Critical Evaluation of the Ramsar Small Grants Fund

"People and Wetlands: The Vital Link"
7^th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties
to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971),
San José, Costa Rica, 10-18 May 1999

Critical evaluation of the Ramsar Small Grants Fund for Wetlands Conservation and Wise Use (SGF) and its future operations

Action 8.4.2 of the Strategic Plan 1997-2002 directed that for COP7 the performance of the Ramsar Small Grants Fund (SGF) should undergo a critical evaluation, and that this was to be prepared by the Bureau, reviewed by the Standing Committee at its 21st meeting in 1998, and transmitted to the 7th meeting of the Conference of the Parties. The following document was provided to COP7 as an annex to Document 15.5, now Resolution VII.5.

Critical evaluation of the Ramsar Small Grant Fund for Wetlands Conservation and Wise Use (SGF) undertaken by the Ramsar Bureau

1. Action 8.4.2 of the Strategic Plan 1997-2002 states; "Evaluate critically, at the 7^th COP (1999), the performance of the Small Grants Fund". Accordingly, the Convention Bureau prepared an evaluation document which was reviewed by the Standing Committee at its 21^st meeting in October 1998 and endorsed for submission to COP7 with some minor modifications, together with a proposal for a draft resolution reflecting the major conclusions of the critical review.

2. The Wetland Conservation Fund was established at COP4 in 1990 (Resolution 4.3) with a view to providing assistance for wetland conservation and wise use in developing countries. Its continuation was strongly supported through Resolution 5.8 of COP5 in 1993. COP6, in 1996, adopted Resolution VI.6, renaming the Fund the Ramsar Small Grants Fund for Wetland Conservation and Wise Use (Ramsar SGF).

3. In the same Resolution, COP6 decided that "all countries on the List of Aid Recipients established by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shall be eligible for receiving assistance from the Ramsar SGF", which in practical terms meant that the countries with economies in transition would also have access to the Fund.

4. The Standing Committee has adopted Operational Guidelines for the functioning of the SGF. The current Guidelines establish that "as a matter of priority, the SGF shall be open to eligible Contracting Parties for activities which contribute to the implementation of the Ramsar Strategic Plan 1997-2002." The Guidelines also establish that "the maximum amount for each project should normally not exceed SFR. 40,000".

5. The Standing Committee has also adopted a clear procedure for the evaluation of the project proposals submitted to the SGF. The final decision for project funding is taken by the Standing Committee at its regular annual meeting, drawing upon the recommendations presented by the Bureau.

7. The following tables summarise the operation of the SGF in its nine years of existence.

Year	No. of projects submitted	No. of countries that submitted projects	Projects considered suitable for funding	Projects funded	No. of countries that received funding	Total allocated in SFR, incl. 10% admin. charge
1991	17	17	17	7	7	200,025
1992	29	24	27	12	11	280,566
1993	35	24	28	15	14	469,880
1994	24	18	20	10	9	371,360
1995	30	22	25	11	14	346,530
1996	27	21	15	12	12	403,150
1997	83	40	55	28	28	1,064,840
1998	67	42	48	18	18	679,470
Totals	312		235	113		3,815,821

Table 2: SUITABLE PROJECTS NOT FUNDED BECAUSE OF LACK OF RESOURCES IN THE SGF, 1991-1998

8. According to the SGF Operational Guidelines, projects should, in general, be implemented within a one-year period, and a final report should be presented in the six months after completion of the project. Since 1995, all projects receive an initial payment of 80% of the full project grant at the time of signing of the contract. The 20% balance of the funds is retained pending the submission of an acceptable final report, which should include a statement of expenditure for the funds provided.

9. The Convention has standard forms for both the Progress and Final Reports. A new Project Evaluation Form will be introduced in 1999 in order to better evaluate achievements against project objective(s) and overall project outcomes, and to monitor the use of funds.

10. The Progress and Final Reports received by the Bureau have demonstrated that the SGF has supported many valuable small-scale projects reflecting a wide variety of wetland conservation and wise use activities.

