The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Conclusions of the Mediterrean Wetlands Committee 3, April 2000

Third meeting of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee
Djerba, Tunisia, 1 - 5 April 2000

This report contains the general context, guiding principles, approaches to implementation and proposed specific actions for the inclusion of cultural issues in the management of Mediterranean wetlands. In particular it addresses implementation through the MedWet Initiative. These conclusions were developed in a technical session during the MedWet/Com3 meeting in Djerba, Tunisia (1-5 April 2000). The overall aim of the technical session was to examine through increased understanding of Mediterranean cultural and historical features ways of enhancing their inclusion in the sustainable use of wetlands in the region.

1. General context

1.1 Since the dawn of civilisation people around the Mediterranean Basin have lived in close contact with wetlands, have used their natural resources and other values, and have managed their water in a variety of ways. This close and long-standing relationship has resulted in the evolution of strong cultural links and structures that have developed from the social dynamics of each century. Water and wetlands have long shaped how Mediterranean peoples have lived their lives.

1.2 In turn, the traditional links of people to Mediterranean wetlands have determined customs and beliefs that still continue to influence the attitude of contemporary local societies. But, as in many other parts of the world, these linkages have weakened as increasingly technological solutions to water and food security, and an increasingly urbanised population, has led to the widespread deterioration and loss of wetlands.

1.3 There is much to be valued in the traditional ways of coping with life in this often arid and semi-arid region. Yet there is still insufficient recognition by many decision-makers and wetland managers of the important role that socio-cultural aspects can and should play in the sustainable management of Mediterranean wetlands. Cultural aspects have generally been little taken into account in Mediterranean wetland conservation programmes.

1.4 Although in the last century the traditional links between wetlands and cultural heritage in the region have been greatly eroded and many of the cultural elements have been lost, this trend could be reversed with the growing appreciation and conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the region. Maintaining, restoring and enhancing cultural elements can increase the emotional and historical links of local populations to their wetlands, so making their conservation more practicable. In addition, such cultural aspects of the environment can provide a strong attraction for visitors, so contributing to resourcing the sustainable use of wetlands.

1.5 It is therefore important to draw conclusions from positive past experience of sustainable use of wetlands and water resources and sustainable agricultural practices. Adaptation of such past knowledge and experience, much of it residing in the cultural history of local peoples, can contribute to meeting contemporary needs. This must be in close co-operation with the local population and the representatives of civil society. Widening the application of this approach would not only enhance the sustainability of wetland management but also contribute to poverty alleviation.

1.6 There are some particular characteristics of the Mediterranean region that provide a focus for the manner and priorities with which cultural aspects of wetlands should be incorporated into their current and future management. These include the very long and continuous history of the close relationship between peoples, water and wetlands, and the urgent need to address recurrent and current drought as a phenomenon.

1.7 Under its Mediterranean Wetland Strategy, the MedWet Initiative is committed to achieving the wise use of Mediterranean wetlands and, under Operational Objective 2.2 of the Strategy, to "promote and reinforce the specific cultural aspects of wetlands in each locality, by encouraging relevant historical research and involving local educational and cultural institutions" (Local action 2.2.3). The guiding principles and specific actions identified below should also be considered in the context of the guidance on the involvement of local communities in participatory wetland management that have been adopted by Ramsar COP7 in Resolution VII.8 (Ramsar Toolkit Handbook 5).

2. Guiding Principles

The following Guiding Principles for the inclusion of cultural aspects in the sustainable use of wetland resources in the Mediterranean region were identified by the MedWet/Com3 technical workshop:

2.1 The survival of wetlands and of the human cultures associated with them are inextricably linked, and each can benefit from actions to maintain the other. An understanding of the cultural aspects of wetlands is increasingly recognised as an essential element in the sustainable management of the wetland resource. This is needed at different spatial scales (local, national, regional, river basin), different times-scales since historical knowledge can make a vital contribution, and cross-sectorally so as to ensure shared understanding and action by institutions and decision-makers.

