.mainstream.com.au/ParksCongress.htm. The approach we plan to take is indicated in the running title given to the session, From mountains to sea. For those not going to Durban, we will give you feedback on this workshop afterwards. Regards. Bill Phillips." Dr Bill Phillips, Director, MainStream Environmental Consulting, Canberra, Australia (mainstream@mainstream.com.au; Web sites: www.mainstream.com.au and www.wetlandshelp-line.com). [19/08/03]

Announcement.I Curso Taller sobre Gestión de Humedales, Chetumal, México, Septiembre 2003. Amigos del Manatí AC convoca a su I Curso Taller sobre Gestión de Humedales próximo a realizarse en la Cd. de Chetumal, Quintana Roo. Mayores informes a leer la Convocatoria. [19/08/03]

From the Ramsar Forum.Peatlands as Ramsar sites. See some pertinent questions and useful replies from the Ramsar Forum, 15-18 September, on how to identify, delimit, and designate peatlands for the List of Wetlands of International Importance. Click here. [19/08/03]

From the Ramsar Forum. Call for comments on Draft Code of Conduct on mangroves. Alfredo Quarto, Director of the Mangrove Action Project, will be attending the Workshop on Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Mangrove Ecosystems in Washington, D.C. (USA), 16-17 September 2003, and has posted to the Ramsar Forum a request for comments on the text to be discussed there, the Draft Code of Conduct for the Sustainable Management of Mangrove Ecosystems, prepared for the World Bank by the Centre for Tropical Ecosystems Research (cenTER), University of Aarhus, Denmark, and the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME). Alfredo's message is available here, inviting comments either to him to be communicated to the workshop or directly to Mr Ron Zwieg of the World Bank. The Draft Code is a 1.7 megabyte PDF file which can be downloaded here. [since removed] [18/08/03]

Upcoming meetings.IV International Wetlands Symposium, Zapata Wetlands, Matanzas, Cuba, 3-11 October 2003 : "The Conservation and Sustainable Use of Wetlands in next millennium". Sponsors: Ramsar Convention, (CITMA) Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment, (CNAP) Cuban National Center for Protected Areas, Cuban Hydraulic Society. Thematic areas of the conference: National Policies, Planning and management of wetlands, Economic evaluation of wetlands, Communication, education, and public knowledge, Impact of the international cooperation in the management and sustainable use of wetlands. Further information from Alain Lambert, lambert@ramsar.org. [18/08/03]

The 10th Anniversary of the Ramsar COP5, Kushiro Conference -- International Workshop on Wise Use of Lagoon Wetlands, 23-25 July 2003. A workshop was held to provide an opportunity to learn, exchange ideas, and explore the solution for the conservation, restoration, and wise use of the lagoon wetlands in Asia including Japan, as well as aiming at expanding the network among researchers, NGO staffs, and governmental officials who cope with these issues nationally and internationally. The Organizing Committee was comprised of Kushiro International Wetland Centre, Foundation of Hokkaido River Disaster Prevention Research Centre, Hokkaido Development Engineering Centre, and Ramsar Center Japan. Some Anatidae Network Sites and from other key sites for Anatidae in Japan also joined. Hopefully, more details on the workshop will follow here soon. For further information in the meantime, contact: Ms. Reiko Nakamura ramsarcj.nakamura@nifty.ne.jp, Ramsar Center Japan. [18/08/03]

China holds training course on monitoring of Ramsar sites.Bao Daming of the State Forestry Administration, the Convention's Administrative Authority in the People Republic of China, has reported on a recent training workshop held for managers and technical workers in China's 20 Ramsar sites. Here is the brief summary, with a few photos. [14/08/03]

Iran re-routes highway to preserve Anzali Mordab Ramsar site. Dr. Massoumeh Ebtekar, Vice President and Head of the Department of the Environment (DOE) of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has informed the Ramsar Bureau on 11 August 2003 about some recent achievements in the conservation and wise use of wetlands in her country. The Anzali Mordab (Talab) Complex in Gilan province is a large and scenic wetland with significant biodiversity. In recognition of its importance the site was designated as a Wetland of International Importance in 1975 - one of the first Ramsar sites - and added to the Montreux Record in 1993. In recent years road construction was undertaken in the area, with plans to route part of it though particularly sensitive areas of the wetland. Due to a likely adverse environmental impact on the wetland, this road-building project has now been stopped. The Government of Iran, with the full support of the President, has approved the recommendation of the DOE to create a detour, and the budget necessary for this re-routing will be provided by the Ministry of Roads and Transportation. Remaining parts of the new road will be constructed in line with environmental regulations and best practice. The DOE has initiated a comprehensive plan for protection and management of this wetland, located on the Caspian coast, which is being supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. According to government officials, these measures will ensure the conservation and wise use of the wetland in accordance with the principles of the Ramsar Convention. [13/08/03]

