Ramsar Standing Committee chooses new STRP for 2003-2005 [français, español]

At its 29th Meeting, held 26-28 February 2003, the Ramsar Standing Committee reviewed a large list of nominees for the regional members of the Convention's scientific subsidiary body, the Scientific and Technical Panel (STRP) for the triennium 2003-2005, and chose 14 experts to be invited to join the STRP, according to the regional proportions following the Standing Committee's own regional representation as laid down in Resolution VII.1.

Dr Max Finlayson, new STRP chair

The regional experts will join representatives of the four International Organization Partners (BirdLife International, IUCN-The World Conservation Union, Wetlands International, and WWF International) as full members of the STRP, as well as a number of expert representatives of invited observer organizations from the NGO and MEA communities.

The new members will be holding their first meeting 8-11 April 2003 in the Bureau headquarters in Switzerland, where they will review the Standing Committee's priorities for the work to be requested of them over the next three years and determine how best to proceed from here.

The expert nominees who have been invited by the Standing Committee to participate in the STRP are:

Africa: Mr Manikchand Putto (Mauritius), Dr Heather MacKay (South Africa), and Prof Steven Njuguna (Kenya)

Dr Jorge Jiménez, outgoing STRP chair

Asia: Dr Cui Lijuan (China), Prof Ho Sinn-Chye (Malaysia), and Mr Najam Khurshid (Pakistan)

Europe: Prof Eckhart Kuijken (Belgium), Mrs Tatiana Minaeva (Russian Federation), Dr Maria-José Viñals (Spain), and Mr David Stroud (United Kingdom)

Neotropics: Dr Jorge Jiménez Ramon (Costa Rica) and Prof Teresita Borges (Cuba), with Prof Francisco Daniel Rilla Manta (Uruguay) to be added with the accession of the next Party from that region

North America: Dr Francisco Contreras Espinosa (Mexico)

Oceania: Dr Max Finlayson (Australia)

The Standing Committee selected Dr Max Finlayson to serve as STRP Chairperson, and Dr Heather MacKay to serve as Vice-Chair.

Dr Heather MacKay, new STRP Vice-Chair

Photos courtesy of Earth Negotiations Bulletin, at Ramsar COP8, November 2002.