1 December

• RAMSAR CONVENTION - Mexico names marine site on Gulf of California
  The government of Mexico has designated its 114th Wetland of International Importance for the Ramsar List. “Canal del Infiernillo y esteros del territorio Comcaac (Xepe Coosot)” (29,700 hectares, 29°10'N 112°14'W) is a channel between Island Tiburón and the Sonora coast in northwestern Mexico, characterized by the presence of sea-grass beds, mangrove estuaries, seasonal creeks and small coral reef patches.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24252_4000_0__

• RAMSAR CONVENTION - Turkey names 13th Ramsar site
  The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has designated Lake Kuyucuk (Kuyucuk Gölü) (416 hectares, 40°45’N 043°27’E) as Turkey’s 13th Wetland of International Importance. As summarized by Nadezhda Alexeeva from the RIS, this Wildlife Reserve is one of the most important wetlands of Kars province in northeastern Turkey – the freshwater stream- and spring-fed lake is surrounded by treeless steppe and sparse Phragmites reed patches, and the area may be typical of what much of the Anatolian Steppe grassland-wetland community used to consist of before widespread degradation of its water bodies over the past several hundred years.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24238_4000_0__

• RAMSAR CONVENTION - Central African Republic’s Sangha River Ramsar site
  The Central African Republic has benefited from a Ramsar Swiss Grant for Africa project, “Establishment of a network of Ramsar sites along the Congo Rivers,” to complete the process of designating its second Wetland of International Importance. (Cameroon has already designated “Partie camerounaise du fleuve Sangha” last year as part of the same project.)
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24194_4000_0__

• RAMSAR CONVENTION - Seychelles names large coral atoll
  Seychelles has designated as its second Wetland of International Importance the Aldabra Atoll (43,900 hectares, 09°24’S 046°20’E), a UNESCO World Heritage site (1982) in the Western Indian Ocean, some 1150km southwest of the main island, Mahé. As described by Ramsar’s Cynthia Kibata, based on the RIS, Aldabra is the largest raised coral atoll in the world and is widely recognized as one of the most remarkable oceanic islands on Earth. It comprises seven wetland types, including permanent shallow marine waters, coastal saline lagoon area, marine subtidal aquatic seagrass beds and mangrove swamps.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24187_4000_0__

• CONVENTION ON MIGRATORY SPECIES (CMS) - Ninth World Wilderness Congress in Mexico
  Wilderness and the protection of large transboundary protected areas are vital to conserve migratory species. The Ninth World Wilderness Congress made an important contribution in this regard, bringing together government representatives, scientists, conservation managers, NGOs, local people and several UN agencies in Mexico earlier this month.
  More information: http://www.cms.int/news/PRESS/nwPR2009/11_november_09/wild9_report.pdf

• CONVENTION ON MIGRATORY SPECIES (CMS) - Accession of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to CMS
  The UNEP/CMS Secretariat welcomes the accession of Ethiopia to CMS as well as to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). Ethiopia will be the 113th Party to the Convention with effect from 1 January 2010 and the 63rd Party to AEWA with effect from 1 February 2010.
  More information: http://www.cms.int/news/PRESS/nwPR2009/11_november_09/ethiopia_accession.pdf

• CONVENTION ON MIGRATORY SPECIES (CMS) - Council of Europe and United Nations strengthen synergies for nature preservation
  The Council of Europe’s Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, known as the “Bern Convention”, and the United Nations’ Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, known as the “Bonn Convention”, have signed today in Bern a Memorandum of Co-operation on the occasion of their common 30th anniversary. The Memorandum of Co-operation provides a common platform to strengthen synergies by better defining areas of technical co-operation, improving information exchanges, and elaborating common projects. Endangered migratory animals will benefit from the joint implementation of action plans to conserve migratory birds, bats, as well as whales, dolphins, and marine turtles around Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Sea waters.
  More information: http://www.cms.int/press/pressreleases/Bern_%20
  Bonn_Conventions_Press_Release.pdf