Conservation Finance Alliance. IUCN has recently reported: "The most recent credible estimate of the total annual costs to operate an effective, representative global protected areas system is US $45 billion, yet current expenditures to manage the existing global protected areas network are estimated at US $6.5 billion. The quantum leap required to attain a level of funding sufficient to ensure a sustainable future and halt global biodiversity loss has driven 19 institutions, including IUCN and the Ramsar Convention, to establish the Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA). The Alliance strives to accelerate the delivery of conservation finance solutions by collaborating in areas where working together is more effective than working alone. The CFA will catalyze increased and sustainable public and private financing for large-scale biodiversity conservation efforts, including Multilateral Environment Agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Financing is also an issue that will be debated at the upcoming 5th IUCN World Parks Congress to be held in South Africa in September." Ramsar's Alain Lambert is Chair of the CFA, and present members include The Nature Conservancy, USAID, Ramsar, RedLac, the Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF, Conservation International, Germany's GTZ, the UN Development Programme, and the National Parks Conservation Association. A PDF version of the CFA's brochure is available on the IUCN Web site, http://www.iucn.org/info_and_news/press/cfabrochure.pdf, and the CFA Web site, hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Society, can be seen at http://www.conservationfinance.org/. (12/08/03)

News from the SGF.Belarus, Lithuania and Russia complete transfrontier wetland project. The Small Grants Fund 2001 "Inventory of important transfrontier wetlands in Belarus, Kaliningrad Region of Russia and Lithuania" is the second part of a two-year project launched by OMPO (Migratory Birds of the Western Palearctic), an environmental NGO which develops programmes for the conservation of African-Eurasian migratory birds and their habitats. A detailed inventory using the Ramsar criteria and classification of 11 important transboundary wetlands (total area over 100,000 ha) was performed -- seven wetlands shared by Lithuania and Belarus and four shared by Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Region of Russia. For each of them, a complete Ramsar Information Sheet was prepared. Ramsar's Estelle Gironnet provides more details on the projects, the sites, and the prospects for the future, with some excellent photographs supplied by Dr. Saulius Svazas, program coordinator OMPO/Vilnius, Lithuanian Institute of Ecology. [12/08/03]

Anada Tiéga's farewell and next assignment. The Ramsar Bureau's Regional Coordinator for Africa is leaving the Convention's direct employment at the end of this month and moving on to manage a GEF project that will allow him to continue some of the most important work that he has been developing in recent years for Ramsar. As project manager of the Reversal of Land and Water Degradation Trends In the Lake Chad Basin Ecosystem project, he expects to be well placed to ensure that Ramsar principles and practices are fully embodied in the continuing transboundary cooperation amongst the members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. Here is his brief message of farewell and description of his new post. [11/08/03]

Ramsar Bureau says goodbye to departing Secretary General and eats a ton of seafood in a wok. Following a dizzying round of farewell parties and extravagant testimonials to Delmar Blasco's eight-years' tenure as Secretary General, the staff of the Ramsar Bureau were feeling left out and pondered amongst themselves how best to commemorate this milestone of the Convention in a fashion that would be, not only suitable and tasteful, but also far more spectacular than the champagne-charged testimonials of other nations and organizations. Briefly, there was a sense of insignificance and despair, but the Ramsar Bureau has a secret weapon. Namely, Carlos Villalba (seconded by the Spanish Government, luckily right now when we needed him most), who can do wonders with layout in next to no time, and kaboom! we were away. Here are discreet photos of the Bureau's paella party for Delmar Blasco and a few glimpses of the book of mementos presented to him to, in some cases, his good-natured embarrassment. And views of the seafood as well! Click here and enter another world, however briefly. [07/08/03]