11. In supporting such work, the SGF has provided assistance to a number of developing countries and more recently to countries in transition, and has also enhanced the image and effectiveness of the Convention in many parts of the world.

12. The following table indicates the number of progress and final reports received and reports still due for projects funded under the SGF:

14. In relation to the number and quality of project proposals received, the number has increased over the years, from 17 in 1991 to 67 in 1998, with a peak in 1997 (83 proposals). Quality has also increased, overall, possibly due to the advice provided to project proponents by the Bureau’s Regional Coordinators and the Convention’s NGO partners. A proportion of proposals have required further work, but only a few have been discarded as not recoverable or not pertinent.

15. The SGF constitutes a practical mechanism for the implementation of the Convention, even though, as its names indicates, it is only suitable for small-scale projects and does not replace the need for most countries to have access to much more substantial levels of funding in order to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of their wetlands.

16. In its promotional leaflet for the SGF, produced in 1998, the Bureau described the programme as "filling the gap". Compared to most other funding programmes operating in this field, the SGF offers smaller scale funding (maximum of SFR 40,000) and is intended to be catalytic in its approach. The SGF does have a niche as a funding programme which can allow countries to address relatively small-scale projects or use SGF funds to seek complementary funding from other sources for larger scale activities.

17. It is the Bureau’s assessment that the SGF is highly cost effective at the project scale. For relatively small investments from the SGF and staff time at the Bureau, the results obtained are generally worthy of much larger budgets, indicating that SGF funds are generating an excellent leverage effect. While this leverage effect is difficult to quantify, it is evident that all projects benefit from significant in-kind contributions (in terms of human resources, etc.) and in some cases direct financial support from other sources.

18. The project titles that appear in Annex 1 provide an indication of the range of projects that the SGF has funded since 1991. This is another success of the SGF, as it shows the variety and complexity of wetland management issues in different countries and regions of the world, and that through the SGF the Convention is able to respond to these. Such flexibility is a considerable strength of the SGF.

19. Another strength of the SGF is that its application procedures are relatively simple. The SGF application form, while seeking clear information on project goals, methods and budgets, is not overly bureaucratic. In addition, applicants can seek prior advice from the Bureau as to the merits of their projects and how best to present them in the applications. This service has assisted many countries to improve the quality of their project applications and thus secure funds from the SGF.

20. The overall conclusion is that the SGF constitutes a highly successful mechanism. However, despite this success, there do remain challenges in terms of the continuing operation of the SGF.

21. In the period from 1991 to 1998, a total of SFR 3,815,821 has been allocated through the SGF to a total of 113 projects (see Table 1 and Annex 1). In that same period, a further 122 projects were assessed as being of high priority and worthy of funding from the SGF but could not be approved due to lack of available funds.

22. Annex 2 shows the contributions received for the SGF since its inception in 1990. While the Convention should be most grateful to the many generous donors that have contributed, the fact remains that had the resources been available the SGF could have reasonably expected to have allocated a further SFR 4 million to these 122 projects, making its contribution to furthering the implementation of the Convention much more significant.

23. As shown in Annex 2, contributions to the SGF have come mainly from the agencies that are the Ramsar Administrative Authorities in donor countries, but the largest amounts were contributed by three bilateral development assistance agencies. This may indicate that any continued and significant funding for the SGF in the future should be sought from the development assistance community. NGOs have provided part of the funding, but more could be done to generate contributions from the non-governmental sector as well as from the private sector.

24. Apart from securing a higher level of funds in order to support more projects each year, another challenge is to gain some assurance that the annual amount available for allocation does not vary as greatly as it has in the first eight years of the SGF. In 1997, when just over SFR 1 million was available, a record number of applications were received and projects funded. In 1998 the level of funding dropped by almost 40%, and it was necessary to discourage countries from submitting more than one project each. In 1999 it is impossible to predict what the funding level will be, and this uncertainty does not assist either the potential project proponents or the Bureau with their forward planning.

