The
Ramsar Convention on WetlandsThe
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
4th meeting of the Mediterrean Wetlands Committee, Sesimbra, Portugal, 21-23 May 2001 [français]
Fourth Meeting of the
Mediterranean Wetlands Committee (MedWet/Com4)
Sesimbra, Portugal, 21-23 May 2001
DOC. MC4/02
From
Djerba to Sesimbra:
Report on the MedWet Initiative, April 2000-2001 DOC MC4/02
[In this reprint of the document, the 17 footnotes have been included in square brackets and green color.]
01 The 12-month period from April 2000, after MedWet/Com3 (Djerba, Tunisia), to MedWet/Com4 (Sesimbra, Portugal) has been a transition period for MedWet. A large part of the year 2000 was devoted to finding a solution for the hosting and funding of the MedWet Coordination, and the first part of 2001 in implementing the solution and installing the MedWet Coordination Unit in Athens, Greece. This effort did not preclude the MedWet Coordinator and the three partner centres (EKBY, SEHUMED and Tour du Valat), with the participation of other members of MedWet/Com, from carrying out a number of important activities stemming from the Ramsar Strategic Plan, the Mediterranean Wetland Strategy and the conclusions and recommendations of MedWet/Com3. These are summarised in the report that follows.
02 Key achievements [Listed alphabetically.]
|
Project development and management
In progress:
03 MedWet4 Danone / Ramsar (completed):
Project coordinated by Tour du Valat.
- Last technical exchanges between delta managers.
-Final meeting organised in Odessa (September 2000).
04 MedWetCoast (in progress):
Regional component managed by the Facilitation Team at Tour du Valat.
- Initiation mission in Morocco.
- ToRs and international expertise for the site diagnosis.
- Launching of site diagnosis in 4 countries (Albania, Egypt, Palestinian Authority and Tunisia).
- Assistance to site diagnosis coordinators in Albania, Egypt and Palestinian Authority.
- Training needs analysis for 4 countries.
- Establishment of training plans at national and regional level.
- 1st regional training course on "socio-economic approach".
- Web site and communication strategy developed.
- Support and participation to annual review meetings in Albania, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
- 1st Regional Advisory Committee meeting held in Rabat – Morocco (April 2001) [The MedWet Coordination is a member of the Committee.]
05 Neretva River
transboundary collaboration (in progress and in further development):
Involving Bosnia and Herzegovina – Croatia:
- Participation in the Hutovo Blato workshop, 11-15 May 2000 and drafting of its conclusions.
- Constant encouragement of the collaboration between the two countries [jointly with Tobias Salathé, Ramsar Regional Coordinator for Europe] and of project development.
06 Prespa Balkan
Transboundary Park (in progress):
Involving Albania, Greece and the FYR of Macedonia, with support from Ramsar / MedWet,
UNDP, KfW, WWF and others.
- Contribution to the initial proposal submitted to the Greek government and to the drafting of the joint declaration of the three Prime Ministers.
- Project proposal for funding by the Greek government [Of Albania, Greece, and The FYR of Macedonia].
- Organisation of the first meeting in Tirana on 15-18 October (including the preparation of the working documents).
- Establishment of the Prespa Park Coordination Committee (with Ramsar / MedWet membership) and contribution to the organisation of its first meeting in Skopje (30-31 January 2001).
- Assistance in the development and funding (by Greece) of the first two projects for the Prespa Park.
- Participation in the development of a large GEF / UNDP project for the Prespa Park region.
07 SAP-BIO (in
progress):
GEF project under UNEP/MAP, headed by RAC-SPA, with wide participation.
- MedWet membership in the Advisory Committee of the project, and participation in its first meeting (Tunis, 22-23 February 2001).
08 SAP-BIO project The Strategic Action Plan for Biodiversity is part of a wider GEF project. Its focus is the Mediterranean marine environment and coastal areas, primarily wetlands. The main objective of the project is to develop - through a participatory approach - a strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity. A second one is the coordination of other strategic instruments concerning biodiversity in the region. The third is to prepare a portfolio of project proposals for eventual funding through GEF and/or other donors. SAP-BIO involves 12 Mediterranean countries. It is managed by RAC-SPA, with a budget of USD 740,000, provided from GEF and the Mediterranean Nature Fund, and a duration of 30 months. |
09 Wetland Inventory in Albania (just starting, led by EKBY):
- Project using the MedWet methodology just funded by the Greek Ministry of Environment, as a cooperation between Albania and Greece in the framework of DAC.
