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6th meeting of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee, Tipaza, Algeria, 12-14 December 2004

MedWet/Com6
Tipaza, Algeria, 12-14 December 2004

Report of the Sixth Meeting of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee /
MedWet/Com6

Report

1. The sixth meeting of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee took place from 12-14 December 2004 in Tipaza, Algeria, at the kind invitation of the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

2. Representatives of the MedWet countries and the MedWet partners attended the meeting (see attached list of participants). IUCN Mediterranean Collaboration Office and IWMI presented their apologies. In his opening remarks the Secretary General noted that not all MedWet/Com members had been able to be present and noted that in future meetings full participation must be assured.

The Mediterranean Wetlands Committee:

3. Expressed its sincere gratitude to the government of Algeria, and in particular the Direction Générale des Forets of the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture, for kindly inviting and hosting the meeting, as well as providing financial and logistical support for it;

4. Was honoured by the presence and welcoming speech of H.E. Dr. Said BARKAT Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Algeria, and heard with interest the perspectives the Minister shared with the Committee regarding Algeria's priorities on wetland protection and management and rural development; and

5. Expressed its gratitude to the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) for providing financial support to facilitate the attendance of delegates from developing countries, making this meeting possible;

6. Expressed its gratitude to Greece for hosting the MedWet Coordination Unit, and to all the MedWet countries for their continued support for the operation of the MedWet Coordination Unit; and

7. Warmly welcomed the interest expressed by the Deputy Minister of the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works of Greece to continue hosting the MedWet Coordination Unit in Athens and to contribute to its operation cost during the next triennium, and requests the Secretary General of the Convention with the assistance of the MedWet Coordinator to develop a formal agreement with the government of Greece setting out the terms and conditions for this prior to COP9, so that a decision can be taken for the operation of the Unit for the years 2006-2008.

Conclusions

Management and communication

8. After receiving the report presented by the MedWet Coordinator on developments since MedWet/Com5 (Izmir, Turkey, 2003) and, taking also into account the reports presented by the MedWet Programme Development Officer and the MedWet Communications Officer, the Committee noted with appreciation the positive developments during this period on a number of issues, including:

8.1 the satisfactory progress towards the full establishment, staffing and activity of the MedWet Coordination Unit in Athens, Greece, in line with COP8 Resolution VIII.30;

8.2 the significant development of the programme of activities of MedWet, through the collective effort and work of the MedWet Team, including a significant mobilisation of funds for the management and conservation of wetlands and water resources in the Mediterranean region, reaching a total of more than 6,6 Million EUR over the past four years; and

8.3 the increased visibility of the work of MedWet through a number of CEPA activities, including the MedWet website and e-newsletter, publications and events, and the expected further improvement in this field of work through the establishment and operation of the MedWet CEPA working group.

9. The Committee (6.1) encouraged the development of the new MedWet website including information on the MedWet projects; and urged, when possible and with the assistance of the MedWet/Com member countries, the production of MedWet materials and publications in the Arabic language. The Committee also noted a proposal prepared by Birdlife International for a MedWet/Birdlife project on education, and (6.2) encouraged the MedWet Team to work with Birdlife International in order to incorporate the project in its work and to launch the project.

10. The Committee took note of the proposed Terms of Reference for the MedWet Initiative, and recognised the importance of developing a document setting out in a clear and simple way the operational guidelines for the MedWet Initiative and its components. The meeting (6.3) requested the MedWet Team to complete the preparation of this document so that it can be circulated by the Coordination Unit for endorsement by the MedWet/Com members by the end of April 2005.

Budget

11. The Committee was concerned about the stability of future funding for the operation of the Coordination Unit. In this context the committee received and discussed the proposed budget for the operation of the MedWet Coordination Unit during the triennium 2006-2008, and (6.4) requested the MedWet Coordinator, with the assistance of the Ramsar Secretariat, as a matter of urgency to follow up and conclude discussions with the MedWet countries on this issue, in view of the upcoming Ramsar COP9.

Programme

12. The Committee welcomed the increased collaboration between the MedWet Team members, commended the value-added that its operation brings to the MedWet Initiative, and strongly encouraged further enhancement of collaboration between Team members both in the form of more frequent meetings and of increased exchange of information. The meeting also emphasised the particular relevance of the Team's work on transboundary issues.

13. Concerning MedWet networks, the Committee noted with satisfaction the continuation of the work of the MedWet networks and working groups', encouraged their further reinforcement to secure the long-term operation of these networks and the further development of activities and projects within them' and (6.5) requested network partners to undertake active roles in providing leadership for their operation and programme development in the context of MedWet.

