Cariwet in Paramaribo, Suriname hosts the 3rd meeting of the Regional Initiative for the Conservation and Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands

On 20 May, Mr Ginmardo Kromosoeto, Minister of Physical Planning, Land and Forest Management in Suriname, opened the Meeting of the Regional Initiative for the Conservation and Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands in Paramaribo, a UNESCO World Heritage site. On behalf of the President of the Republic of Suriname, his Excellency Desire Delano Bouterse, Mr Kromosoeto gave a warm welcome to the members of the initiative and the representatives of the different organizations present on site. Wetlands in the Caribbean are probably some of the least known, least protected and most threatened wetlands worldwide. It is essential that these wetlands are included in the development plans of Caribbean countries, he said. Read more | español [23/05/13]

Ramsar increases cooperation across Africa through two new partnerships

13 May 2013. Ramsar and Senghor University in Egypt signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to mark the commitment of both organisations to the conservation and wise use of wetlands. The purpose of this Memorandum of Cooperation is to provide a flexible framework for collaboration between the Parties, mobilizing University Senghor’s technical and capacity-building expertise for an improved implementation of the Ramsar Convention. See the MOC here [PDF].

23 May 2013. Ramsar and the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to support existing mechanisms in sustainable wetland management in the Albertine Rift and the Great Lakes region. Activities listed in this MoC include the development of joint work plans, and the enhancement of synergies and partnerships. Read the joint press release here | Download the MOC here.

Photos: (top) - Anada Tiéga (right), Ramsar Secretary General with Prof Albert Lourde, Rector of University Senghor. (Right): Anada Tiéga, Ramsar Secretary General with Sam Kanyamibwa, Executive Director of ARCOS.

The Republic of Nauru considers joining the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Report by Vai Junblut, Ramsar Officer for Oceania (ROO)

Vainuupo Jungblut, Ramsar Officer for Oceania (ROO), recently conducted an in-country assistance visit to the Republic of Nauru (April 29- May 9) after a number of initial discussions on accession to the Ramsar Convention on Wetland with the Nauru Department of Commerce, Industry and Environment (DCIE) dating back to 2011. The Republic of Nauru is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific, with an area of 21km2 and population of some 9,300 people. More [23/05/13]

Raising the profile of Russia’s wetlands

Forty five people involved in wetland communication from all over Russia, 18 presentations on their work, and two intense days of sharing, listening and discussing on 14 and 15 May has set Russia further along the way to a Wetland CEPA Action Plan (CEPA refers to communication, education, participation and awareness). This plan will be based on the activities of an effective network of wetland education centres and will be the first National CEPA Plan of its kind for Ramsar – a good model perhaps for other countries to follow*.  More [22/05/13]

Who's Where?

Maria Rivera, Senior Regional Advisor for the Americas and Sara Casallas, Assistant for the Americas are in Paramaribo, Suriname from 20-24 May to attend the meeting of the Caribbean regional initiative lead by Jamaica and Cuba. From 25 to 29 May they will be in Guyana, a non-Contracting Party to the Convention to make an introduction about the Ramsar Convention. [21/05/13]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Regional Advisor for Europe will be at the Unesco World Heritage Centre, Paris for the planning meeting of the Ramsar Culture Network steering group (to follow-up on DOC. SC46-10) on 13 May. He will then participate in the inaugural meeting of the new Finnish Ramsar Committee in Oulu, Finland, from 20-22 May. [08/05/13]

For more old Ramsar Secretariat travel news, see also 'Who Was Where', 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 , 2012

Yesterday's News

The International Day for Biological Diversity, 22 May 2013
Statement by Anada Tiéga, Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

On this Biodiversity Day, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands joins in worldwide celebrations and calls for more actions to conserve wetlands for the planet’s biodiversity and human well-being. It is urgent to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues to prevent the loss of many species of plants and animals that cannot survive without wetlands. Water and biodiversity are vital for human survival but today’s increasing pressures (such as the impact of a growing human population, intense demands for economic growth, imperatives for poverty eradication and improving people’s livelihoods), continue to take precedence over maintaining a healthy wetland biodiversity. More | español [22/05/2013]

The Arctic Biodiversity Assessment

The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council has released the “Arctic Biodiversity Assessment,” a report containing the best available science informed by traditional ecological knowledge on the status and trends of Arctic biodiversity and accompanying policy recommendations for biodiversity conservation. The Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA), involving over 260 scientists, has been produced by some of the world’s leading experts and was presented to the Foreign Ministers of the Arctic Council countries at the Arctic Council Ministerial on 15 May. More [21/05/13]