- Project execution under the responsibility of EKBY, with the assistance of ECAT Tirana.
- Kick-off meeting with ECAT held in Thessaloniki on 28-29 March 2001.In development or consideration
10 Climate change and its impact on Mediterranean wetlands (in planning):
- Contacts with IUCN (Jean-Yves Pirot and Brett Orlando) on the development of a project on climate change and the Mediterranean wetlands, but with no definitive results.
- Possibility of collaboration with Plan Bleu and with the National Observatory of Athens being investigated.
11 Cultural aspects of wetlands (in development by SEHUMED):
- Preparation of an ethnological heritage inventory, as a follow-up to the MedWet/Com3 technical session (Djerba, April 2001).
- Elaboration of two thesauruses for use by the scientific, political and social stakeholders, both public and private.
- Creation of a database and ethnological description of traditional uses through in-depth interviews with people that have lived close to wetland areas.
- Final product will be a MedWet manual.
12 Dojran Lake project (in consideration, led by EKBY):
- Encouragement of the development of a GEF project at the transborder Dojran Lake, between Greece and the FYR of Macedonia.
13 Evaluation of aquatic environment quality in wetlands (in development by SEHUMED):
- Project to study the biological and physico-chemical methods for the analysis of the quality of wetland habitats.
- Results to be applied to the preparation of a technical handbook on the subject.
- Also a booklet in the MedWet – Tour du Valat series will be edited.
14 GEF (in development, joint initiative of UNDP and Tour du Valat):
- Encouragement of the development of GEF projects in Syria and Turkey, complementing the MedWetCoast GEF project.
15 Integrated management of catchment basins (just starting, led by IUCN):
- First phase funding obtained.
- Terms of reference obtained for an appropriate consultant to carry out work in three phases.
- Hosting of the first meeting of the project by EKBY.
16 Integrated management of the Soca River, Slovenia (in development by TdV):
- Funding secured from French Ministry of Environment for a socio-economic survey (September 2001-2003).
- Linkage with a LIFE project led by the Slovenian authorities.
17 Interactive Atlas of Colonial Waterbirds (in development by TdV)
- Presentation of the website prototype to AEWA and WI.
18 MedWetCoast Turkey (in development by TdV):
- Initial funds secured from the French Ministry of Environment.
- Study tour for 9 Turkish authorities representatives in Camargue (December 2000)
- First project development mission expected by June 2001.
19 MedWet/Regions (in development by TdV)
- Development of a proposal to be submitted to Interreg IIIB (see New MedWet Networks)
20 Millennium Ecosystems Assessment (in consideration):
- Submission of a proposal, in collaboration with IUCN.
- Consultation with IUCN and the MedWet Team on further project development.
21 North African Wetland Centre (in development, see also par. 36, p. 13):
- Draft comparative analysis of the three proposals submitted (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia).
- Final proposal by the Ramsar Bureau for the establishment of a North African Wetland Network (already accepted by Algeria).
22 Resource Centre for French Lagoons (in development):
- Development of a proposal by Tour du Valat with the French Ministry of Environment, including a component on international transfer.
23 SMAP (in consideration):
- Failure to develop a project proposal in 2000, due to late preparation and lack of interest from countries contacted (Cyprus, Israel and Malta).
- New systematic effort starting in March 2001 to assess the feasibility of developing a new project for submittal in October, after consultation with interested states members of MedWet/Com.
24 Sustainable tourism and wetlands (in development by SEHUMED):
- Project proposal aims at preserving resources and values of Mediterranean wetlands and managing sustainably and harmoniously tourism and recreation uses.
- Elaboration of a series of tools that regulate the possible impacts that tourism may have on wetland resources.
- Pilot research projects for determining the carrying capacity of wetlands already started in Spain, with the possibility of transferring results to the Mediterranean context. ["Determination of recreational carrying capacity in the Natural Park of L’Albufera, Valencia", and "Indicators for determining the recreational carrying capacity in coastal protected areas".]
25 Wetland related species: In spite of repeated efforts, no progress on this project, whose responsibility was undertaken by BirdLife during MedWet/Com3.
Serving MedWet/Com
26 MedWet/Com3 (Djerba, Tunisia, 1-5 April 2000):
- Preparation of the report of the meeting (by the MedWet Secretariat – EKBY).
