The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

4th meeting of the Mediterrean Wetlands Committee, Sesimbra, Portugal, 21-23 May 2001

Fourth Meeting of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee (MedWet/Com4)
Sesimbra, Portugal, 21-23 May 2001

DOC. MC4/08

Fourth Meeting of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee
Sesimbra, Portugal, 21-23 May 2001

The Mediterranean presence at Ramsar COP8

01 COP8 (Valencia, November 2002) will be the first time a Ramsar Conference of the Contracting Parties is held in the Mediterranean. This is a unique opportunity to present to the Conference the activities of the Convention in the region, and more particularly the work of the MedWet Initiative. This also coincides with the 10-year anniversary of this initiative, which was conceived in February 1991 at the Grado Symposium, but became a reality in 1992 through the launching of the MedWet1 project.

02 The MedWet Coordination Unit, with the support of the MedWet Technical Network and in collaboration with the WWF Mediterranean Programme Office and Wetlands International, has prepared a tentative proposal for a number of events to be organised at Ramsar COP8, and submits them to MedWet/Com4 for guidance.

03 The main event would be an assessment of the state of Mediterranean wetlands, 12 years after the Grado Symposium. The assessment will not be by country, but by sub-regions (Eastern Mediterranean, Western Mediterranean, Adriatic, North Africa, etc.) This will be prepared by MedWet (Coordination Unit, EKBY, SEHUMED and Tour du Valat), with inputs from the other MedWet partners (WWF MedPO, WI, IUCN, Ramsar Bureau, BirdLife, RAC-SPA, Blue Plan et al).

04 The assessment will try to provide a balanced view of Mediterranean wetlands, identifying areas of progress, wherever appropriate, but also the darker side of continuing indifference, degradation and destruction. In particular, it will focus on positive trends, but also on the root causes of wetland loss.

05 It will be presented during an informal Mediterranean workshop, whose date and venue remain to be fixed.

06 The assessment would be complemented by:

• A poster exhibition on the state of Mediterranean wetlands at the dawn of the 21^st century.
• A related publication for the general public of about 36 pages (in Arabic, French, English and Spanish).

07 To celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of MedWet, it is proposed to prepare two products:

08 A series of three posters on: "Wetlands and water", Wetlands and sustainable resource use" and "Wetlands and biodiversity". Each of the posters will also bear the phrases: "Wetlands for people in the Mediterranean" and "Grado to Valencia: 10 years of MedWet". It should be studied whether to make them with a multilingual text (Arabic, French, English and Spanish) or to print separate versions (which would be more expensive).

09 A 36-page publication in the four languages above on the first decade of MedWet. This should include:

• History of the development of MedWet during this period and key events.
• Recognition of the significant contributions of organisations and individuals to the establishment of MedWet.
• Impartial assessment of achievements and failures.
• Lessons learned, which may assist similar initiatives in other parts of the World.

It is proposed that the MedWet Coordination Unit prepares this publication, with the assistance of IUCN. A leaflet on the MedWet Initiative will complement this publication.

10 Two main resolutions would be submitted during COP8:

• One, based on the above-mentioned assessment, on the priorities for the implementation of MedWet in order to remedy to the identified problems.
• Another on the contribution of the Mediterranean parties of the Convention on Wetlands in order to cover the costs of the MedWet Coordination Unit and of MedWet/Com meetings (see DOC MC4/07).

11 It is proposed to hold a side event during the COP8, co-organised by the MedWet Coordination, Technical Network, WWF, WI, IUCN and others. This event would focus on the achievements of MedWet during the past decade and highlight the challenges for the coming decade, based on the assessment mentioned above. On this occasion, the publication, posters and leaflet described above would be launched and the resolution on the priorities for the implementation of MedWet would be presented.

12 A more detailed report on these proposals will be presented during MedWet/Com4.

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, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.