Equatorial Guinea joins the Convention as its 138th Contracting Party. The Ramsar Bureau is very pleased to announce that the Republic of Equatorial Guinea has completed the accession process, as of 2 June 2003, and UNESCO has informed the secretariat that the Convention on Wetlands, as amended in 1982 and 1987, will enter into force for Equatorial Guinea on 2 October 2003. The new Party has designated three Ramsar sites at the time of accession, though details about them are presently rather sketchy. The territory of Equatorial Guinea comprises the mainland area of Río Muni bordering Cameroon and Gabon, the island of Bioko in the Bight of Biafra, where lies the capital city Malabo, and several other smaller islands in the Gulf of Guinea, some quite distant from the coast. Two of the three new Ramsar sites are located at the northern and southern extremes of the mainland, and the third is not part of the mainland at all -- The Isla de Annobón, which lies some 350km off the coast, is a small island of some 7km by 3km with touristic importance, all or some of which has been designated as a Nature Reserve for its large numbers of migratory birds and important vascular plants. The Reserva Natural del Estuario del Muni (80,000 hectares) in the mainland south is an area of estuaries and near-coastal highlands characterized by dense forest, inundated forest, and peat meadows; Río Ntem o Campo is a Nature Reserve along the Ntem river, which forms the frontier with Cameroon in the nation's north. The Bureau's African regional team will very soon be following up with authorities in the new Party to establish the information about these sites that is required by Resolutions of the Conference of the Parties, but here is what is known about them at the present time. The Convention on Wetlands extends its warm welcome to Equatorial Guinea as it joins the Ramsar family. [06/08/03] [français] [español]

Technical manual for sampling water quality at Ramsar sites [version en español]. Numerous Resolutions and Recommendations of the Convention have called for greater technical attention by the Parties to the quantity and quality of the water associated with wetlands. In particular, Resolution VII.25 (1999) on Measuring environmental quality in wetlands requested the Contracting Parties to intensify studies on the presence and significance of toxic substances in the water, sediments and biota of wetlands. Now SEHUMED, the Sede para el Estudio de los Humedales Mediterráneos (the "Seat" for the Study of Mediterranean Wetlands) at the University of Valencia, has produced a succinct and practical text the purpose of which is to provide a technical review of methods for carrying out such sampling and making biological, physical and chemical determinations. Recommendations for sampling water, biota and bottom sediments in Ramsar wetlands / Recomendaciones para la toma de muestras de agua, biota y sedimentos en humedales Ramsar is a 226-page illustrated softcover volume that includes both the Spanish original and English translation - it was prepared primarily by Drs Enrique Andreu Moliner and Antonio Camacho González, with the collaboration of Spanish academic colleagues, and published on behalf of SEHUMED, MEDWET, and the Ramsar Convention by the Dirección General de Conservación de la Naturaleza (DGCN) of Spain's Ministerio de Medio Ambiente in Madrid. It includes prefatory words by DGCN director Inés González Doncel and Ramsar's Delmar Blasco and covers a full range of technical aspects of water sampling techniques and chain of custody, sampling of organisms and ecotoxicity, and dealing with muds and sediments.

Now available.Summary of Ramsar COP8 from IUCN's Environmental Law Programme. Dr Alejandro O. Iza's brief article summarizing the results of Ramsar Convention's 8th COP in November has been published in the IUCN's Environmental Law Programme Newsletter. Dr Iza, of the Environmental Law Centre in Bonn, approaches the strengths and weaknesses of the COP results from the point of view of the international legal questions that were considered there, and his short paper adds an interesting perspective. It is reprinted here. [05/08/04]

New addition to the Ramsar Sites Database Team. "Wetlands International is delighted to welcome Karin Schneider von Deimling who today joins the Ramsar Sites Database team in Wageningen as a Technical Assistant. Karin, a German national, is a biologist/geographer by training, with an MSc in remote sensing applied to water conservation, and previously worked on technical and species databases supporting the Secretariat of the Convention on Migratory Species, Bonn. The other members of the Ramsar Sites Database Service are Ellen Dieme-Amting and Dineke Beintema-Hietbrink, and we are pleased to have a full strength team at a time when the Sites Database is undergoing rapid and exciting changes." -- Doug Taylor, International Science Coordinator, Wetlands International. [04/08/03]

Now available.White Storks monitoring in Kenya. In a project begun in 1997, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Environment, Youth & Family and the Provincial Government of Styria provided financial assistance, through the Ramsar Convention Bureau, for the "Austrian-African Migratory Birds Project", for research and monitoring of White Storks Ciconia ciconia in Kenya and possibilities for site-twinning. Executed by staff from the National Museums of Kenya, the Kenya Wildlife Service, and the East African Wildlife Society, in the period 2002-2003 this project not only counted 41,000 wintering birds at 19 sites around the country, but also organized training workshops and public awareness activities for local communities. The report for September 2002-March 2003 is available here. [04/08/03]

Announcement.Vacancy at World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge. UNEP-WCMC have announced a vacancy for a Senior Programme Officer, to be based in Cambridge, UK. The announcement is available here[link later removed] and expressions of interest should go to personnel@unep-wcmc.org. [04/08/03]

New Secretary General takes up the reins. Dr Peter Bridgewater today assumes the post of Secretary General of the Convention. In a short message, he has said: "I am really pleased to be able to join the Convention at this important stage in its development. As I write this, I am in Canberra, Australia, where parts of the country are suffering from drought not seen for over 100 years. And it is the same in Europe. As this is the International Year of Freshwater, these events assume special meaning, and our Convention assumes a new role and new responsibilities. Wetlands are key to conserving, purifying and providing water, as well as key in conserving biodiversity and cultural diversity. The mutual interactions between people and wetlands must become a focus for study, understanding and action by the Convention in the next decade, as part of the global drive to enhance our freshwater supplies.