- Preparation of an interim report on progress made concerning the conclusions of the meeting and distribution in October 2000.
27 MedWet/Com4 (Sesimbra, Portugal, 20-23 May 2001):
- Consultation with Portuguese authorities (ICN) on scope, focus and details of the meeting.
- Editing of the working documents of the meeting.
- Planning of the technical session on Mediterranean salinas.
28 MedWet/Com5:
- Consultation with Turkish authorities on hosting this meeting.
Operation of the MedWet Team (MW/T)
29 MedWet tools
- MedWet Inventory System: Encouragement of the further development and dissemination of the system. Participation in the STRP workshop (Gland, 31 June 2000) and efforts to coordinate MWD2000 with EKBY mapping and monitoring work. Procedural agreement reached during the meeting of the MedWet Team (Thessaloniki, 10-12 December).
30 Progress on the MedWet Inventory System During 2000, the technical and management aspects of this powerful MedWet tool were streamlined by the establishment of a MedWet Inventory Working Group (MW/IWG), headed by ICN of Portugal, and of a MedWet Database Technical Unit (MWD-TU) at EKBY. Terms of reference for these two organs were prepared and agreed. Their first meeting will be held in conjunction with MedWet/Com4. Further to the preparation of the MWD2000, the Technical Unit developed a new version of the MedWet Database, in Visual Basic platform, integrating a time scale component, a mapping display application for monitoring and queries. This will be validated through testing in April 2001, and will be presented by the TU during MedWet/Com4. In Greece, an inventory of five selected sites was carried out, using the MedWet method, while GIS was used for the cartography of the sites. In France, the adaptation of the MWD software for the inventory of wetlands of the Agence de l'Eau Rhône-Mediterranée-Corse (AE-RMC) is currently under way, with the participation of Tour du Valat and the financial support from AE-RMC, the DIREN Languedoc-Roussillon and Tour du Valat. In addition, in a March 2001 meeting in Niamey, representatives of five African states (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger and Togo) have agreed to use the MedWet System for their national inventories. The MedWet System will also be used in the context of the MedWetCoast project and is proposed as a key tool for the MedWet/Regions project. |
- Information and public awareness: Repeated discussions with WWF MedPO for the continuation of the excellent methodological work carried out by WWF Italia during MedWet1, but no final conclusions reached.
- Training (led by Tour du Valat): 2nd meeting of the Mediterranean training centres for the management of protected areas, attended by 30 training experts from 10 countries, Tour du Valat / ATEN / IUCN, Arles – February 2001, courses conducted on: "Grazing and wetlands" for site managers, France – May 2000, "Wetland management and Industry", France - May 2000, "Management planning, Portugal – May 2000, "Uluabat lake management plan", Turkey, June 2000, "Grazing and wetlands", Spain – October 2000, "Wetlands and invasive introduced plants", France – October 2000.
31 Representing MedWet (see Appendix 1):
- 15 visits to 10 MedWet/Com member states during 2000.
- Participation in 21 events at the request of other MedWet/Com members.
- Preparation of a MedWet presentation for the Millennium Wetlands Event (Quebec, August 2000), delivered by the Ramsar DSG, and two for the Black Sea Wetlands Conference in Odessa in October 2000.
32 Preparation of MedWet publications:
- MedWet Newsletter: Preparation of issues 12, 13 and 14 (the last one will circulate in April 2001).
- MedWet / Tour du Valat series: "Wetlands hydrology" (published in August 2000), "Reptiles and amphibians; ecology and management" (to be published in June 2001), "Integrated management" (first draft in March 2001), "Management of riparian forests" (first draft by June 2001).
- Translation into Arabic and Spanish of the MedWet book series on "Conservation of Mediterranean wetlands" completed by SEHUMED; the Spanish Strategic Action Plan on wetlands currently translated into Arabic.
- Technical publication on Wetland creation and restoration: Final review for printing expected in May 2001.
33 Other activities of the MedWet Secretariat - EKBY:
- MedWet Web site: Management and restructuring of the site. [Visitors' access increased from 6/day in December 1999 to 21/day in February 2001.]
- Preparation of a digital map on Mediterranean Ramsar wetlands.
- Maintenance and update of the database of MedWet network members.
- Handy monitoring system for MedWet activities through the web site.
- Provision of information on Ramsar / MedWet upon request.
