Report of the Pan-African Regional Meeting 1998

Ramsar logo The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Report of the Pan-African Regional Meeting, Kampala, Uganda, July 1998

Report of the Pan-African Regional Meeting

Kampala, Uganda, 6-10 July, 1998

Introduction

The Pan-African Meeting of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) was hosted by the Government of Uganda and jointly organised by the Uganda National Wetlands Programme, directed by Mr. Paul Mafabi within the Ministry of Lands, Water and Environment, and the Bureau of the Convention based in Switzerland. The theme of the meeting was:

"Partnership for Wetland Conservation in Africa".

The main objectives of the meeting were: a) to review the implementation of the Convention in Africa; and b) to gain a regional overview of the main issues facing the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, in preparation for the 7th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention, to be held in Costa Rica in May 1999.

The meeting was opened by the Honourable Henry Kajura, Minister of Lands, Water and Environment of Uganda. Mr. Paul Mafabi, Coordinator of the Uganda Wetlands Programme, spoke on behalf of Senegal and Uganda, the two countries representing Africa on the Standing Committee of the Convention. The Secretary General of the Convention, Mr. Delmar Blasco, made a "Statement on the status of and prospects for the Convention on Wetlands". Representatives of BirdLife, IUCN, The World Conservation Union, Wetlands International, and WWF, the four Ramsar NGO partner organisations, also made statements during the opening session.

The meeting was attended by more than 100 delegates from 34 Contracting Parties and Observer Countries in Africa, and observers from Contracting Parties in other regions, as well as intergovernmental institutions, and NGOs.

In addition to the plenary sessions, three Working Groups were established in order to have an in-depth discussion of the major topics that will be discussed at the 7th Conference of the Contracting Parties.

The meeting was closed by Hon. Baguma Isoke, Minister of State for Lands and MP for Buyaga County, on behalf of the Government of Uganda. During the closing session, the participants and the Secretary General of the Convention expressed their appreciation to the Government and people of Uganda for the organisation of the meeting and the hospitality extended to all participants. They also extended their gratitude to the Governments of Sweden and Switzerland for having provided direct financial support for the meeting, and to the Government of the Netherlands for its support through the Uganda National Wetlands Programme.

Attached are the conclusions and recommendations that were approved during the last plenary session, which incorporate the output from the working groups.

Conclusions and recommendations

Theme 1. Ramsar and Water

Conclusions

1. The new approach of the Convention to incorporate issues relating to water resources management in its areas of concern and work is most welcome.

2. Given that there are numerous other institutions dealing with water issues at the international level, it will be important for the Convention to identify a clear focus for its work in this area.

3. While recognizing that water has an economic value, it may be necessary for the Convention to expand on the other very significant values of water.

4. In many cases, the greatest threat to wetlands is land use which does not take water conservation objectives into account, since the shortage of land makes wetlands a target for gaining land through drainage. Thus, when dealing with water issues, it could be advisable for the Convention to do so from the wider perspective of the rational use of land and water.

5. In many countries, wetland issues are not dealt with by the ministry in charge of water affairs, since wetland issues are perceived as a nature conservation question, rather than a water question.

6. The question of identifying the most appropriate agency at the national level as the lead agency for wetland issues constitutes a difficult choice, from both the technical and political points of view. In many instances, the agency dealing with wetlands is much weaker that the one dealing with water, making it difficult for the former to convince the latter to agree on a common action.

7. Water ministries are normally under strong pressure of development to provide water for people and may overlook wetland issues.

8. Wetlands are a multisectoral issue and thus require a multisectoral approach, under the responsibility of a committee, or equivalent institution, at high levels of government.

9. The extensive wetlands of Africa should be the subject of specific studies to assess their socio-economic, hydrological, environmental, and cultural values, including their value as climate regulators.

10. Wetlands have a global importance because of their high rate of evaporation which influences climate and rain patterns not only at their location but also elsewhere on the planet.

11. Wetlands management has to be linked to water resources management.

12. While the Convention has to be a tool for sustainable development, it also has to make its contribution through the development of technical and scientific instruments in the area of wetlands and water, which can then be translated into practical tools for community-level action.

13. In many cases, water institutions are not equipped to deal with the complexities of an integrated approach to management nor with the implementation of the Dublin Principles and Agenda 21 requirements.

14. Wetlands are often portrayed as providers of water, but it should be openly recognized that they are also water users and, as such, the minimum flow of water they require should be guaranteed. However, much more work needs to be done in developing methodologies for assessing that minimum flow.