30th anniversary celebrations of the Ramsar Convention in Austria

The Austrian Federal Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (i.e. the “Life Ministry”), Nikolaus Berlakovich, the regional Minister Andreas Liegenfeld of the federal state Burgenland, and Mayor Vinzenz Knor welcomed many participants to the anniversary ceremony on the sunny terrace of Güssing castle to celebrate the implementation of the Ramsar Convention in Austria on 18 April 2013. More [17/05/13]

Cleanup of the Wadi Wurayah Ramsar Site, UAE

On 1st May 2013, the Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) and Fujairah Municipality, led 150 volunteers to carry out a cleanup of the Wadi Wurayah Ramsar Site. The event was attended by H.E. Engineer Mohammed Saif Al Afkham (Managing Director, Fujairah Municipality) and Mr. Anada Tiéga (Secretary General, Ramsar Convention of Wetlands). More [16/05/13]

CEPA stories now online - Share your own CEPA success story!

Read some of Ramsar’s CEPA Focal Points best success stories on our Ramsar Community website. Join us on a trip around the world with our interactive map and find out what our Focal Points did and why they felt it was successful. Your journey starts here http://community.ramsar.org/.

And what about your success story? Do you have a CEPA story to share? Click on the globe below the map and start writing, we’re waiting to hear from you! [16/05/13]

Visit by the Ramsar Secretary General to Oman and the UAE

From 27 April to 3 May 2013, the Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands, Mr. Anada Tiéga led a small team from the Secretariat of the Convention to the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates. More [14/05/13]

Vacancy for Intern/Assistant to the Senior Regional Advisor for Asia/Oceania Region

The Ramsar Secretariat welcomes applications for the position of Intern/Assistant to the Senior Regional Advisor for the Asia/Oceania region, a 12-month posting (possibly extendable up to 18 months) in the Ramsar Secretariat in Switzerland to begin at the end of October 2013. IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, provides administrative services for the Ramsar Convention, and more information and online application for this post is available on the IUCN website at: https://hrms.iucn.org/iresy/index.cfm?event=vac.show&vacId=546

The deadline for applications is 10 June 2013. Note: A candidate should SUBMIT HIS/HER APPLICATION ONLINE, USING THE LINK ABOVE. No other method of application will be considered. [13/05/2013]

Designation of three Bulgaro-Romanian Transboundary Ramsar Sites

Through a joint letter of 15 April 2013, the Romanian Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Bulgarian Minister of Environment and Waters have requested the Ramsar Secretariat to recognize three already earlier listed Ramsar Sites, part of the Lower Danube Green Corridor, as Transboundary Ramsar Sites. Read more. (07/05/13)

Management plan for the Beung Kiat Ngong Ramsar Site, Lao PDR

The Beung Kiat Ngong Wetland, Lao PDR was designated as a Ramsar Site in September 2010 when the country acceded to the Ramsar Convention. The wetland is unique because of its diverse range of wetland types, such as lakes, marshes, and peatlands, for being an important spawning site for fish, and for having a high biodiversity value. At the same time, the site also supports the livelihoods of some 11,500 people in 13 villages. More [06/05/13]

Turkey designates a unique volcano caldera

The government of Turkey has named as its 14th Wetland of International Importance the Nemrut Caldera (Nemrut Kalderasi), the caldera of the Nemrut volcano located on the western shore of Lake Van in the eastern part of Turkey (Eastern Anatolia) and one of the most important wetlands of Bitlis province. Read more. (03/05/13)

Oman becomes Ramsar’s 167th Contracting Party

UNESCO, the Ramsar Convention’s depositary, has informed the Secretariat that as of 19 April 2013 Oman has completed the formalities and deposited its instrument of accession with the Director-General, along with the required name and map of at least one Wetland of International Importance. Thus the Ramsar community can warmly welcome the Sultanate of Oman as the 167th Contracting Party, for which the Convention will enter into force four months from that accession date, i.e., 19 August 2013. Read more. (02/05/13)

Montelimar, Nicaragua: 3rd Meeting of the Regional Initiative for the Conservation and Wise Use of Mangroves and Coral Reefs

The meeting was opened by the Minister of Environment of Nicaragua, Mrs Juanita Argueñal who gave a warm welcome to the initiative’s country delegates and the representatives of the different organizations. The Minister highlighted the relevance to work jointly and with the communities to face the many challenges of environmental issues. More | Español [02/05/13]

Kiribati joins the Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Secretariat is delighted to welcome Kiribati to the Ramsar family as its 166th Contracting Party, for which the Convention, as amended in 1982 and 1987, will come into force on 3 August 2013. Preliminary information about Kiribati's first Ramsar Site, No'oto-North Tarawa, can be seen here. [01/05/13]