- Completing the MedWet database with information from the 10 pilot sites of MedWet1 and MedWet2 projects and assessment.
34 MedWet Coordination
- Contribution to the review of the MedWet Team by Bill Philips, the Ramsar DSG.
- Resolution of the financial problems of the year 2000. [Through a contribution to the Ramsar Bureau by the MAVA Foundation.]
- Contribution to the efforts of the Ramsar Secretary General for an interim solution for the MedWet coordination function until COP8 (2001-2002), through the hosting and funding of the MedWet Coordination Unit in Athens by the government of Greece, and resolution of operational and legal arrangements.
- Preparation of the draft memorandum of understanding between the Ramsar Bureau and the Greek Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works on the hosting of the MedWet Coordination.
- Organisation of the MedWet Team meeting in Thessaloniki, 10-12 December 2000.
- Preparation of the MedWet work plan 2001.
35 New MedWet coordination structure From mid 2001, MedWet will be managed by the MedWet Coordination Unit, which will be an outposted section of the Ramsar Bureau. The Unit will be headed by the Coordinator, and in addition there will be a Technical Officer, responsible mainly for project development and a Communications Officer. During the current year, Thymio Papayannis, will continue (as Senior Advisor, and at 30% of his time) to support the Unit and to ensure a smooth transition. In addition, efforts are made by the Ramsar Bureau to obtain two more technical officers seconded to the Unit by MedWet/Com members, on a full- or part-time basis. Also the close collaboration of the MedWet Coordination with EKBY, SEHUMED and Tour du Valat will continue. These three wetland centres will constitute the embryo of a MedWet Technical Network that eventually will include other expert centres and institutions, including the proposed North Africa Wetland Network (see par. 36, below). |
New MedWet networks
36 North Africa Wetland Network:
- The Ramsar Bureau analysed the three proposals received from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia and communicated its conclusions to the Selection Committee [France, Greece, Turkey, IUCN, and Wetlands International] in July 2000.
- The results of this consultation, while not unanimous, indicated the three proposals received had good merits and represented a significant commitment from each one of the countries. Nevertheless, in the three cases, substantial support would have been required from abroad and the contacts made with donors indicated that there was little prospect of obtaining it for an "international" centre. In addition, some serious concern had emerged about the degree of acceptance of an "international centre" that in fact was going to be largely based on a national structure of the host country.
- That is why the Ramsar Bureau proposed to the three interested states the establishment of a more flexible system, the North African Wetland Network (see attached proposal in Appendix II).
- Algeria has already responded in a positive way to this proposal, while Morocco and Tunisia have not yet made their position known.
- It is expected that discussions on this issue among the three states, other interested countries and NGOs and the Ramsar Bureau will be held during MedWet/Com4.
37 MedWet/Regions:
- Agreement with Tour du Valat to establish the network, with Pere Tomas Vives as responsible, and initial financing from the French Ministry of Environment and the regions of Andalucia, the Balearic Islands and the Languedoc-Roussillon.
- Preparation of a network brief and of an initial project proposal to be submitted to Interreg IIIB.
- Organisation of the first meeting of the network with five candidate regions [With the participation of the MW/C, who presented a paper on Ramsar/MedWet actions in the region.] (Le Sambuc, 27-28 November 2000).
- Organisation of the second meeting of the network with eight candidate regions (Minorca, 25-27 March 2001).
38 The new MedWet Regions Network During its third meeting held in May 2000, the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee (MedWet/Com) agreed on inviting the regional and sub-regional governments to take part in the MedWet Initiative, through the development of a wetland network of Mediterranean Regions. Several Mediterranean Regions of Spain, France and Italy, with the support of the French Government and the Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat, are interested in the creation of this network. For this reason, they are planning to launch an Action Programme for Wetlands in the Mediterranean Regions based on conservation and sustainable activities and on the collaboration between regions. The Biological Station of Tour du Valat, as a Project Development Unit of MedWet, has the mandate to coordinate the creation of the network of regions and the development of the Action Programme, together with the regions concerned. Eight regions (Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Tuscany and Valencia) have expressed their interest in the project. During a first preparatory meeting, held in November 2000 in Tour du Valat, the partners agreed on the general goal of the Action Programme: "to promote the conservation and sustainable use of wetland resources and biodiversity in order to achieve their integrated management", and on the following objectives, in the view of developing regional wetland policies and strategies:
A second meeting of the partner regions took place at the end of March 2001 in Minorca, in order to discuss the specific actions to be carried out and the sites involved in each region. It was agreed that its main focus would be the development of a common information system for wetlands (based on regional wetland inventories and monitoring), management of wetlands, training and public awareness. During 2001, the Action Programme will be refined and completed in a meeting to be held in Andalucia, and a proposal for funding will be submitted to the European Community Initiative Interreg III B. |
39 MedWet/Sites:
- Discussions with ICN and Eurosite on the operation of this network and efforts to find an organisation to establish and animate it, without any success yet.