25. From this it is apparent that the 7^th Conference of the Contracting Parties should give serious consideration to ways to secure both a higher level of funding for the SGF and a guarantee of some suitable minimum level of funds available each year.

26. Resolution VI.6 of COP6 in 1996 reiterated "its conviction expressed in Resolution 5.8 that the level of resources available to the Ramsar SGF should be increased to at least US$ 1 million [SFR 1.4 million] annually". But the Resolution fell short of establishing some sort of mechanism for generating that level of funding. As a consequence, that level has never been secured.

27. At present the triennial budget of the Convention allocates SFR 100,000 per year to the SGF. But in the budget that the Standing Committee is recommending for the 2000-2002 triennium, the allocation has been decreased to SFR 50,000; 51,000; and 52,000 respectively (see Ramsar COP7 DOC. 14).

28. The Bureau further urges that all developed country Contracting Parties, and other organizations able to do so, be asked to consider making longer term commitments (3 years minimum) to the SGF to allow forward projections to be given with confidence. This will help to establish at least the level of funding proposed in Resolution 5.8 and reiterated in Resolution VI.6.

29. As previously indicated, the quality of projects submitted to the SGF has generally been high, as evidenced by the fact that around 80% of the proposals have been judged to be suitable for funding. Over the eight-year period of this evaluation, as the administrative procedures and SGF requirements have been refined, there has also been a noticeable increase in both the number and quality of projects submitted.

30. It is the Bureau’s assessment that once countries are successful in gaining SGF funds they will continue to seek more for other projects, and through their previous experience in gaining support they are better placed for future success. This trend may pose the risk that over time the SGF funds will go more and more to those countries which have the capacity to prepare the best project applications. It is for this reason that the Bureau has encouraged the Standing Committee to give a level of priority within the suitable projects submitted for their consideration to those from countries which have never gained SGF support previously. The hope is that through this action a larger number of countries will benefit from SGF support and also gain experience in preparing project submissions.

31. The Bureau urges that this practice should continue in future years and also that a new advisory service be offered to help further improve the quality of project applications, especially from those countries with less experience or capacity to prepare them. It is therefore being proposed to advertise, as of the 1999 call for proposals, an advisory service facility by the Bureau. In a typical year the call for proposals is sent out in November, and applications close on 31 March. The Bureau will offer to provide comments and advice on draft project proposals received until 31 January. This will allow those who wish to take advantage of this service several weeks to finalise their proposals before submission at the end of March.

32. One area of SGF operations where the Bureau (and the Standing Committee) recognised that there remains a need for improvement is that of progress and final reporting. The decision taken in 1995 to withhold 20% of the SGF grant pending receipt of an acceptable final report has helped to some degree. However, while the majority of project proponents have been diligent in meeting their reporting obligations, there are a number of cases where reports have not been submitted. It is also true that in far too many cases several reminders are required in order to elicit such reports, which consumes valuable human resources within the Bureau.

33. The Bureau also recognised that it would be advantageous to standardise the format for Progress and Final Reports under the SGF to avoid any uncertainty on the part of the project proponents as to what was expected. With assistance from the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), these standard formats were prepared and approved by the 21^st meeting of the Standing Committee for immediate introduction.

34. In responding to the challenges in this area, the Bureau is proposing that in future years the Standing Committee should make funding for new projects in recipient countries conditional upon satisfactory compliance with reporting requirements for previous grants to that country. At its 21^st meeting, the Standing Committee supported this proposal strongly.

35. Another area where it is considered that performance could be improved is that of project monitoring and evaluation. In responding to this challenge, the Bureau developed a standardised format for Project Evaluation which was approved by the 21^st meeting of the Standing Committee for immediate introduction.

36. In only a few cases has it been possible for the Bureau to visit project sites to discuss progress or outcomes of SGF-funded activities. This is an area which the Bureau proposes should gain higher priority when Bureau staff are visiting countries that have received funding. The Partner NGOs should also be encouraged to assist more actively in this area.