• AFRICAN-EURASIAN MIGRATORY WATERBIRDS (AEWA) - 350+ Species of Wild Birds Photographed in South Africa in One Day!
  On 24 October, a grand total of 160 bird photographers followed the call of Mark Anderson, the Executive Director of Bird Life South Africa and the winner of the 2008 AEWA Waterbird Conservation Award to photograph 350 different wild birds in South Africa over a period of 24 hours and to make these photos available on a single website within the next 24 hours. This unique presentation of South Africa’s amazing avifauna was one of 5200 creative activities which were carried out in 181 countries in support of the global 350.org’s International Day of climate change on 24 October 2009.
  More information: http://www.unep-aewa.org/news/news_elements/2009/350_south_african_birds.htm

• CBD - Statement by Executive Secretary on the occasion of the Third Business and the 2010 Biodiversity Challenge Conference (Jakarta, Indonesia)
  Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great honour to welcome all of you here in Jakarta at this meeting on Business and Biodiversity and the 2010 Biodiversity Challenge. Addressing the unprecedented loss of biodiversity compounded by climate change requires urgent engagement of all stakeholders and, in particular, the business community as a whole. It is therefore not a coincidence that this meeting is being held in Indonesia, which has 12 per cent of the mammal species of the world, a total second only to Brazil, and 17 per cent of the total number of species of birds, the fifth highest in the world. This country of 11,000 islands is one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world but is not immune to the global trends by which human activities are creating the greatest wave of species extinction since the natural disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Indonesia is also in a region where economic growth has been very high in recent times and projected to continue at those levels in future reflecting the challenge we face for our ecosystems...
  More information: http://www.cbd.int/doc/speech/2009/sp-2009-11-30-business-en.pdf

• CBD - Engaging business in the battle for life on Earth
  With financial support provided by the Netherlands under a four-year framework agreement, a major meeting on business and biodiversity opens on 30 November 2009 in Jakarta to discuss ways to enhance the engagement of industry in addressing biodiversity globally. The conference, which will bring together more than 200 companies, non-governmental organizations and Governments from all over the world, is being opened by the Indonesian Minister of Environment Professor Muhammad Hatta. This is the third CBD Business and the 2010 Biodiversity Challenge Conference, following the first and second ones, held, respectively, in London and Sao Paulo in 2005. The conference is organized jointly with the 2009 Business and Industry Global Dialogue of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to leverage a wider participation of industry in the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
  More information: http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2009/pr-2009-11-19-japan-en.pdf

• CITES indicators for objectives contained in the CITES Strategic Vision 2008-2013
  Objective: Ensure compliance with and implementation and enforcement of the Convention and fight against fraud
  The efficiency of the Convention depends on full implementation by all Parties, whether they are consumers or producers of animals and wild plants. Full implementation relies, in turn:
  • upon each Party's commitment to the Convention and its principles;
  • Scientific expertise and analysis;
  • Capacity building;
  • Fight against fraud

More information in French: http://www.cites.org/fra/news/sundry/2009/F-SV-indicators.pdf

5 November

• Agreement on a minimum of indicators to measure desertification
  The 193 States Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have reached this weekend an agreement on a minimum of indicators to measure and evaluate desertification, degradation of the earth and drought. This agreement “is excellent news and a remarkable success for this Convention”, said UNCCD Executive Secretary, Mr. Luc Gnacadja, on Saturday during the closure after a two-week negotiation in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  More information in French: http://www.un.org/apps/newsFr/storyF.asp?NewsID=20252&Cr=climat&Cr1