- Possibility of building on existing contacts, as already more than 50 sites have been involved in MedWet activities [MedWet1: 6 sites, MedWet2: 5, MedWetCoast: 15, MedWet4-Evian:10, MW-Regions: 15-20, as well as other MedWet-related projects (Neretva, Slovenia, Turkey, Syria . . .).], creating a network based on electronic communications.
40 MedWet/NGOs:
- Participation in a Rome workshop on 10-12 April 2000 for the development of the WWF MedPO freshwater programme, which would include the establishment of this network.
- Assistance to Tim Jones in the development of the corresponding project proposal.
- The WWF freshwater project has not been approved yet.
MedWet involvement in sustainability and water issues
41 Mediterranean Committee on Sustainable Development:
- Establishment of a MedWet working group on sustainable development (MW/ WGSD) [Thymio Papayannis, Thalia Lazaridou (EKBY), Lamis Mansour (Tour du Valat), and Maria José Viñals (SEHUMED).].
- Contribution to the MCSD Questionnaire and "Strategic Review 2000" (25 April).
- MedWet representation in the yearly meeting of the MCSD (Tunis, 14-17 November) by Lamia Mansour.
- MW/C membership in the Editorial Board of the International Journal on Sustainable Development and reviewing of articles for publication.
42 Mediterranean Technical Advisory Committee (MEDTAC) of the Global Water Partnership (GWP):
- Establishment of the MedWet Working Group on Water (MW/WGW) [Thymio Papayannis, Enrique Andreu-Moliner (SEHUMED), Ger Berkamp (IUCN), Philippe Chauvellon (Tour du Valat) and Dimitris Papadimos (EKBY).].
- Preparation of MEDTAC Rules of Procedure – 1st and 2nd drafts by the MW/C.
- Recommendations on the future structure of MEDTAC and its transformation into a Mediterranean Regional Water Partnership.
- Assistance in the organisation of the MEDTAC Conference on Water, Athens 2-5 November 2000 and active participation, including presentation of a paper on "Wetlands and water".
- Preparation with MIO/ECSDE of the MEDTAC Core Action Plan.
- Contribution to an IUCN project proposal (for Italian government funding) on the integrated management of catchment basins.
- MW/C membership in the Editorial Board of the International Journal on Water and reviewing of articles for publication.
43 MedWet in MEDTAC and GWP-Med MedWet was elected member of the Mediterranean Advisory Committee of the Global Water Partnership in May 2000, with the expectation to incorporate biodiversity and wise use aspects in the activities of this Committee. During the rest of the year, MedWet participated actively in the work of MEDTAC, including the preparation of key documents and the organisation of a major stakeholders conference on water (Athens, November 2000). As a result, MedWet was asked to become one of the six permanent founding members of the new GWP-Med, which will replace MEDTAC later this year. Currently, MedWet is participating in the work of transformation and in the preparation of the GWP-Med Work Programme 2001-2003. |
Other services to the Ramsar Bureau
44 New Ramsar Strategic Plan:
- Comments on first draft (22 June 2000).
- Comments on second draft and identification of the Mediterranean specificities to be included.
45 Barcelona Convention and Ramsar:
- Preparation of the memorandum of collaboration between the two conventions. (Already signed in Nairobi.)
46 Black Sea Wetlands Initiative:
- Consultation with the Ramsar Bureau, Wetlands International and Tour du Valat on the approach to Black Sea collaboration on wetlands.
- Contribution to the preparation of the two workshops in Odessa on 25 September – 1 October 2000 and drafting of two presentations for them [Ramsar/MedWet was represented by Tobias Salathé, the Regional Coordinator for Europe.].
47 Convention membership:
- Encouragement of the accession to the Convention on Wetlands of (a) Bosnia and Herzegovina (in preparation), (b) Cyprus (almost completed) and (c) Libya (achieved).