2.2 It is now generally accepted that it is not possible to secure the sustainable management of wetlands by removing them from local use. Local community involvement, including their knowledge of cultural and historical features of the wetlands should be based on an interdisciplinary approach involving both natural science and people and society. This should be incorporated at an initiation stage in any sustainable development project activity: it is not appropriate, as often occurs, to add a socio-economic aspect only at the end of a project that has focussed only on natural sciences. Conversely, engineering and socio-economic projects need to incorporate natural resources and biodiversity components from their inception.

2.3 The water security and other values and services that wetlands provide to local communities should form an essential part of any impact assessment of development management projects, and local communities should be involved from the earliest stages. This is particularly important since it is often the indigenous peoples and poorer communities that are most vulnerable to the consequences of the loss of their traditional access to and use of wetlands (e.g. loss of water and food security) as a consequence of major sectoral developments.

2.4 It is should be recognised that a cultural and historical knowledge of communities and their relationship with wetlands is much more than just the curation of historical built structures and artefacts. It extends to:

• past and present collective mechanisms (such as irrigation and drainage associations) that have marked social relations both within and between communities,
• oral and written traditions, myths and stories, which can throw light on communities’ positive and negative attitudes towards wetlands, and
• the arts, including festivals, that maintain or promote the relations of societies to their natural environment.

2.5 There is much to be learnt from historical and cultural solutions to water resource and wetlands management, yet these have increasingly been ignored and superseded by more technological and engineering-focussed approaches. Models inherited from the past, when adapted to the circumstances of the present, can provide perspectives for future sustainable management. This is particularly the case in relation to developing sustainable responses to recurrent droughts and increasing salinisation of soils in the Mediterranean region.

2.6 Gender issues should be fully taken into consideration in the inclusion of cultural issues in wetland management, and in particular the role of women in the use and management of wetlands and water resources since it is often they who, for cultural reasons, are most affected by change and loss of availability or access.

2.7 Legal and institutional frameworks for the management of Mediterranean wetlands and national policies, strategies and plans need to incorporate social and cultural aspects, at both a national scale and at a site level particularly where wetlands are of importance for both their biodiversity and natural resource reasons and their social and cultural significance.

2.8 Education and public awareness of the cultural values of Mediterranean wetlands is an important tool in maintaining both the cultural and the wetland heritage of local communities. Cultural exchange programmes and twinning of wetlands with common social and cultural issues should be encouraged. Education and public awareness activities should include the involvement of artists as a key stakeholder group in the cultural heritage of wetlands and the use of art in raising the awareness of children in wetland cultural issues.

2.9 Opportunities should be explored to establish a quality labelling endorsement of wetland products (foodstuffs, handicrafts) produced by local communities in ways consistent with sustainable use.

2.10 Donors and institutions should be encouraged to provide financial support to projects that promote sustainable management of wetlands and cultural heritage, particularly in supporting developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

2.11 To achieve improved synergies and effectiveness in managing sustainably the Mediterranean cultural and wetland heritage, closer contacts and co-operation should be developed between relevant international and intergovernmental organisations including the Ramsar Convention, the Convention on Natural and Cultural Heritage, UNESCO, and the Regional Activity Centres for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA) and Historic Sites of the Mediterranean Action Plan.

3. Implementing the Guiding Principles

In developing future MedWet Initiative specific actions on cultural aspects of wetlands in the Mediterranean region, the following general approaches were identified by the MedWet/Com3 technical workshop:

• Developing joint actions between global and regional intergovernmental Conventions (Barcelona, World Heritage, Desertification etc.);
• Reviewing and developing legal frameworks to ensure the protection of the cultural and social heritage of wetlands;
• Developing guidelines for the maintenance of cultural practices, the inclusion of social and cultural issues in environmental impact assessments, etc.
• Developing active management initiatives to address urgent regional issues (e.g. drought, salinisation, drainage, agricultural intensification) that draw upon historical and cultural experience (learning from the past), and avoid irreversible change;
• Development of joint network projects between MedWet/Com countries and sites on common cultural themes (e.g. the Ecos-Overture "All About Salt" project), and transfer of project methods from one region to others (e.g. EKBY paleo-ecological indicators).