23 October

• Ramsar and UN-Habitat: joint efforts on sustainable management of urban and peri-urban wetlands
  At a meeting in Nairobi last week, the Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention Anada Tiega, the Chair of the Convention’s Scientific Body (STRP) Heather MacKay, Mr Paul Mafabi of the Ramsar Center for East Africa (RAMCEA) and representatives of UN-Habitat Mr Rafael Tuts and Ms Karin Buhren discussed collaboration to join efforts and expertise in producing a comprehensive guidance for managing urban wetlands, taking into account the ecosystem approach and issues such as climate change, ecosystem services, food production, human health and livelihoods. “To bring into line urban development and biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, we need to undertake ecosystem management with adequate tools that promote synergy between cities and other land users. A range of tools are available, but are not always used most effectively or within a consistent framework by all the responsible institutions and stakeholders. There is a need for guidance on managing wetlands and their biodiversity in urban and peri-urban areas, in a way that shows how the range of existing tools can be applied most effectively.”
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-76^24177_4000_0__

• Argentina names southernmost Ramsar site
  The government of Argentina has designated a beautiful and valuable new Wetland of International Importance in the province of Tierra del Fuego, one which at the time of listing becomes the Convention’s southernmost site. As summarized by Nadia Castro from data supplied with the designation letter, Glaciar Vinciguerra y turberas asociadas(2,760 hectares, 54º45’S 068º20’W) includes glaciers; lakes; Sphagnum-, Cyperacea-, and tree-dominated peatlands; Nothofagus (Southern beech) forests; and permanent and seasonal rivers, at an altitude between 200 and 1300 m. Among the flora, Skottsbergia paradoxa, an endemic and threatened moss species, stands out. The glaciers and peatlands, excellent natural water reservoirs, play an important role in the “Arroyo Grande” watershed regulation, a river that is the primary water source of the city of Ushuaia.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24167_4000_0__

• USA names key Florida sanctuary
  Following on from the United States’ designation of the Audubon Society’s Francis Beidler Forest in the state of South Carolina in 2008, that Party’s 25th Ramsar site has been named as Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, which is owned and managed by Audubon of Florida. The new site (5,261 hectares; 26°24’N 081°31’W) lies inland of the cities of Naples and Ft Myers and provides a vital link between several south Florida watersheds. Although it is privately owned, the site’s level of protection corresponds to the IUCN category IV for National Park.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24158_4000_0__

• Rwanda’s Marshlands Law
  Following the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation by the General Director of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) and the Ramsar Convention Secretary General in May 2008 (here), we are happy to offer our congratulations to the Republic of Rwanda for the elaboration of a draft Law determining the use and management of marshlands of Rwanda. The Bill, which is due to come into force by the end of 2009, has 10 chapters and 90 very comprehensive articles. It makes provision for compliance and enforcement through chapter 9 (violations and penalties) which clarifies among others (i) control and enforcement Authorities, (ii) enforcement powers, (iii) flagrant violations, (iv) prohibitions and sanctions and (v) court authority to levy additional sanctions.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24165_4000_0__

• 11th Transboundary Ramsar Site declared by Poland & Czech Republic
  The “Krkonose/Karkonosze subalpine peatbogs” were added on 21 September 2009 to the list of Transboundary Ramsar Sites during the 7th international conference on geoecological problems of the Karkonosze mountains, held in the Polish tourist village of Szklarska Proreba. The Giant Mountains (Krkonose in Czech, Karkonosze in Polish) mark the natural border between Poland and the Czech Republic, form an isolated mountain range with a particular geological history, and function as a biogreographical refuge area and isolated outpost for several Arctic and Alpine species. The mountain habitats were at the base of the development of specific local cultures, traditions, legends and mysterious figures. Unfortunately, during the last period of the 20th century’s centrally-planned economies, industrial air pollution created large-scale forest dying in the area. But presently the forests are growing again, and the beautiful landscape attracts millions of hiking and skiing tourists each year.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24120_4000_0__

• Building capacity for Ramsar CEPA Focal Points in West Asia
  Ramsar Regional Centre for Central and West Asia, Ramsar City. 29th September – 1st October
  The first of a series of CEPA (Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness) workshops throughout the Ramsar regions took place in the Islamic Republic of Iran in the city of Ramsar, the birthplace of the Convention, from 29th September – 1st October. Bringing together CEPA Focal Points (Government and NGO), National Focal Points (NFPs), and other members of the Ramsar Administrative Authorities from seven countries, as well as representatives from two non-Contracting Parties, this workshop set out to give participants some hands-on experience in CEPA Action Planning.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24113_4000_0__