37. It is also suggested that there is a role for the Administrative Authorities within these countries (in cases in which the projects are being implemented by others) to monitor progress and evaluate final reports under the SGF. In its proposal concerning the modus operandi of the STRP, the Standing Committee is recommending the introduction of National Focal Points for STRP matters in each Contracting Party (see Ramsar COP7 DOC. 15.2). It may be appropriate for these National Focal Points also to take a role in SGF project monitoring and evaluation, on behalf of, or in cooperation with, the Administrative Authority.

38. The Bureau has prepared for each year of the SGF an Allocations Report which is provided to donors and made available through the Convention’s Web site. However, the provision of summaries of outcomes following completion of the projects has not been done regularly in a formal way. The Bureau has sought to rectify this with the move to standardised reporting formats for progress and final reports as indicated above. These include short summary statements prepared by the project proponents that are intended for use in reporting back to donors and general promotion of the SGF. Proponents are also asked to provide photographs of key aspects of their work, but in the past the response to this has been disappointing.

39. In addition, the Bureau plans to increase its efforts to provide more detailed and more regular feedback to donors, relying in large part on the project evaluations as they are submitted. Further, it is proposed that the Bureau establish a dedicated area on the Convention’s Web site for SGF matters and to use this to display project summaries with photographs (where possible) as they are received.