4. Specific actions

MedWetCom3 recommends that the MedWet Team facilitate or carry out the following specific actions, in collaboration with appropriate partners, whether or not they are members of MedWet/Com:

4.1 Review of current activities on the cultural aspects of Mediterranean wetlands

Objective: to establish a directory of recent and current programmes, projects and activities, to ensure that proposed specific actions are complementary to existing work, and to identify opportunities for developing future collaborative work.

[MedWet Team; MedWetCom members]

4.2 Mediterranean-wide inventory of cultural elements related to wetlands

Objective: to identify the wide variety of traditional artifacts, practices and customs related to wetlands and to the management of water around the Basin, and use this information to raise public and decision-maker awareness. It is also aimed at identifying and mobilising key institutions/experts in this field.

The work would build on other relevant experience and link with existing inventories such as those of historic coastal sites. Information would be compiled through the network of national members of MedWet/Com, co-ordinated by the MedWet Team. Mechanisms would include inter alia developing contacts with key institutions (e.g the MAP Historic Sites Centre) and experts, and preparation of questionnaires and data forms, informed by the presentations and conclusions of the technical session of MedWet/Com3.

[MedWet Team; MedWetCom members; national cultural experts; other organisations]

4.3 Inventories of the social and cultural aspects of wetlands

Objective: to make available widely the methods and CD-ROM tools employed by the "Analysis of the Traditional Human Media" project of the Museum of Prehistory and Cultures of Valencia, supported by SEHUMED, for application elsewhere in the Mediterranean region. This project would be designed to compile more comprehensive information on both the social and cultural history of wetlands in particular locations than the Basin-wide summary proposed in 4.2.

The MedWet Team (SEHUMED) would assist in the development of, and obtaining funding for, other similar projects in other MedWet/Com countries, in collaboration with other relevant organisations (e.g. UNESCO).

[MedWet Team; Valencia Museum; other organisations]

4.4 Applied research on cultural heritage of wetlands

Objective: to stimulate operational research on the living cultural heritage of wetlands, in order to take this into account in the management of the sites. Projects would build on existing work being undertaken by MedWet/Com members and proposed MedWet networks (e.g. projects in Slovenia, Turkey, Mediterranean Regions (Tour du Valat), and the MedWetCoast project) and develop joint activities with other relevant organisations (e.g. UNESCO).

[MedWet/Com members; MedWet centres; other organisations]

4.5 Publication: The cultural and social aspects of Mediterranean wetlands

Objective: to increase awareness of the important cultural elements related to wetlands and water in the Mediterranean, and the importance of this heritage for:

• strengthening the links of local populations to wetlands, and
• attracting visitors to them in a way compatible with the sustainable management of wetlands.

The publication would form part of the MedWet / Tour du Valat series, and would include characteristic examples from all parts of the Mediterranean, including wetland uses, benefits and values and traditional water management systems and structures.

[MedWet Team; Tour du Valat]

4.6 COP8 Guidelines on integrating social and cultural aspects in the wise use of wetlands

Objective: provide Ramsar Contracting Parties with guidance on the inclusion of social and cultural aspects in the conservation and wise use of wetlands in the Mediterranean region.

The project could prepare guidelines and a supporting draft decision, introduced by a special intervention, for endorsement by Ramsar COP8 (Spain, 2002). Guidelines would be developed from the conclusions and recommendations of the MedWet/Com3 technical session on "Cultural aspects of Mediterranean wetlands and their potential contribution to the sustainable use of wetland resources".

[MedWet Team; MedWet/Com; Spain]

4.7 Manual: the conservation and enhancement of cultural elements related to wetlands and water

Objective: to assist wetland managers in planning the conservation of cultural elements related to wetlands and water, and their enhancement for local populations and visitors.

A longer-term action, the manual will include practical solutions for the conservation, the enhancement and restoration of these elements and the best ways to make them available to people. It would form part of provision of additional management planning guidelines (the "Ramsar Toolkit") for the Mediterranean region.

[MedWet Team]

For further information about MedWet or the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Posted 13 March 2001, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.