15. In most cases, water issues have been dealt with by engineers, and they have provided engineering solutions. A paradigm shift is required in the area of water management in order to include other perspectives and possible options, based on an ecosystem approach. Water engineers should be trained for integrating wetland values in their work.

16. Ramsar should contribute to this shift in relation to wetlands: they should no longer be perceived as competitors for water but as an integral part of the solution in an integrated water management approach.

17. Some aspects of the new water policy in South Africa were noted. The policy recognizes two basic rights to water: a) 25 litres per person per day; and b) the ecosystems’ requirement of sufficient water in order to continue to perform their functions. The latter is being called "the environmental reserve".

18. Development activities always impact the ecosystems. In the area of water, it is a must for governments to provide water for human consumption and economic activities. Hard decisions have to be made between consumption and conservation. Planners and decision makers need more tools to assist them to make well-informed decisions.

Recommendations

19. The Ramsar Bureau should produce detailed information on the relationship between the concerns and goals of the Convention and other sectors, including water management issues, as a tool to sensitise governments and in particular those responsible for other sectoral policies.

20. The Convention Bureau should promote specific studies on questions relating to wetlands and water, such as the question of how much water is provided by wetlands for food security, how wetlands contribute to the regulation of local climatic conditions, or the more general question of how much fresh water is stored in wetlands. In so doing, the Ramsar Bureau, the STRP and the Administrative Authorities at the national level should make use of existing academic resources to promote the close relationship which exists between the conservation of wetlands and the adequate management of water resources.

21. The Bureau should produce guidelines on the role, functions and structure of national wetland committees, so as to assist governments in selecting the lead agency for wetland issues. This advice could be particularly useful to new countries that adhere to the Convention.

22. The title of the Convention is limiting. It should be formally changed to "Convention on Wetlands". A proposal should be made at the next COP to amend the treaty in line with its current approach to deal with the whole host of wetland functions, values and attributes. The translation into French of the term "wetland" as "zone humide" should be reconsidered.

23. The Ramsar Bureau should continue to reinforce its work in the area of economic valuation of wetlands, as well as in the area of developing tools for effective community involvement.

24. The Convention should develop more specific tools to encourage and assist Contracting Parties to make more active use of Article 5 of the Convention that requires them to "consult with each other about implementing obligations arising from the Convention especially in the case of a wetland extending over the territories of more than one Contracting Party or where a water system is shared by Contracting Parties."

25. Given that the greatest threat to wetlands, particularly in developing countries, arises from inappropriate land use practices, the Ramsar Bureau should initiate a process to develop guidelines for Contracting Parties that could be applied in identifying and encouraging land use practices that are compatible with the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their catchment areas. These guidelines should be based on a river basin approach to be applied within the framework of integrated national land use planning and management.

26. The proposal to develop a protocol on water under the Convention should be seriously considered at the next COP.

27. Concerning the sub-themes for the Technical Session on Ramsar and Water:

a) the first sub-theme should include the development of water balance schemes for wetlands, issues related to climate regulation, water quality, and the concept of the "environmental reserve" of water and how to determine it;

b) the sub-theme on integrated river basin management should read "Wetlands issues in an integrated river basin management approach";

c) the sub-theme on national water policies should be rephrased as follows: "Wetlands and national and regional water policy formulation and/or revision".

28. The Convention should increase its working relationship with the United Nations Environment Programme, particularly in the area of freshwater.

29. National Ramsar Committees should include those entities which deal with the management of water resources, and the agencies responsible for the implementation of the Ramsar Convention in each country (the so-called "Ramsar Administrative Authorities") should participate in national bodies where water policy and legislation is defined and applied, with a view to making an active contribution in relation to wetland conservation and sustainable use.

30. Ramsar Administrative Authorities should have a compilation of laws and regulations relating to water and an inventory of functions and responsibilities of all those agencies involved in the regulation of water resources.

31. The Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) should analyze in detail the contributions the Convention can make to the integrated management of water resources, and in particular to consider the possibility of developing "specific patterns of procedure" for the integration of wetland management within the watershed focus.

32. The STRP should define and elaborate the "environmental reserve" concept in relation to wetlands and the concept of "environmental reserve quality".

33. The STRP should also contribute towards the development of basic concepts and methodologies for determining the water quality, quantity and timing necessary to maintain the ecological character of wetlands, and which could subsequently be applied to the whole watershed for use in water resource management.

34. The Convention should develop synergy with existing fora in the African region which work in this area and promote a more active exchange of experiences and methodologies relating to integrated watershed management.

35. Ramsar should accelerate its approach to the Convention to Combat Desertification since the sustainable management of water as a resource is essential to both.