48 Contribution to Ramsar meetings:
- Participation in the planning of the Ramsar European Regional Meeting (Slovenia, 13-18 October 2001).
- Organisation of the Mediterranean presence in Ramsar COP8 (Valencia, November 2002), and elaboration of draft resolutions on the implementation of the MedWet Initiative and on the management of cultural resources in wetlands (the latter led by SEHUMED).
DOC MC4/O2 - Annex 1: MedWet Coordination missions April 2000 – April 2001
[Most of the missions were carried out by the MedWet Coordinator, while the rest by members of the Ramsar Bureau or the MedWet Team.]
MedWet represented by its Coordinator, except as stated otherwise.
DOC MC4/02 - Annex 2
Proposal for a MedWet Network in North Africa
Introduction
1. The idea of creating a wetland centre in North Africa has been discussed since 1998. At the end of December 1999, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia submitted proposals for hosting this centre in reply to a request and specifications prepared by the Ramsar Bureau. These proposals were studied by the MedWet Team and the Ramsar Bureau, which reached the conclusion that the proposals did not fully meet the requirements, and, furthermore, that there were marked differences in approach.
2. The Ramsar Bureau submitted the proposals of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia and its comments to the members of the Consultative Committee (France, Greece, Turkey, IUCN and Wetlands International), whose answers indicated an absence of consensus but which contained several attractive suggestions.
3. MedWet/Committee 3 (Djerba, Tunisia, 1–5 April 2000) adopted the following recommendation (point 10 of the conclusions), which constitutes a clear mandate regarding the proposed centre in North Africa: "[MedWet/Com] commends Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia for their submission of proposals to the Ramsar Bureau for hosting a new wetland centre in North Africa, and urges a rapid assessment and decision by the Ramsar Bureau in the hope that this centre will soon become operational and will contribute effectively to wetland conservation and wise use in the Mediterranean."
The centre and the network
4. Given the above, the interested parties agree on the following points:
4.1 There is a need to create a system for cooperation on wetlands in North Africa, and the usefulness of this is not questioned.
4.2 It would be imprudent to create an unwieldy institution without a guarantee of at least solid, middle-term financial resources.
4.3 The hosting of such a centre by one of the Maghreb countries would not guarantee the active participation of the other countries in the region. The participation of all interested countries should be promoted and obtained.
5. The Ramsar Bureau, therefore, proposes to abandon momentarily the idea of creating a wetland centre in North Africa (NAWC) and to create instead a network (NAWN) with the same general objectives, namely the conservation of wetlands and their wise and sustainable use in North Africa.
6. The network would have the following objectives:
6.1 Improvement of knowledge about wetlands in North Africa.
6.2 Provision and use of MedWet tools in North Africa and the Arab countries in order to contribute to the development of new tools.
6.3 Promotion of socio-economic considerations in the management of Mediterranean wetlands.
6.4 Reinforcement of cooperation among the Arabic-speaking countries in this area.
6.5 Provision for representation of North Africa on the MedWet Team.
6.6 Increase of resources available for the overall management of wetlands in the region through the development of appropriate projects.
7. The network will be formed by MedWet focal points in each of the participating countries.
The structure and functioning of NAWN
8. The MedWet focal points will include at least the following:
8.1 The person responsible for MedWet activities in each country (the representative of that country to MedWet/Com).
8.2 A representative of national and international non-governmental organizations interested and active in the management of wetlands.
8.3 A representative of a scientific institution with applied research activities involving wetlands.
9. The MedWet focal points should be established in identifiable offices in the building of the Ramsar/MedWet administrative authority or a participating scientific institution.
10. Projects will be prepared to provide financial resources for setting up the MedWet focal points and their operation for five years. In order to set up the network, contributions will be requested from the members of MedWet/Com.
11. The MedWet focal points will be tied together through a system of efficient electronic communications.
Cooperation within the network
12. One of the focal points will be designated annually as coordinator for the network, beginning with the first focal point created and then rotating by country in French alphabetical order.
13. The work programme of the MedWet focal points, within the framework of the objectives described in paragraph 6 above, will be agreed upon during special sessions of the participating countries and the MedWet Team at the annual meetings of MedWet/Com.
14. The MedWet Team will do everything possible to facilitate the creation of NAWN and support its activities.
15. The network will participate on the MedWet Team and will be represented by a coordinating focal point.
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
ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 22 April 2001, updated 8 May 2001, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.