Country	Year	Project Title	Grant (Swiss Francs)
Algeria	1996	Urgent measures for the protection of the Macta Marshes and preparation for their designation to the Ramsar List	25,000
	1997	Education and awareness for the general public, local authorities and other parties with interest in the "Lac des oiseaux"	40,000
Argentina	1992	Promotional assistance for improving interpretative facilities at Argentina’s three Ramsar sites	24,000
	1993	Evaluation of conservation status of Pozuelos Lagoon Natural Monument, Ramsar site, and development of management proposals for the Pozuelos Basin and other wetlands in the northwestern border area	31,500
	1996	Conservation and wise use of high Andean wetlands in the northeast of Argentina: creation and implementation of the National Reserves of Pozuelos and Vilama	28,500
Armenia	1997	Restoration and rehabilitation of Lake Sevan Ramsar site	35,000
Bangladesh	1996	Training on conservation of wetlands in Bangladesh	20,000
Bolivia	1991	First Technical Meeting of Ramsar Site Managers in the Neotropical Region	30,000
	1994	Updating of information on the ichthiofauna of Titicaca Lake	40,000
	1995	Proposal for designation of a new Ramsar site: Montes de Oro	25,000
	1998	Evaluation of the current status of Lake Poopó for its designation as a Ramsar site and the establishment of a Wise Use and Integrated Management Area	35,600
Brazil	1993	Ecological study of the mangrove wetlands on the western coast of State of Maranhao	40,000
	1997	Management actions at State Marine Park of Parcel de Manuel Luís, Maranhao	40,000
Bulgaria	1997	Development and implementation of a management plan for Lake Srebarna Ramsar site	35,000
Burkina Faso	1993	Support for management of the Mare d’Oursi Ramsar site	34,000
	1997	Strengthen sustainable management of wetlands in Burkina Faso	20,000
Cambodia	1993	Preparatory assistance for accession to the Ramsar Convention	25,000
Chad	1998	Strengthening institutional capacities for the management of the country’s wetlands	40,000
Chile	1991	Boundary-setting, implementation and abiotic hydrology studies of the Ramsar site near Valdivia	25,000
	1993	Designation of new Ramsar sites in the Andean Region of Northern Chile	25,000
	1997	Formulation of a National Strategy for the conservation of wetlands in Chile	28,300
	1998	Impact of mining activities on the conservation status of high altitude (Andean) wetlands in the centre-north of Chile	18,500
China	1992	Preparation and publication of management plans for Zhalong and Dongdongtinghu Nature Reserves	28,000
	1993	Manual on waterfowl and wetland conservation in China and waterfowl population survey technique training course	40,000
	1994	Preparation for protection and management of the wetland habitats on Ordos Highland of Inner Mongolia	11,500
	1997	Capacity building and management planning for Dongzhaigang Ramsar site	40,000
	1998	Conservation and management of wetlands in Qinhuangdao City of Hebei Province	30,000
Comoros	1997	Rehabilitation and management of lake Dziani Boundouni	20,000
Congo	1991	Preparatory assistance for accession to the Ramsar Convention	5,000
Costa Rica	1993	Land-use planning of the Tamarindo National Wildlife Refuge - Ramsar site	40,000
	1997	Plan for the protection of the Mata Redonda wetland - Wildlife Refuge, Guanacaste	40,000
Ecuador	1995	Inventory and identification of the conservation status of Ecuador’s wetlands: Stage I: lentic wetlands of Esmeraldas and Manabi coastal provinces	40,000
	1997	Inventory and characterization of the interior wetlands of the Guayas and El Oro Provinces (Stage II)	34,700
Egypt	1995	Wetland Awareness Programme	40,000
	1997	Application of a wetland evaluation technique to Lake Bardawil	40,000
Estonia	1997	Integrating conservation and wise use in the management of Matsalu Ramsar site	32,000
Gambia	1995	Preparatory assistance for designation of Bao Bolong wetland and Niumi National Park as Ramsar sites	25,000
Guatemala	1992	Strengthening protection of Laguna del Tigre biotope - Ramsar site	34,000
	1994	Evaluation and delimitation of distribution of vegetation types in the Manchón-Guamuchal wetland	29,000
	1996	Initial actions for the conservation of the "Bocas del Polochic" wetland	31,000
Georgia	1998	Conservation of Javakheti Plateau wetlands in Southern Georgia	40,000
Ghana	1998	Rehabilitation and community management of mangroves and coastal wetlands in the Lower Volta Delta (Ramsar site)	40,000
Guinea	1994	Safeguard of the Tristao Islands	45,000
Honduras	1993	Emergency plan for the protection of the Wildlife Refuge "Cuero y Salado"	37,500
	1996	Strengthening management and development of Jeannette Kawas National Park	40,000
Hungary/Romania/ Slovakia/Ukraine	1997	Establishing a Transboundary Ramsar Wetland Area in the Upper Tisza region	25,000
India	1994	Training workshop on wetland management	34,600
	1994	Asian Regional Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention	52,000
	1998	Economic Valuation of Harike Wetland, Punjab	40,000
Indonesia	1992	Improvement of management and conservation of the Berbak National Park, Sumatra	25,000
	1992	Regional training workshop for wetland protection and wise use in East Asia	20,000
Iran	1996	Case study on Gomishan Marsh for designation as a Ramsar site	25,000