Theme 2. National Planning for Wetland Conservation and Wise Use

Conclusions

36. Although the circumstances in each of the Contracting Parties and Observer States are different, the Ugandan experience in producing a National Wetland Policy (NWP) is of value as a model working document.

37. An important first step in the production of a NWP is an acceptance of the need to conserve wetlands by Government. This means creating awareness among decision-makers of what wetlands offer: where possible this should be in financial terms - such as where conserving a wetland saves the cost of constructing a sewage treatment works or of taking costly flood prevention measures. It is also useful to agree a moratorium or 'cease fire' in relation to major interventions on wetland ecosystems, after which the new policies on wetland can be brought into effect.

38. Inter-Ministerial discussions to achieve integration of effort are of great importance: a valuable mechanism is a Coordinating Committee of all the Ministries which are stakeholders, including agriculture, forestry, fisheries, mining, water and energy, amongst others. A National Wetlands Committee, with representatives of all stakeholders, including NGOs, is regarded by many Parties as an effective way of addressing national problems and opportunities. The principle can be extended to the regional and local levels with good effect.

39. There is a clear need to coordinate the work being done on wetland conservation with work undertaken to meet commitments to other Conventions, notably the Convention on Biological Diversity (National Action Plans and Strategies) and the Convention to Combat Desertification. In the case of the CBD, it may be appropriate to include wetland issues directly into national strategies or as a special annex to them.

40. Decision-makers also need to be aware of the particular wetland issues which are of most relevance in their own countries (for instance, damage to wetlands caused by drainage or unsustainable agricultural use). Visits by decision-makers to problem sites are often very effective. These will serve to strengthen/sensitise the decision-makers. Efforts to sensitise decision-makers at the community level and community-based organisations also tend to pay dividends.

41. Inventories are of undoubted importance for implementing national wetland policies and monitoring the effectiveness of these policies. The undertaking of wetland inventories should not be delayed, and can proceed in parallel with policy development processes. An inventory based on existing information may be adequate to begin with.

42. It should be noted that data sets exist or are being developed, including in Africa the list of Important Bird Areas, which provide a good match with Ramsar criteria for site selection.

43. National Wetland Policies are usually not legally binding, and it will be necessary for most effective implementation to translate the main tenets of the Policy into legal instruments. The legislation base will differ from country to country: approaches include protected area legislation related to sites on the Ramsar List, but it should not be forgotten that the Convention requires Parties to implement wise use at all wetlands in their territories, and other measures will be necessary to ensure this.

44. New wetland legislation may not always be needed; a review along with an identification and clarification of ways in which existing legislation may be relevant could be less daunting, and is sometimes as effective.

45. A major problem remains lack of human resources. Training has an important role to play. The Contracting Parties, the Bureau, the donor community and other agencies should give particular attention to meeting the human resource need in wetland conservation matters in African countries.

46. The "training of trainers" may be an efficient way to build local capacity with minimum effort.

47. Parties should consider providing the Bureau with a list of national experts on wetland issues who can cooperate with, for instance, the Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) and the Standing Committee. This may be particularly valuable where technical experts working in government are likely to change frequently.

48. A special problem for wise use is posed for some countries by the intervention of multinational companies, leading to pollution, including oil pollution of mangroves, and the destruction of forests in wetland catchment areas. It was noted that the "polluter pays" principle should continue to be invoked and preferably development in these sensitive areas should be preceded by an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) with mitigating measures wherever required.

49. Wise use principles in wetlands conservation and management can be applied more effectively when there is a sustainable use of wetland products that benefit the local communities. Contracting Parties are therefore urged to promote effective community participation in the conservation and wise use of wetlands through provision of incentives and benefit sharing among all stakeholders.

50. As part of a discussion of wise use issues, it was noted that restoration and rehabilitation of wetlands often have an important part to play. In this context, a useful tool is "Wetland Fix", a series of six field guides produced in South Africa, and available on request.

51. Wise use of listed sites could be greatly facilitated by the production of a management plan for each site, which could be dovetailed into the national development planning process, as appropriate.

Recommendations

52. All Contracting Parties and Observer States should endeavour to initiate processes to produce a National Wetland Policy. The Convention should encourage its NGO Partners and other donors to provide financial and technical support for the preparation of such policies.

53. Contracting Parties are urged to set up National Wetland Committees, involving NGOs and other representatives of civil society wherever appropriate. The Ramsar Bureau should provide guidelines for National Wetland Committees.

54. Contracting Parties should set up national, regional and international communication networks, making appropriate use of new technology.

55. The Bureau is requested to investigate with Contracting Parties the possibility of including in its Wetland Experts Database a list of Focal Points in Africa. The purpose of this would be to allow the STRP, and other Ramsar technical experts who may be investigating an issue in a country, to contact someone with relevant experience, particularly where government staff are regularly changing.