To emphasise these issues I have provided the wetland image for this Web page (right), a painting by artist Robert Ingpen, using fine art drawings by Botanical artist Celia Rosser, of the Ramsar site known as Western Port Bay in Victoria, Australia. This picture illustrates the relationship between art, science and conservation, and underlines the need for effective communication and education about wetland issues. So, in the last months of the Year of Freshwater, think water, think wetlands, think wise use, think Ramsar!" Click here to see this image at a better size. [01/08/03]

Valediction from the Secretary General. On his last day as Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands, Delmar Blasco has a brief farewell message for the Ramsar family. You can find it here. [31/07/03]

Vacancy announcement. Wetlands International seeking new CEO. Wetlands International, an NGO with 19 offices worldwide, over 140 staff, and an annual turnover of about €10 million, is seeking a new CEO, to succeed Simon Nash. The postholder will be based in Wageningen, The Netherlands, and is the chief managing officer, responsible to the Board of Members. The CEO will be required to: manage the global organisation, including responsibility for personnel, finances and budgets, fund raising, manage the Netherlands office and support promotional and communication activities; support the science-based program; support the Board of Directors; and represent the organisation with members, partners, and intergovernmental bodies. The announcement and terms of reference have been reprinted here[link later removed] and can be seen on the Wetlands International Web site as well. [31/07/03]

Visit to Ramsar sites in Malaysia. During a recent visit to the region, Ramsar's Regional Coordinator for Asia, Dr Guangchun Lei, took the opportunity to visit recently designated Ramsar sites in Johor State in Malaysia, including the southernmost point of mainland Asia. There he viewed the promising management steps being taken and made several recommendations, and he urged his hosts to place the Tanjung Piai site on the Montreux Record so that expert advice could be sought to how to deal with increasing erosion in just the past few months caused by wave action from new international sea port nearby. Here is a brief report, with photos. [31/07/03]

Algeria designates 13 varied new Ramsar sites. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ramsar Administrative Authority in the Republic of Algeria, has newly designated 13 additional Wetlands of International Importance. In studies assisted financially by the Living Waters Programme of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF International), the Ministry has presented well-researched Ramsar Information Sheets on an array of wetland types in various parts of the country. There are several "chotts" or seasonal salt lake/flats (we learn that the word "chott" means "border" in Arabic, referring to the vegetated ring surrounding the salt flat itself, which is properly called a "sebkha"), mostly in the steppe area in the north of the country between the northern and southern ranges of the Atlas mountains. We also have a "gueltate", in Tamanrasset, one of the rocky terraced pool systems found in the high mountains in the south, not unlike the fascinating Ramsar site at Issakarassene. There is a karstic subterranean hydrological system, Ghar Boumâaze, said to be the largest cavern network in Africa, with remarkable flora and fauna both inside and out. And a classic set of oases, complete with the fouggaras, those communal water-channeling system a thousand years old that we learnt about from Algeria's previous designations in February 2001. As well as a few lively pools and marshes lying behind dune systems along the Mediterranean coast. And as well as geothermal springs in the Ksour mountains into the bargain. Special thanks have to go to the Algerian authority for these superb new designations, particularly to Dr Ammar Boumezbeur who led the research efforts, as well as to WWF International for the long involvement of the Living Waters Programme in the safeguarding of these important North African sites. Brief descriptions of the new sites can be found here.

Vacancy announcement. IAIA -- Technical Programme Manager (TPM) position.Call for proposals for IAIA programme on capacity building for biodiversity in impact assessment. Our colleagues at the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) are establishing a new programme on capacity building for biodiversity in impact assessment and would like to receive proposals for detailed development and delivery of the programme from candidates who would be interested in the role of Technical Programme Manager (TPM) for this exciting new initiative. The call for proposals is reprinted here [link later removed], and the other relevant documents are procurable on the IAIA's Web site, http://www.iaia.org. [30/07/03]

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.