Recommendations of the Groningen Conference

Recommendation 2.3 on Action points for priority attention

2nd Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties
Groningen, the Netherlands
7-12 May 1984

Recommendation 2.3: Action points for priority attention

RECOGNIZING the obligation of Contracting Parties to the Convention to formulate their planning so as to promote the conservation of the wetlands included in the List of Wetlands of International Importance, and as far as possible the wise use of wetlands in their territory;

STRESSING the importance of international cooperation for the coordination and support of wetland conservation activities,

CONVINCED of the desirability of defining requirements and establishing priorities for activities designed to implement the Convention;

TAKING NOTE of the Framework Document revised following discussion at the present Conference and annexed to this Recommendation, which has guided discussion of the action points presented hereafter;

THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

DETERMINES that the following Action Points should receive priority attention:

1. Elaboration of a system of wetland classification or typology;

2. Preparation of a standard data sheet on wetlands and of guidelines for its use in wetland inventories;

3. Development of common criteria for evaluating the importance of wetlands at local, national or international level; and, in particular, expansion of the existing Cagliari Criteria to cover also ecological factors concerning life other than waterfowl;

4. Development of a common base for recording and evaluating long-term trends in the ecology of wetlands through monitoring of physical and biological parameters, taking into account the different levels of expertise and support in the various Contracting Parties;

5. Quantification of both direct (monetary) and indirect (non-monetary) values of wetlands and formulation of criteria to enable all values to be taken fully into account in the planning of conservation projects and projects which may lead to changes in the ecological character of wetlands;

6. Development of strategies and techniques for wetland management including measures to enable the retention of natural characteristics of wetland areas before, during and after execution of modification or transformation projects; and

7. Promotion of increased international cooperation among the Contracting Parties and interested states; in particular, development of a clearing-house function for special assistance for wetland conservation projects in developing countries.

Annex: Framework for Implementing the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar, 1971)

For more information about the Recommendations of the Groningen COP or the Ramsar Convention itself, 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 2 March 1997, updated 11 March 2000, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.