Israel	1997	Conservation of the endangered Imperial and Spotted Eagles wintering in the Hula Valley	40,000
Jamaica	1998	Towards management of the Black River Morass (Ramsar site) - gathering biological, social and economic data	40,000
Jordan	1998	Designating Burqu Reserve as a new Ramsar site (Note: pending revision of the proposal)	40,000
Kazakhstan	1995	Preparatory assistance for designation of Alakol hollow reservoirs as Ramsar site	13,000
Kenya	1991	Training for the monitoring of Kenya’s wetlands	34,760
	1996	Monitoring programme for Kenya’s wetlands	40,000
Malaysia	1995	Development of a Malaysian National Wetland Policy Framework	40,000
Mali	1996	Safeguard of Ramsar sites in Mali in the interior Niger delta	40,000
Mauritania	1991	Banc d’Arguin National Park: Study for the development of an ecotourism compatible with the conservation of natural resources	45,000
	1994	Training and scientific monitoring for the establishment of a management plan for the Diawling National Park	40,000
	1997	Development of ecotourism in Banc d’Arguin National Park	40,000
Mexico	1993	Preparatory assistance: Strategy for the development of a proposal for designation of Mexican wetlands as Ramsar sites	25,000
Mongolia	1997	Preparatory assistance for accession to the Ramsar Convention	25,000
Morocco	1993	Merja Zerga: Elaboration of a management plan	40,000
Namibia	1997	Inventory classification and management plans for Namibia’s wetlands	40,000
	1998	Walvis Bay Wetland Conservation (Ramsar site)	40,000
Nepal	1993	Fish stocking and cage fishery practice in Koshi Tappu	40,000
Nicaragua	1998	Delimitation of the Nature Reserve "Laguna de Tisma" and surrounding marshy areas	25,000
Niger	1992	Improving management of "Parc du W." Ramsar site	20,000
Oceania (package)	1995	Preparatory assistance for accession to the Ramsar Convention of 5 island states: Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu	50,000
Pakistan	1992	Regional Workshop, Islamabad, May 1992 (shortfall)	12,000
Panama	1997	Monitoring and protection of shrimp species in the Punta Patiño wetland and surrounding areas, Darién Province	40,000
	1998	Gathering basic information for the development of a global management plan for the "Golfo de Montijo" Ramsar site	38,600
Papua New Guinea	1992	Regional Wetland Management Workshop	15,000
	1994	Promotion of Ramsar membership in the South Pacific	20,000
	1997	Capacity building and training for the Department of Environment and Conservation	40,000
Paraguay	1995	Conservation of biodiversity of lake Ypoá wetlands	25,000
Peru	1992	Strengthening management of the Lagunas de Mejía National Sanctuary	25,000
	1993	Continuation of strengthening management of Lagunas de Mejía Sanctuary	18,000
	1994	Preparation of Ramsar Information Sheets for designation of new Ramsar sites	30,000
	1997	Participatory elaboration of the Master Plan of Junín National Reserve Ramsar site	36,000
Philippines	1996	Boundary delineation and mapping of the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary	17,000
	1998	Comprehensive management planning and institutionalization of the Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB) of the Naujan Lake National Park	30,000
Romania	1997	Study of Romanian wetlands in preparation for new Ramsar sites	25,000
	1998	Selection and characterization of potential Ramsar sites in southern Romania	36,000
Russian Federation	1997	Development and implementation of management plans for three wetlands of international importance: Volga Delta (1) and Kuban Delta (2)	35,000
	1998	Development of a monitoring programme and draft management plans for the Ramsar sites located on the Kamchatka Peninsula	40,000
Slovak Republic	1997	Restoration of wetlands along the Morava river	35,000
	1998	National wetlands inventory and conservation in Slovakia	30,000
Slovenia	1997	Establishment of a National Wetland Inventory	35,000
South Africa	1998	Conservation management of the Lower Berg River Wetlands	40,000
Sri Lanka	1997	Bellanwila-Attidiya Sanctuary: improving visitor facilities and increasing awareness	40,000
Surinam	1997	Preparation for the development of a rational management system for the North Coronie Wetlands	25,000
Tanzania	1992	Preparatory assistance for accession to the Ramsar Convention	13,000
	1994	Over-expenditure 1992 project	2,000
Togo	1996	Studies for the establishment of a management plan for Kéran National Park and Togodo Wildlife Reserve	40,000
Tunisia	1992	Regional Meeting for North and West African Contracting Parties	32,810
	1993	Technical support for Tunisian wetlands inventory	20,000
	1997	Conservation and protection of Dar Fatma Peatland	40,000
Trinidad & Tobago	1996	Toward the development of a management plan for the wise use of Nariva Swamp	35,000
Uganda	1992	Study of avifauna in the Lake George wetland	6,250
	1994	Support for implementation of the Ramsar Convention in Uganda	33,500
Uzbekistan	1996	Protection of Uzbekistan wetlands and their waterfowl	25,000
Venezuela	1995	Evaluation of fisheries in the Cuare Wildlife Refuge	34,300
	1995	Status of Callinectes spp (crab) population in the Cuare Wildlife Refuge	17,000
Vietnam	1991	Support for a Wetlands Conservation Programme in Vietnam	32,000
Zambia	1997	Wetland outreach programmes	38,400
71 countries		108 projects	3,424,320