56. The Bureau, the Ramsar NGO partners, and the international community, are requested, as a matter of high priority, to support the African Contracting Parties with capacity building and with funding, especially for the preparation of management plans for wetland sites.

57. The Bureau is further requested to consider holding national workshops for decision-makers at all levels, including legislators, in each Contracting Party, to make them aware of the basic issues related to wetland conservation and wise use. One example might be to bring Ministers to a two-day session at the beginning of a future COP, as was done at the recent COP of the Convention on Biological Diversity, in order to sensitise them.

58. The Bureau should consider organising a Wetlands Management Course in each subregion in Africa, similar to the well known one held regularly in the Netherlands.

Theme 3. Involving local people at all levels

Conclusions

59. Wherever possible, the value to local people of sustainable use should be demonstrated practically, so that they will "buy into" proposals, and thus ensure greater effectiveness. In this regard, local communities should be considered as partners at all levels and any wetland programme should take into account their interest and initiatives.

60. It is also recognised that local people have much to teach technical staff, and there should be emphasis on the two-way nature of the process (listening as well as talking), and incorporating the best of traditional practices with the latest technical and scientific understanding.

61. In this respect, Contracting Parties should recognise the "custodianship" of local communities over the biodiversity that exists in wetlands and explore ways to protect the rights of local communities over their traditional knowledge, including the documentation of such traditional knowledge. This knowledge should form an important part of environmental education programmes relating to wetlands.

62. Technicians who wish to achieve the maximum with local communities should consider the value of actually living and working alongside them to gain their trust and understanding, and working with existing systems and institutions, rather than introducing change without full consideration. As part of this process, it is valuable to seek out the men and women who have most influence with the local communities, and to persuade them of the conservation and wise use message, so that they will persuade others.

63. Systems which ensure that revenue (such as admission charges to protected areas) are shared with local communities demonstrate the value to them of working to ensure the future of these sites, and should help ensure better, because willing, protection of the site and its resources.

64. Some ways in which revenue may be channelled to local communities include promoting activities that generate employment, and the development of low impact industries, from which they can derive benefits or even ownership.

65. Other methods for encouraging a sense of ownership should also be explored, including the inclusion of local people on Ramsar site management committees. It is appropriate to consider not just local villagers, whose attention may be focused on non-wetland issues, but on the actual users of the wetland, including fishermen and water plant harvesters.

66. Local professional groupings, such as fishermen and graziers, often have long experience at wise use of wetlands, and there are many examples where the State need hardly be involved, except to check that things continue to work well in, for instance, the prevention of overfishing.

67. In many cases, the optimisation of wetland crops may be a more realistic possibility than looking at new, alternative crops.

Recommendations

68. Contracting Parties are urged to use existing and innovative methods of working with local communities, including both men and women in those communities, on the principle of listening as well as of passing on information, so that the best of traditional and new methods can be combined for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. In this regard, the role of NGOs as facilitators should be emphasised and promoted.

Theme 4. Tools for assessing and recognising wetlands values

Conclusions

69. Wetlands have ecological, biological and hydrological functions which can be categorised into primary and secondary attributes. Primary values generally fall outside the market system and can only be measured indirectly. They include ecological functions performed by wetlands such as minimising flood damage, filtration of silt, providing water supply, etc. Secondary values do fall within the market system and can therefore be measured directly. The value of wetlands for tourism and food are two examples.

These functions may be translated into economic, social and cultural values. Various tools have been developed and continue to evolve for assessing and recognising these values. The purpose for economic valuation of wetlands is to ensure that their true social value is considered in decision-making processes.

70. Within the above broad categories, several parameters were identified for purposes of determining tools for measuring wetland values. These include:

ecological/biological parameters

hydrological and hydro-meteorological parameters

social, economic and cultural parameters

physical characteristics.

71. Ecological / biological parameters can be established by creating a resource inventory, identifying indicator species as well as identifying representative endemic species and defining the degree of threat, and threatened species could be identified and listed. The species richness should also be identified.

72. Hydrological parameters should include standard tools such as modelling, simulations and routine hydro-met data collection (for rainfall and both surface and underground water systems).

73. Economic tools include : economic research (e.g. market research); monitoring and evaluation; various economic valuation techniques for wetlands (e.g. publications by Ramsar), including cost benefit analyses of wetlands and shadow pricing; opportunity cost of wetland products and services; market value of secondary wetlands values; and replacement cost of lost ecological functions.

74. Social and cultural values can be determined using tools such as Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), the use of extension agents, social research, and monitoring and evaluation.

