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Nordic Wetland Conference / Ramsar meeting set for May 2004

To:
National Ramsar management authorities in the Nordic countries
Other key Ramsar institutions in the Nordic countries
National Ramsar management authorities in the Baltic countries & Russia
The Ramsar Bureau
Selected inter- and non-governmental organisations
2004/1473- AREA/IS/JPHH 12.02.2004
822

PRELIMINARY INFORMATION: NORDIC WETLAND CONFERENCE MAY 4-7, 2004 IN NORWAY

The Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management (DN) is pleased to inform you that a Nordic Wetland Conference/Ramsar Meeting will be arranged in Brekstad in Ørland Municipality outside Trondheim this spring.

The conference will take place on 4 - 7 May, and will be arranged by the Directorate for Nature Management in close co-operation with the Governor of Sør-Trøndelag County.

The report "Nordisk våtmarksvern" ("Nordic Wetland Conservation") has been worked out by a group of experts nominated by the Nordic Council of Ministers, with the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management as lead and secretary. This report is expected to be available in printed format in March 2004. Findings from this report and selected recommendations from Ramsar COP8 (Valencia, Spain 2002) will form the basis for the conference.

Among the priority objectives of the conference will be to focus on how to improve wetland management, ways to increase wetland conservation and awareness, and possibilities to strengthen Nordic co-operation concerning wetland issues and Ramsar recommendations.

The conference will be organized with key note speakers, plenary presentations, and break out sessions. Nearby Ramsar Site, including Ørlandet Wetland System, will be used as demonstration localities during the conference. The working language will be English.

The main audience of the conference will be national Ramsar authorities of the Nordic countries and other national authorities relevant for implementation of the convention. Furthermore, participants from the Baltic countries and Northwest Russia as well as from relevant non- and inter-governmental organisations will be invited as observers. It should be noted that participation in the conference will be limited and by invitation only.

To work with the organizers, key persons from the Nordic countries will be invited to form a program committee to develop the detailed conference program. A first announcement with a tentative program and practical information will be circulated shortly.

Main funding for arranging the conference will be received from the Nordic Council of Ministers and their working group on nature conservation, outdoor recreation and cultural heritage (NFK). Travel and living expenses are to be covered by participants, but we will explore possibilities for funding of Russian and Baltic participants.

You may contact the Conference manager Jan Petter Huberth Hansen (e-mail: jan-p.huberth-hansen@dirnat.no) for further information.

Sincerely yours,

Janne Sollie (sign) Berit Lein (sign)
Director

Copy: Norwegian Ministry of the Environment
County Governor of Sør-Trøndelag

For further 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 ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 17 February 2004, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.