The twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP12) was held from 2-9 June 2015, in Punta del Este, Uruguay, under the theme “Wetlands for our Future.” Over 800 participants representing the 168 parties to the Convention, as well as the International Organization Partners (IOPs) of the Ramsar Convention, UN agencies, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) attended the meeting.
COP12 adopted 16 resolutions by consensus, including the Strategic Plan 2016-2024, a new framework for the delivery of scientific and technical advice and guidance on the Convention, peatlands, disaster risk reduction, and a wetland city accreditation of the Ramsar Convention. In the face of dramatic loss and degradation of wetlands, and notwithstanding organizational difficulties, the meeting was considered successful in charting the way for the Convention to link up to other international processes, as well as guide work on the ground.
Wetlands are disappearing fast: “40% of wetland habitats have been lost over the last 40 years, and 76% of all wetland species are threatened.” Ramsar COP12 opened to this stark reminder, challenging delegates to address long-standing misperceptions in other sectors about the value of wetlands and their precious contribution to nature and society, including ecosystem diversity, clean water and flood prevention.
Against this background, COP12 sought to heighten the visibility and broaden the reach of the Ramsar Convention. During the week it became clear that delegates arrived in Punta del Este seeking to give the Convention―the “oldest sister” of the family of multilateral environmental agreements―a new sense of direction and relevance for a wide range of both international and local stakeholders. This mission was most visible in discussions on the new Strategic Plan, but also in a series of resolutions aimed at linking to other international processes, notably the UN post-2015 development agenda, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and disaster risk reduction. At the same time, however, delegates focused on ensuring that the new resolutions would be workable and useful for local wetland authorities.
This analysis focuses on the substance of COP12 resolutions in seeking useful connections with other international processes (branching out), and enhancing implementation of the Convention on the ground (rooting).
Despite the longevity of the Ramsar Convention, the need for synergy with other relevant international processes within and beyond the environmental sector is fundamental to raising the profile of wetlands and their conservation. Resourcing such actions requires clear demonstration of the links with other priority environmental issues, especially in light of the lack of a specific funding mechanism for the Convention.
With regard to the new Strategic Plan, delegates worked hard to establish bi-directional links when defining the targets and indicators that will guide Ramsar’s work, and to increase and exchange information on wetlands from different sources. Such links are also expected to allow tapping into financial resources available for other relevant processes, most notably funds from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) via integration of wetland management needs in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), as well as from the private sector. In doing so, the Strategic Plan is expected to raise Ramsar’s profile higher in the international realm with a mandate that is aligned to global environmental and sustainability goals, while also providing value-added information on wetlands’ sustainability and services.
The Strategic Plan 2015-2024 was thus unanimously highlighted as the most important achievement of COP12. Its extension to 2024 (as opposed to the initial end-date of 2021) is also meant to ensure its implementation generates the opportunity for Ramsar parties to feed into the revision of the Aichi targets in 2020 or follow-up to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to benefit from the results of ongoing processes like the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Other resolutions adopted at COP12 served to anchor Ramsar’s work to other international processes, such as that on disaster risk reduction (linking to the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction), on water requirements (linking to global water governance) and on synergies (related to the work on SDGs indicators and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification).
Efforts to link to the post-2015 development agenda, most notably the SDGs, brought to light the on-going tensions between wetlands conservation and other economically-driven sectors, highlighting the need to extend Ramsar’s reach into fisheries, sanitation and infrastructure development. These debates are reflected in the vision of the Strategic Plan, namely that conservation and wise use of all wetlands should contribute “towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world,” while noting that to achieve this mission it is essential to recognize “vital ecosystem functions and the ecosystem services they provide to people and nature.” To help provide some clarity on this dichotomy, the COP called upon the STRP to provide scientific and technical advice on “balancing” wetland conservation and development in the next triennium.
The same need for balance was also relevant to the contested issue of peatlands and climate change, which kept delegates busy in several rounds of informal consultations. The main difficulty was the sensitivity to current negotiations on a future climate agreement (in fact, the UNFCCC subsidiary bodies were meeting in parallel to the Ramsar COP). But in actuality, the resolution was more concerned with local-level action. Parties eventually agreed to highlight the value that wetlands have for climate change adaptation, as well as their potential for mitigation and the need to further study their value as carbon sinks. Having eliminated references to market instruments that were seen as prejudging the outcomes of current climate negotiations, and with questions of mandates of different conventions addressed in a balanced manner, the final resolution was considered useful in encouraging parties to utilize their inventories to map the distribution of their peatlands and the extent of their carbon sequestration. Experience has already shown that this is no minor issue: in the context of the Ramsar partnership with Danone, a peatlands conservation project has already been registered within the Clean Development Mechanism and obtained carbon credits. That partnership has also contributed to develop a methodology on carbon sequestration by peatlands. It is thus likely that when negotiations on a new post-2020 climate agreement conclude, the issue of adaptation through wetlands management and mitigation in peatlands will receive renewed attention, including possibilities for funding these initiatives within the climate framework.