13.1 (6.6) the North African Wetlands Network to seize the opportunity of the EU funded LIFE 3rd countries project to strengthen the collaboration of all members of its Focal Units and to launch new activities in the duration of the project, thanked Libya for its expression of interest and encouraged the MedWet Coordination Unit, in collaboration with UNEP/MAP, to organise a preparatory visit to Libya in early 2005;

13.2 (6.7) the MedWet/Regions network to engage in collaboration with the MedWet Team in the development of new projects, and to integrate its work as much as possible with the overall operation of the MedWet initiative;

13.3 (6.8) the MedWet/NGOs network to further develop its programme of activities and collaboration with other MedWet partners and networks;

13.4 (6.9) the MedWet/Salinas network to launch, as rapidly as possible, activities that will bring it to an operational stage.

13.5 (6.10) the MedWet/SUDOE project and other initiatives of the MedWet partners in relation to inventory, assessment and monitoring of Mediterranean wetlands to use the new MedWet/CODDE project as a coordination platform for their outputs in order to enhance the technical adequacy and use of MedWet tools in these fields;

14. Incidentally, the Committee received messages concerning development of intra-regional initiatives from the Lake Chad Basin Initiative and the Niger Basin Regional Initiative.

15. The Committee expressed satisfaction with the work already accomplished by the MedWet Culture Working Group, noted its workplan and proposed deliverables for COP9, and provided guidance to this Working Group concerning the contribution of MedWet on this issue at COP9.

16. With respect to specific projects the Committee:

16.1 Also expressed satisfaction about the priority given by the MedWet/Coast project to the development of national wetland strategies, and encouraged the beneficiary countries to continue their commitment to this goal, in particular by intensifying cooperation between all concerned ministries and other partners. The Committee also noted that the remaining period of the project should be used as an opportunity to integrate the knowledge, expertise, networks and contacts developed in the context of this project within the overall structure of the MedWet initiative, so as to secure their long-term sustainability.

16.2 Momentum already built through the preparatory work done on Agriculture, Water and Wetlands by MedWet and its partners including FAO, IWMI and GWP-Med, should be maintained by launching further activities leading to the development and implementation of a regional action. The expression of interest from Libya for it to join the North African component of this project was welcomed by the Committee.

16.3 The Committee also expressed grateful thanks for the generous support of the Principality of Monaco for the establishment of the Neretva Delta Coordination Committee, and (6.11) requested that the MedWet Coordination Unit in collaboration with the countries involved advance the establishment of locally-based capacity and the launching of further activities.

17. Additionally, the Committee welcomed the addition of the Italian "Agenzia regionale per la protezione ambientale della Toscana (ARPAT)" to the MedWet Team, and (6.12) requested that the MedWet Coordination Unit complete by the end of January 2005, in consultation with the other members of the MedWet Team, the Memorandum of Collaboration with ARPAT. The meeting also (6.13) encouraged the Moroccan Wetlands Centre to develop the necessary agreements and conditions with the Moroccan Government to secure its long-term operation and financial support in order to become a MedWet Team member by the time of COP9.

18. The Committee expressed its gratitude to the speakers of the Technical Session which took place during the meeting on the theme of "The status of Mediterranean wetlands: current assessments and future priorities" for the high quality of their presentations, and noted with concern that the qualitative assessment of the status of Mediterranean wetlands presented in the Technical Session indicated that more Mediterranean wetlands are currently deteriorating than have done so in the recent past. The conclusions of the Technical Session were received by the Committee, which (6.14) requested the Coordination Unit, in collaboration with the other MedWet Team members and the MedWet/Com members to develop activities for their implementation.

19. The Committee recognised that importance should be given to under-represented types of wetlands in the Mediterranean basin in the Ramsar list, in particular those such as gueltates, chotts, oasis and dayas in the Maghreb region. In this context the Committee received a presentation on karst wetland systems from Ms Gordana Beltram, and (6.16) encouraged further karst systems to be Listed as Ramsar sites, so as to encourage further cooperation between treaties for their protection, and to encourage cooperation at the site and catchment levels.

20. Finally, the Committee was informed on the preparations for the upcoming Ramsar COP9 and noted the conditions and opportunities for the participation of MedWet in COP9. In this context, Committee members were asked to consider offering to host the 8th meeting of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee (to be organised after COP9) the Committee (6.17) requested the MedWet Coordination Unit to make contact with members in order that a proposal for hosting can be considered at MedWet/Com7 (to be held in Uganda in November 2005, prior to COP9).

For further information about MedWet/Com, please contact the MedWet Coordination Unit, info@medwet.org. For information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Posted 1 September 2005, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.

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