75. Forecasting the environmental and social impact of wetland loss would be a valuable tool towards convincing Parties to take action to ameliorate the status of a wetland under stress or to reverse the trends that are endangering wetlands.

76. Predicting social impact on wetlands can be used as a means of mitigating any negative consequences. Although predicting social impact of wetland loss is a complex issue, some tools for doing so have been developed and they include :

EIA (environmental impact assessment)

PRA

GIS

Satellite imagery

Data collection systems

Aerial surveys

Early warning system.

77. Some of the likely social impacts of wetland loss include the loss of livelihoods, a change of life styles (e.g. changing from fishing to crop production), changes in land use patterns and the creation of environmental refugees. This leads to loss of income and livelihood.

Recommendations

78. The Convention and its Contracting Parties should undertake projects and programmes in the following areas:

79. Assess the degree of threat affecting wetlands and compile the list of threatened species.

80. Conduct economic research (e.g. market research) in order to evaluate and monitor wetland values;

81. Establish opportunity costs of wetland products and services, the market value of wetlands as well as the replacement cost of lost ecological functions;

82. Organise the decision-makers to enable them to take action on the social impact of wetland loss, to ameliorate the status of a wetland under stress or to reverse the trends that are endangering wetlands;

83. Undertake economic valuation programmes along with EIA actions to assess ecological, economic and social impacts of wetland loss in order to raise awareness among decision makers for wetland conservation and wise use.

84. These tools should be developed in addition to the existing ones and distributed for use.

Theme 5: The Framework for Regional and International Cooperation

Conclusions

85. Considering this topic, the meeting observed that frameworks for regional and international cooperation such as conventions, agreements and protocols do exist in the subregion. Examples of existing frameworks based on such conventions, agreements and protocols and which could be used in furthering implementation of the convention include the following:

(i) Regional economic groupings such as SADC, ECOWAS, IGAD, EAC, Cillss, etc.

(ii) River/Lake Basin organisations such as OMVA, NBA, TECCONILE, ZRA, LCBC, IOC, etc.

86. International NGOs such as IUCN, WWF etc, and international funding agencies such as GEF can be involved in promoting regional and international cooperation.

87. Where regional agreements do not address issues of Ramsar, their scope should be expanded to include them and facilitate linkages

88. Frameworks for regional and international cooperation should include initiatives at the strategic level as well as project level. Examples cited are Lake Victoria Environmental Management Programme, Rift Valley Lakes (Eastern Africa)

89. It was also requested that the Pan-African Meeting on Ramsar be institutionalised to ensure continuous exchange of views and experiences.

90. Subregional coordination mechanism should be linked to the international mechanisms to provide for vertical and horizontal coordination and cooperation in the implementation of the convention.

91. Cooperation between Ramsar and other conventions such as the ones on Biodiversity, desertification and partner organisations at regional and international levels will provide a synergy in the system.

92. Knowledge and experiences could be shared between countries especially at the regional level through activities such as on-site training, sharing of research findings and exchange of personnel.

93. Site-twinning arrangements between Ramsar sites of similar nature such as Niomy in Gambia and Saloum in Senegal and the East and West Rift Valley lakes should be encouraged to promote cooperation.

Mobilisation of financial support for the implementation of Ramsar Convention

94. Prerequisites for mobilising financing for wetland conservation includes: policy formulation, legal framework, public awareness strategies and political commitment. Utilising the services of expert consultants on publicity was also considered very relevant.

95. Donors and partners should be involved in the preparation of programmes and projects from the initial stage.

Guidelines for International Cooperation

96. It was brought to the notice of the meeting that the Secretariat has already prepared a handbook. It was therefore felt that the Secretariat should develop within that handbook, guidelines for international cooperation in wetland conservation and management issue.

97. The secretariat should visit countries not parties to the convention in order to convince them to become parties.

Recommendations:

98. That the Ramsar Secretariat should undertake a study of the existing frameworks for Regional and International Cooperation with a view to identifying subregional bodies and agencies with which to cooperate in the implementation of the Ramsar Convention.

99. That the Pan-African meetings of Ramsar be institutionalised within the Ramsar Instrument in order to ensure continuous exchange of views and experiences.

100. That the Secretariat should establish networks for exchange of research data, training and personnel.

101. That the Secretariat should facilitate site-twinning arrangements between similar Ramsar sites.

102. That the Secretariat should assist the COP in the process of mobilisation of funds for the implementation of the Ramsar Convention.

103. That the Secretariat should develop, within its handbook, guidelines on regional and international cooperation.

For further information, 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 6 September 1998, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.