Efforts to link with other international regimes were matched with multiple attempts to ensure that the Convention maintains a focus on providing guidance and support to local authorities and Ramsar site managers. These efforts pertained to the new Strategic Plan, but also emerged clearly in the discussions on the STRP, resource mobilization and partnerships, water requirements of wetlands, and city accreditation.
While the advice stemming historically from the STRP had been noted and appreciated, it was acknowledged that the way it has been conveyed was not for all audiences―in particular for local wetland managers and CEPA target audiences. A revised scientific and technical framework was, therefore, seen as necessary by many in order to provide clear, structured and transparent priorities for scientific and policy support to parties and other stakeholders that is more responsive to their needs, while still maintaining the independence and stability scientists need to provide their valued advice. This was also highlighted in the budget discussions, where the possibility for parties to request the support of advisory missions, including the participation of STRP members, was prioritized for the next triennium. By the end of the meeting, delegates welcomed the increased focus on making the STRP’s outputs relevant to national and regional authorities.
The resolution on resource mobilization and partnerships sought to emulate the decisions in other agreements, such as the UNFCCC or the Nagoya Protocol, where new responsibilities are matched with mechanisms for resource mobilization and support that allow developing countries to access additional funding for implementation. In this case, the resolution will require further intercessional work, but was conceived as a necessary step to enable management authorities to attract funding to implement the new Strategic Plan and other policy-oriented resolutions.
The resolution on cities also sought to support work at the local level. By offering a new, international label to wetland cities, it seeks to catalyze urban action and encourage integrated spatial/land-use planning, while also lifting the Convention’s visibility among a distinctly local audience. In doing so, it diffuses the Ramsar spirit beyond wetlands of international importance, to include other “significant” wetlands in close proximity to urban centers.
Despite an impression of slow progress, especially to newcomers more familiar with other MEA processes, the impact of COP12 became evident by the end of the meeting. Faced with organizational and technological challenges, the COP started at a sedate pace. Delegates found several outdated references in the documents; they were confused by the scheduling of informal groups; and they encountered difficulties submitting textual suggestions to the Secretariat or understanding which version of certain revised drafts was under discussion, as this was the first paperless meeting in the process. It was also the first COP for the new Secretary General and his Deputy, who during the closing plenary admitted having encountered a steep learning curve at this COP.
Nevertheless, once deliberations got underway, a high level of engagement marked COP12 debates with old and new delegates being well prepared and insisting on resolution language that would make their work on the ground more effective. Many interventions during the meeting focused on the needs of wetland managers and how to make their efforts more visible and valued within their communities. Ultimately, all resolutions tabled for COP12 were adopted by consensus. Delegates showed great flexibility and commitment, by agreeing to adopt revisions to resolutions in the absence of translations in all official languages of the Convention. The COP thus ended on a positive note, with many celebrating the professionalism and hospitality of the host country Uruguay, while enjoying the last in a series of great receptions.
Taken together, CEPA, the Strategic Plan and the revised STRP provide a combination of policy-oriented documents expected to provide coherent and wider-reaching guidance to all stakeholders involved in wetlands management. The Strategic Plan was carefully crafted, and also benefitted from a series of regional consultations prior to the COP―an unprecedented development in this process that many delegates welcomed. The new CEPA Programme clearly points to providing instruments and a strategy to bring the wise use of wetlands into the public eye, and to highlight the values of wetlands to other sectors of the economy to finally overcome the idea―still present beyond the boundaries of the environmental sector―that wetlands are wastelands. However, many cautioned that with all on-the-ground implementation activities in the budget based on non-core (voluntary) financial resources, sustained efforts on resource mobilization and partnerships will be key.
COP12 convened under the theme “Wetlands for our Future,” and as the NGOs stated at the end of the meeting, “this future starts now,” implying the need for immediate follow-up action. As a result of COP12, the Convention appears, in the eyes of many, to be better geared to play a role in other international processes, but work in that regard needs to start right away if Ramsar is to stay on top of fast-approaching global developments, such as a new climate agreement and the UN post-2015 development agenda. COP12 also set a clearer path ahead for supporting and reviewing implementation, with more defined priorities for the Convention’s bodies and some stern instructions to the Secretariat on the use of resources and preparations for the next COP. The shift from detailed technical issues towards more policy-oriented guidance was generally greeted as a positive change in the process, as it may place Ramsar authorities in a better position to influence decisions that are badly needed to achieve a substantive improvement in the conservation and management of wetlands around the world.
The Summary of this meeting is now available in PDF format at http://www.iisd.ca/download/pdf/enb1746e.pdf
and in HTML format at http://www.iisd.ca/vol17/enb1746e.html
Source: IISD Reporting Services