Australia	NGO contribution	SFR 2,821.70
	1996:
Austria	Ministry of Environment, Youth, and Family	SFR 215,460.00
	1991: SFR 68,500.00
	1992: SFR 50,000.00
	1993: SFR 50,000.00
	1995: SFR 46,960.00 (1994)
Belgium	Ministère de la Région wallonne	SFR 4,018.49
	1995:
Canada	Canadian Wildlife Service	SFR 31,650.00
	1992:
Denmark	National Forest and Nature Agency, Ministry of the Environment	SFR 53,326.32
	1992: SFR 5,500.00 (1991)
	1994: SFR 4,314.34
	1995: SFR 4,294.98
	1998: SFR 1,217.00
	DANIDA	SFR 228,070.98
	1997:
France	Ministère de l'Environnement	SFR 81,690.54
	1992: SFR 18,410.00 (1991)
	1992: SFR 21,590.00
	1993: SFR 22,140.00
	1998: SFR 19,550.54 (1995)
	Oiseaux migrateurs du Paléarctique occidental (OMPO)	SFR 20,000.00
	1998:
Germany	Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety	SFR 218,310.00
	1993: SFR 36,440.00
	1994: SFR 41,525.00
	1995: SFR 39,875.00
	1997: SFR 51,570.00
	1998: SFR 48,900.00
Iceland	Ministry for the Environment	SFR 37,530.00
	1994: SFR 6,680.00
	1995: SFR 6,680.00
	1996: SFR 7,000.00
	1997: SFR 8,530.00
	1998: SFR 8,640.00
Japan	Ministry of Foreign Affairs	SFR 130,000.00
	1993:
	COP5 sales of promotional articles	SFR 45,841.49
	1993:
	INAX/Kushiro Red Cross Volunteer Corps/ Rotor Act Club	SFR 17,911.75
	1993: SFR 10,073.87
	SFR 7,837.88
	Keidanren	SFR 40,098.72
	1994:
	K.K. Krassons	SFR 5,713.47
	1994: SFR 1,949.50
	SFR 2,172.97
	1995: SFR 1,591.00
	NGO contribution	SFR 13,481.77
	1994:
	Soka Gakkai	SFR 11,500.00
	1995:
	Soroptimists International, Kushiro	SFR 5,773.01
	1992:
Netherlands	Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management, and Fisheries	SFR 179,326.00
	1991: SFR 10,000.00
	1992: SFR 10,000.00
	1994: SFR 10,000.00 (1993)
	1994: SFR 20,073.50
	1995: SFR 20,169.00
	1996: SFR 19,183.50
	1997: SFR 45,900.00
	1998: SFR 44,000.00
New Zealand	Department of Conservation	SFR 3,957.00
	1992: SFR 2,800.00
	1996: SFR 1,157.00
Norway	Ministry of Environment	SFR 7,758.96
	1991: SFR 2,222.96
	1994: SFR 2,851.00
	1995: SFR 2,685.00
Sweden	Ministry of the Environment	SFR 113,690.36
	1991: SFR 4,789.85
	1991: SFR 4,824.51 (1992)
	1994: SFR 2,692.00
	1995: SFR 2,692.00
	1996: SFR 2,692.00
	SFR 96,000.00
	Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)	SFR 774,503.93
	1997: SFR 395,100.75
	1998: SFR 132,403.18
	1998: SEK 1,302,500, to be paid in early 1999, estimated at SFR 247,000.00
Switzerland	Office fédéral de l'Environnement, des forêts et du paysage	SFR 160,000.00 + 1998 pledge
	1994: SFR 20,000.00
	1995: SFR 20,000.00
	1996: SFR 20,000.00
	1997: SFR 100,000.00
	1998: Pledged; amount to be confirmed
	Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation	SFR 300,000.00
	1996:
UK	Department of Environment	SFR 57,514.95
	1991: SFR 12,500.00
	1992: SFR 12,500.00
	1993: SFR 12,500.00
	1995: SFR 20,014.95 (1994)
USA	Department of State	SFR 410,375.00
	1991: SFR 65,700.00
	1992: SFR 146,250.00
	1993: SFR 74,750.00
	1994: SFR 66,600.00
	1995: SFR 57,075.00
	Fish and Wildlife Service	SFR 69,692.00
	1991:
EHCSP	European Habitat Conservation Stamp Programme (Ducks Unlimited, Wetlands International and FACE)	SFR 13,500.00
	1998 pledge (US$ 10,000)
WWF International	1990: SFR 20,000.00	SFR 82,500.00
	1992: SFR 20,000.00
	1993: SFR 7,500.00
	1994: SFR 10,000.00
	1995: SFR 5,000.00
	1998: SFR 20,000.00
Core Budget Allocation	1991: SFR 10,000.00	SFR 520,000.00
	1992: SFR 10,000.00
	1993: SFR 10,000.00
	1994: SFR 100,000.00
	1995: SFR 100,000.00
	1996: SFR 90,000.00
	1997: SFR 100,000.00
	1998: SFR 100,000.00
Miscellaneous	1991-1996:	SFR 11,847.98
TOTAL		SFR 3,829,864.42