• World Wetlands Day 2010 - materials are ready at RAMSAR Convention Secretariat
  2 February each year is World Wetlands Day. It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and made an encouraging beginning. Each year, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular. From 1997 to 2009, the Convention’s Web site has posted reports from more than 98 countries of WWD activities of all sizes and shapes, from lectures and seminars, nature walks, children’s art contests, sampan races, and community clean-up days, to radio and television interviews and letters to newspapers, to the launch of new wetland policies, new Ramsar sites, and new programmes at the national level. With the suggested World Wetlands Day theme for this year on wetlands, biodiversity and climate change, we finally arrived at our 2010 WWD slogan: Caring for wetlands – an answer to climate change.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-63-78^24106_4000_0__

• Twelve new Ramsar sites in Burkina Faso
  The government of Burkina Faso has completed the process for designating twelve new Ramsar sites of extraordinary interest. In varied locations, from the Sahel region in the north to the Cascades region in the southwest, to the central and eastern regions, these new areas of natural as well as artificial lakes and both permanent and seasonal rivers present a wide array of ecosystem types and are of great importance to the wildlife of the region, the livelihoods of the human population in these areas, and the hydrological and climatic stability of many parts of the country. The 12 new sites join the famous Mare aux hippopotames, Mare d’Oursi, and Parc National du W, which were designated for the Ramsar List back in 1990, to bring Burkina Faso’s Ramsar-listed total to 15 sites covering 652,502 hectares. Technical preparations for these designations were assisted by Ramsar's Swiss Grant for Africa, generously provided by the government of Switzerland.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24099_4000_0__

• “Country Clean-ups” at a sub-Antarctic Ramsar site
  South Africa’s Prince Edward Islands in the southern Indian Ocean form the first sub-Antarctic Ramsar Site (No. 1688), designated on 22 May 2007. The island group of Marion and the smaller Prince Edward is a Strict Nature Reserve, the highest level of protection under South African legislation. Tourism is not allowed, and the only activities that take place are related to scientific research (including weather observations), conservation management, and their logistical support. New conservation initiatives at the Prince Edwards include the announcement of the intention to declare a very large Marine Protected Area around the islands, that will include all of their territorial waters (extending 12 nautical miles) and parts of the 200-nm Excusive Economic Zone. A new management plan, to replace that of 1996, is nearing adoption. Lastly, South Africa has placed the island group on its Tentative List for the World Heritage Convention as a natural site.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24089_4000_0__

• International Course on Ecohydrological Approach to Revitalisation and Conservation of Wetlands
  An "International course on the ecohydrological approach to revitalization (i.e., restoration) and conservation of wetlands" was held on 15-20 June 2009 in the town of Trebon (Trebon Basin Biosphere Reserve, South Bohemia, Czech Republic), where the scientific school of wetland studies has a long history. The area around Trebon is famous for its unique landscape with a mosaic of five hundred fishponds, forests, water courses, fields and settlements which has been formed as a result of human activities since the Middle Ages. Two Ramsar sites are located in this area: Trebonská rašelinište (Trebon mires) and Trebonské rybníky (Trebon Fishponds). The course was organized jointly by the Czech UNESCO/ MAB National Committee, the Czech Ramsar Committee, and the ENKI public benefit corporation with a financial support from the UNESCO participation programme, the Czech Academy of Sciences, and the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24087_4000_0__

22 October

• Workshop on cultural values of wetlands
  On the Greek side of Prespa Lakes -- a Ramsar site -- a Mediterranean Workshop is being held from 23 to 27 September 2009 on the theme ‘Towards an integrated approach to the cultural and natural values of wetlands’. It has been organized by Med-INA (Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos), in collaboration with the MedWet Initiative and the Society for the Protection of Prespa, and is being held in the framework of a Med-INA project on ‘Cultural aspects of Mediterranean wetlands’ supported by the MAVA Foundation. The meeting's agenda is available in the following link, and a letter of welcome from the Ramsar Secretary General here.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/mtg/mtg_prespa_culture_agenda.pdf

5 October

• URBIO 2010 Urban Bio-diversity and Design
  18 - 22 May 2010. Nagoya, Japan
  Sponsored by the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture, URBIO is an open worldwide scientific network for education and research with the aim to promote urban biodiversity through a continuing dialogue with the CBD, Convention on Biological Diversity, initiative on “Cities and Biodiversity”. In order to implement the CBD in urban areas, the URBIO2010 will be held before CBD_COP10, which will also be held in Nagoya in October 2010. The main theme of URBIO2010 is “Urban Biodiversity in the Ecological Network”, which consists of the following two subthemes. Ecosystem network and quality of habitats in and around the urban area. The urban ecosystem is unique and its main feature is that it is an open system characterized by great fluxes of information, material and energy with the surrounding ecosystems. Biodiversity in urban areas is determined by turnover of species through immigration and extinction, and the quality of their habitats is not only affected by ecological conditions of the habitat site (soil, nutrition, water budget, vegetation structure, vegetation composition etc.), but also by functional and structural connectivity and their relationships.
  More information: http://www.jilac.jp/URBIO2010/doku.php

22 September

• RAMSAR Convention - Kazakhstan names two arid steppe lake systems
  The Secretariat is very pleased to announce that the Republic of Kazakhstan has designated a further two steppe lake systems as Wetlands of International Importance, both of them enormously significant areas particularly for migratory waterbirds. One of them is part of the “Saryarka – Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan” World Heritage natural property, and both are part of the West/Central Asian Site Network for Siberian Cranes and other waterbirds under the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species. Both of the new sites are in the Kostanay Oblast or province, and both designations are effective as of 12 July 2009. Ramsar’s Assistant Advisor for Asia-Oceania, Ann Aldersey, has prepared brief site descriptions based on the Ramsar Information Sheets that accompanied the designations.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-76^23972_4000_0__

• Removal of Parc National du Diawling from the Montreux Record
  The Ramsar Secretariat offers its sincerest congratulations to the government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania for taking the necessary steps to remove Parc National du Diawling (Site No. 666) from the Montreux Record. This saline floodplain consisting of three coastal lagoons and a freshwater lake known as Diama reservoir were designated in 1994 as part of this Ramsar site of International Importance as they justified Criteria 1, 2 and 3 with numerous mammalian and bird species relying on the site as feeding grounds.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-76^23993_4000_0__

• RAMSAR Convention - Switzerland Fund for Africa: Côte d'Ivoire
  National Seminar on the impacts of the production of the biofuels on wetlands.
  Considering the enthusiasm towards biofuels worldwideand more particularly in Africa, as well as the impacts of this culture on wetlands, the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized from June 11 to 13, 2009 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, a seminar to discuss the relationships between the production of biofuels and their impacts on wetlands.
  More information in French: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-76^23996_4000_1__

• Regional technical meeting on Ramsar Implementation in the Arab Region
  The League of Arab States (LAS), the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention, and the United Nations Environment Program – Regional Office West Asia (UNEP-ROWA) jointly organized a “Regional Technical Meeting on Implementation of the Ramsar Convention in the Arab Region” from 22 to 25 June 2009 at the headquarters of the League of Arab States (LAS) in Cairo, Egypt. The meeting was attended by 72 participants, including representatives from the Arab countries, concerned regional and international organizations, academics and other wetland experts.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24007_4000_0__

• Obituary - The Passing of a Respected and Loved Colleague, Dr Chaman Trisal, RAMSAR Convention Secretariat
  From Jane Madgwick, CEO on behalf of Wetlands International staff: "10 September 2009. Dr Chaman Trisal, Director of Wetlands International South Asia for 13 years, was an accomplished scientist and visionary leader. He pioneered cutting-edge approaches to wetland and water management using integrated, multi-disciplinary approaches at a whole basin level. He had an unusual talent for seeing the big picture while giving meticulous attention to details. He was a champion for the needs and concerns of local communities and even women’s groups as well as for wetland biodiversity. Due to his leading and persistent efforts over decades, many major wetlands (including Loktak Lake and Chilika Lake in India) have been restored, permanently benefitting local community livelihoods and nature. Dr Trisal inspired and nurtured a staff team based in Delhi and he enjoyed the friendship and respect of colleagues and partners from around the world. The passing of Dr Trisal is a shock and a major loss to Wetlands International. We will miss his professional contributions to the organization. We will remember him as a great colleague but also as a kind, loving and humble man who had a ready smile, infectious laugh and twinkle in his eye."
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24025_4000_0__

• Celebrations at Olentangy Ramsar site (USA)
  On Friday, 11 September 2009, Ohio State University’s Olentangy River Wetland Research Park (ORWRP), a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance located in Columbus, Ohio, USA, dedicated their new AEP Solar-Powered Bikepath Shelter along the major bicycle path through the city. Director Bill Mitsch has sent this illustrated press release on the event.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/wn/w.n.usa_olentangy_bikepath.pdf

• Lonjsko Polje – a river basin wetland
  Ramsar’s Standing Committee member from Croatia, Goran Gugic, is director of the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park, i.e. the public institution in charge of the management of one of the largest Ramsar sites in southeastern Europe. As an outcome of a European Union-funded LIFE project on the living landscape and floodplain ecosystem of the central Sava river basin (cf. our report on its first stakeholder meeting, Goran recently published a nicely produced analysis “Managing sustainability in conditions of change and unpredictability”. The handy publication provides a very readable reflection on the management of the Sava river floodplain and a captivating case study on how to implement Ramsar’s consolidated scientific and technical guidance on wetlands and river basin management, as adopted at COP10 through Resolution X.19.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24029_4000_0__

• Urban wetlands – how to implement Resolution X.27
  Since prehistoric times most human settlements have been established close to wetlands, foremost for the water resources the wetland ecosystems provide, but also because of other wetland services, such as the provision of different products, of trade routes by boat, and of natural obstacles for defence strategies. Nowadays, the world becomes increasingly urbanized, over 50% of the global population lives in urban environments, encroaching more and more on wetlands lying now within spreading cities or adjacent in their suburbs. This development at global scale creates both opportunities and threats for wetlands – one of the reasons why the most recent meeting of the Ramsar Conference of the Parties (COP10) started to focus on the issues by adopting a Resolution on Wetlands and urbanization (Resolution X.27).
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24039_4000_0__

• Rwanda’s workshop on community-based planning and management of ecotourism and wetlands
  The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) recently held a training of trainers workshop on community based planning and management of ecotourism and wetlands (26th July – 26th August 2009). This forms part of an Integrated Management of Critical Ecosystems project (IMCE) to promote economic growth by 2020 involving GEF as well as contributing to the second stage of the Memorandum of Cooperation signed between REMA Director General and the Ramsar Convention Secretary General in May 2008. By focusing on the tourism sector, Rwanda is tapping into the rich resources it holds and further diversifying its economy.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24047_4000_0__

• Chile’s two new High Andean Ramsar sites
  The government of Chile has designated two more high altitude Wetlands of International Importance, and according to the supporting documentation, “both sites are located in the Antofagasta region and will be part now of the Ramsar site network in the high Andean northern Chile (administrative regions Arica and Parinacota, Tarapacá, Antofagasta, and Atacama)”. Salar de Aguas Calientes IV and Salar de Pujsa are both centered upon saline lakes that are extraordinarily important for Western Hemisphere migratory birds, and both also support appreciable populations of mammals. Chile now has 11 Ramsar sites covering a surface area of 192,080 hectares. Ramsar’s Assistant Advisor for the Americas, Ms Nadia Castro, has prepared brief site descriptions based on the accompanying Ramsar Information Sheets.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-76^23989_4000_0__

• China names wetland educational Ramsar site
  The State Forestry Administration, China’s Ramsar implementing authority, in collaboration with the Hangzhou Xixi Wetland Park Management Commission, the Institute of Subtropical Forest Studies, and Zhejiang University, has designated as China’s 37th Wetland of International Importance the fascinating Hangzhou Xixi Wetlands (325 hectares, 30º16’N 120º03’E), a National Wetlands Park just a few kilometers from the Hangzhou urban centre, southwest of Shanghai.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24003_4000_0__

• High-altitude Bolivian site vastly enlarged
  At ceremonies in Bolivia yesterday, the government has announced the extension of the Laguna Colorada Ramsar site, designated in 1990, from 51,000 hectares to nearly 1.5 million hectares. As summarized by Ramsar’s Nadia Castro, the expanded site, now renamed “Los Lípez” in Potosí department (1,427,717 ha, 22°10’S 067°24’W) is located in the Bolivian Altiplano between 4,200 and 6,000m altitude and now includes a complex of high Andean endorheic permanent saline, hypersaline and brackish lakes, as well as “bofedales” and geothermal wetlands. These wetlands sustain such migratory birds as Phalaropus tricolor and Calidris bairdii, who use the wetlands as staging sites for roosting and feeding. The Horned Coot (Fulica corneta) and Darwin’s Rhea (Rhea pennata garleppi), a very threatened subspecies, are also present. In addition, ca. 25% and 50% of the global population of the Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) and James’s Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi), respectively, concentrate in this area. There are also threatened non-avian species such as the endemic frog Telmatobius huayra, the Andean Mountain Cat Leopardus jacobita, and the colocolo Leopardus colocoloi.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-45-84^24053_4000_0__

4 September

• International commission for land use change and ecosystems
  The CBD Executive Secretary attended the meeting of the International Commission on Land Use Change & Ecosystems, established by the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) International. The meeting, hosted by UNEP, discussed policies to conserve two critical ecosystems, tropical forests and marine fisheries, and redressed GLOBE’s position on biofuels. Mr. Djoghlaf delivered a presentation on the International Year of Biodiversity as well as on CBD work on tropical forests, including south-south cooperation, marine biodiversity, including fisheries and biofuels. The outcome of the meeting will be forwarded to the meeting on parliamentarians and biodiversity, scheduled to take place prior to the CBD COP-10 High Level Segment in Nagoya, and the GLOBE Forum to be held before the Copenhagen meeting. A meeting of the parliamentarians of the G20 on biodiversity at the occasion of the G8 meeting next year was discussed. Mr. Djoghlaf also met with Thomas Lovejoy (STAP President) and Walter Reid (former director of MEA).
  More information: http://www.cbd.int/doc/mba/2009/mba-2009-07-en.pdf

• South-South Exchange meeting on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Forest Biodiversity
  An information south-south exchange meeting on the conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity was held on 8-10 July 2009 at the CBD Secretariat offices, to address a demand generated at a meeting between the Central Africa Forests Commission (COMIFAC), the Permanent Secretariat of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO Permanent Secretariat), and the Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN Secretariat). In collaboration with the German. Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity provided technical and logistical support to further discussions of the regional intergovernmental organizations, and to support the development of follow-up documentation.
  More information: http://www.cbd.int/doc/mba/2009/mba-2009-07-en.pdf

• Planning workshop: Diversity for Life Campaign
  On 15-17 July, the CBD Executive Secretary, Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, participated in a planning workshop on the Diversity for Life Campaign, held at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center. The meeting provided an opportunity for participants comprised of relevant partners and organizations to plan for collective action, ensuring the achievement of the objectives of the campaign. Launched by Bioversity International on the occasion of the International Day for Biological. Diversity 2008, the Diversity for Life Campaign is a global awareness campaign on agricultural biodiversity that will gather momentum during the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. During the meeting at the Bellagio Center, Mr. Djoghlaf delivered a presentation on “The International Year of Biodiversity: Opportunities and plans”, informing the participants about the Secretariat’s plans for International Year of Biodiversity. Mr. Djoghlaf also had an opportunity to meet with Mr. Emile Frison, Director General of Bioversity International, to discuss ways and means to ensure complementarity between the Diversity for Life Campaign and the IYB 2010.
  More information: http://www.cbd.int/doc/mba/2009/mba-2009-07-en.pdf

• Drafting Committee Meeting for the Report of the Second Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change
  The Conference of the Parties, in its decision IX/16, recognized the need for biodiversity input in the processes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and decided to establish an ad hoc technical expert group (AHTEG) on biodiversity and climate change, with a mandate “to develop scientific and technical advice on biodiversity, in so far as it relates to climate change and decision 1/CP.13 of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on the Bali Action Plan as well as its "airobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change so as to support the enhanced implementation of synergies”. Pursuant to this decision, two meetings were held by the AHTEG: 17-21 November 2008 (London) and 18-22 April 2009 (Helsinki), and the results were compiled and made available for peer-review. A drafting committee meeting was held in Cape Town, South Africa on 20-24 July 2009 which integrated the comments submitted during the peer review process into the report.
  More information: http://www.cbd.int/doc/mba/2009/mba-2009-07-en.pdf

• Convention on Migratory Species - Obituary: Dr. Akoi Kouadio (Côte d'Ivoire)
  It was with deep regret that the CMS Secretariat team heard about the sudden death of Dr. Akoi Kouadio of Cote d‘Ivoire on 12 August 2009. Akoi had been trained by Dr. James Powell in the mid-1980´s and had since dedicated his life to the conservation of West African manatees. For his PhD work he did research on the manatees of Fresco Lagoon in Cote d’Ivoire. He also carried out surveys in the Congo and several other African countries. All in all, Akoi undertook the longest running manatee research program in Africa and enjoyed high reputation within the scientific community and beyond.
  More information: http://www.cms.int/index.html

• Ramsar and CMS Advisory Mission to Mozambique
  Marromeu, Mozambique, 16 – 20 August 2009 – A Ramsar Advisory Mission (RAM) on the Marromeu Complex took place in Mozambique last week. As Mozambique is the latest country to join CMS, becoming a Party on 1 August 2009, CMS Information and Capacity-building Officer Francisco Rilla, an ornithologist, took part in the mission. Marromeu Complex is Mozambique’s only Ramsar site, making it a “Wetland of International Importance”. It was declared a Ramsar site in 2004 because of its unique ecosystems and huge abundance of waterfowl species. During the dry season alone, 30% of the world’s population of Wattled Cranes comes to the site for feeding and roosting.
  More information: http://www.cms.int/news/PRESS/nwPR2009/08_august_09/Ramsar_Mozambique.pdf

• UNEP/ CMS Mission to Swaziland
  CMS Information and Capacity-Building Officer, Francisco Rilla paid a visit to Swaziland on 21 August to meet officials and to promote the country’s accession to the Convention and AEWA. . The visit was organised through Titus Dlamini, the Chief Executive Officer of the Swaziland National Trust Commission. In Mbabane, Swaziland’s capital located in the Mdimba Mountains, he met Macford Sibandze, Honourable Minister for Tourism and Environmental Affairs and Mrs.Lucy Dlamini, Principal Secretary. He later met the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Clifford Mamba to discuss the benefits of CMS and AEWA membership for Swaziland. Additionally, he addressed the country’s CBD Focal Point, Dr. Jameson D. Vilakati, Executive Director of the Swaziland Environment Authority (SEA). The officials showed considerable interest in CMS and AEWA as well as other biodiversity MEAs.
  More information: http://www.cms.int/news/PRESS/nwPR2009/08_august_09/Swaziland_mission.pdf

• Next President of the Federal Environment Agency, Jochen Flasbarth, visits CMS (Convention on Migratory Species) Secretariat
  The recently appointed President of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA - