The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2004 - media release

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World Wetlands Day 2004

Embargoed until 2 February 00:01

From the Mountain to the Sea, wetlands at work for us…

Gland, Switzerland, 2 February 2004 (Ramsar Convention Secretariat): 2 February each year is World Wetlands Day (WWD). It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea, but it also is an opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular. WWD is a day to learn and discover why wetlands are important for us, why are they endangered and what is being done to conserve them and their resources.

From the Mountains to the Sea; Wetlands at Work for Us is the theme of this year's WWD. Wetlands are present in every country, from the tundra to the tropics, and are among the most productive environments on the planet. It is no accident that river valleys and their floodplains have been the focus of human civilizations for over 6.000 years and that many other wetland systems have been equally critical to the development and survival of human communities. From the highest mountain lakes to the tropical mangroves or coral reefs, wetlands provide invaluable goods and services for biodiversity but also for people. Wetlands are natural flood control systems, replenish groundwater reserves and naturally purify surface water, stabilize shorelines and are a natural protection against storms. They also play a key role in retaining and exporting sediments and nutrients but also in mitigating climate change, and are, of course, reservoirs of biodiversity but also of food and other products, beside their recreational and cultural values.

World Wetlands Day around the world. Many countries around the world will celebrate WWD next February 2nd. From the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention we would like to draw attention to two major initiatives but we must not forget the many other events that will take place around the globe. A list of participating countries and events can be found at: www.ramsar.org/wwd2004_reports.htm.

The Niger Delta initiative will be the starting point for the designation of one of the biggest Ramsar sites in the world: the Niger delta in Mali. Following an initiative from one of Ramsar's partners, WWF, a workshop will take place in Mopti (Mali) with the participation of all the countries of the Niger Delta (Cameroon, Mali, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Benin). The aim of this seminar is to set the basis for a regional network for the preservation of the Niger delta. Similar initiatives already exist in other regions: the Mediterranean, for example, has the MedWet initiative, dealing with the integrated management of the Mediterranean region. The Niger project follows the adoption of Resolution VIII.30 during the Conference of the Parties in Valencia (Spain, 2002) recognizing the role and importance of regional initiatives in enforcing the Convention in the field. The workshop will conclude with the designation of the Malian part of the Inner Niger Delta (4.119.500 ha) as a Ramsar site, the third biggest site to be designated under the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance (find more information on the Inner Niger Delta site and a media brief on the Ramsar website: www.ramsar.org, or ask directly ssg@ramsar.org).

In other places of the planet some countries have decided to put this year's WWD theme into practice. Leading this year is Mexico, where 34 new Ramsar sites will be added to the Ramsar List during the WWD celebration. Ranging from high mountain ecosystems (2.600m altitude for the highest designated site) to sea level, newly designated sites will include almost all the different wetland types defined under the Convention, from mountain lakes to coral reefs, from salt marshes to turtle breeding beaches or underground (karsts) hydrological systems. With more than 2.200.000ha designated, Mexico is definitely a marked reference for this year's WWD. The Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention, Dr. Peter Bridgewater will be present in Mexico to celebrate this important contribution to the Convention and give the official certificates to the local and national authorities during the ceremony of designation (February, 2nd - University of Guadalajara). For more information about the Mexican sites please refer to www.conanp.gob.mx or www.ramsar.org.

Asia will also celebrate WWD2004. In the Lower Mekong Basin, for example, 4 countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam), in cooperation with UICN - The World Conservation Union (another Ramsar's partner) will participate in this year's celebration with a great number of activities from seminars, exhibitions and group tours to designated sites to theatrical thematic performances, traditional dance competitions or smart games involving the police, military, teachers and students. WWD this year goes beyond boundaries and the Lower Mekong Basin will celebrate the event as one unit, even if some countries are not yet parties to the Ramsar Convention. WWD2004 along the Mekong River will also be marked by the inception of the 5 years GEF-UNDP Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Conservation Programme.

In Europe, among many others initiatives, MedWet, Ramsar's outposted office for the Mediterranean, will organize a special event aimed at informing government and non government bodies as well as representatives from agencies involved in wetland management in Greece with regard to the activities, the benefits and the perspectives that emerge from the implementation of the Ramsar Convention and the operation of the MedWet Coordination Unit, for the Mediterranean basin, and in Greece in particular. Mr. Nicholas Davidson, Deputy Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention will be present at the event in Athens. For more information about MedWet and the workshop, please refer to: www.medwet.org.

Wetlands produce an estimated value of nearly US$ 3.4 billion per year, yet they are among the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. The overuse of water and conversion for agricultural purposes are the major threats to wetlands. It is estimated that 50% of the Earth's wetlands were lost during the past century. Water is the back-bone of wetlands and at the same time, the cause of the disaster. Less than 1% of the planet's water resources is freshwater, but global freshwater consumption rose six fold between 1900 and 1995 - more than double the rate of population growth. The consequences are well known: more than 20% of the world population has no access to safe drinking water, while 50% of the world population does not have sanitation. Water is the critical factor for sustainable development and wetlands are its natural source.

What can we do for wetlands?... Since its inception, the Ramsar Convention has been a pioneer in promoting the "wise use concept" for managing wetlands. This concept is an integrated vision of ecosystem management, in the same way that the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, Rio, 1982) developed, some years later, its ecosystem approach. The wise use concept recognizes the necessity to manage wetlands in an integrated way, including not only ecological aspects, but recognizing also the human, social, institutional, economic and cultural aspects of wetlands, in order to use wetlands sustainably for the benefit of mankind in a way compatible with the maintenance of the natural properties of ecosystems. The wise use approach promotes the use of ecosystems' goods and services for human purposes in a way that respects natural equilibrium and allows ecosystems to survive and adapt to change. The ability of wetlands to adapt to changing conditions, and to an accelerating rate of change, will be crucial to communities and wildlife everywhere as the full impact of climate change and other global alterations to our ecosystem lifelines are felt.

Nota: WWD2004 will be celebrated in many countries. The Ramsar website lists the majority of the initiatives but some might simply not arrive in time to be posted on the website. Please contact the Ramsar focal point in each country to be sure to have the complete list of initiatives (contacts are available from the Secretariat)

On the Ramsar website you will also find specific information and pictures and other graphic material you can use for your reports.

-- reported by Sebastià Semene Guitart, Ramsar

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 2 February 2004, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.