For further information about 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

). Posted 4 January 1999 and 18 June 1999, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.

November	Eligible Contracting Parties are invited by diplomatic notification to submit project proposals. The deadline is specified as 31 March of the following year.
31 March	Deadline for submission of project proposals.
April	Checking and compilation of proposals received.
May	Project assessment (Stage 1) by Regional Coordinators/Interns using Project Assessment Form.
June	Project assessment by external experts if necessary.
July	Final project assessment and priority ranking by Regional Coordinators, with the guidance of the Deputy Secretary General. Available funds are taken into consideration.
August	Finalization of preliminary recommendations for Standing Committee approved by the Secretary General. Despatch to relevant representatives and alternates on the Standing Committee for comment (at least two weeks before despatch of final Standing Committee documents to all members).
September	Inclusion of comments received, finalization of recommendations for Standing Committee; mailing of document to Standing Committee members.
October	Meeting of Standing Committee Subgroup on Finance immediately prior to the Standing Committee to review the Bureau’s recommendations and prepare advice to Standing Committee. Standing Committee considers advice of Bureau and of Subgroup on Finance and takes decisions about projects to be funded.
November/ December	Preparation of contracts for Ramsar Administrative Authorities receiving project funding. Transfer of 80% of grants upon receipt of signed contracts. Preparation of Allocations Report for donors. New cycle begins.
All year round	Monitoring of project implementation: receiving and reviewing progress and final reports; sending reminders about reports overdue; transferring of the rest of funding (20%) upon receipt of satisfactory reports. Fundraising for the Fund.

Projects funded	Reports submitted	Reports due
7 in 1991	5 final	2 final (out of 7)
12 in 1992	9 final	3 final (out of 12)
15 in 1993	10 final	5 final (out of 15)
10 in 1994	7 final	3 final (out of 10)
11 in 1995	5 final	6 final (out of 11)
12 in 1996	5 progress 1 final	7 progress (out of 12) [Note: for 2 pending reports the Bureau was informed of reasons of delay; 2 more progress reports are due in March 1999 only. 11 final (out of 12)
28 in 1997	9 progress	19 progress (out of 28) Progress reports are due as from November 1998 until May 1999.
18 in 1998	N/A	First progress reports are due in December 1999.

Country	Year	Title of project	Grant in SFR
Costa Rica	1993	Effect of two grazing densities of cattle on marsh vegetation and resulting waterfowl response	8,664
Honduras	1995	Cadastral surveying of Jeannette Kawas National Park	5,727
Pakistan	1991	Preparation of documentation for new Ramsar sites in Pakistan and strengthening coordination of Ramsar activities in Asia	10,000
Senegal	1993	Upkeep of sluice gates of the hydraulic system of the Djoudj National Park	2,500
Trinidad & Tobago	1998	Nariva Swamp: Filling in of the irrigation channels aiming at rehabilitation of the Block B Area	14,000
5 countries		5 projects	40,891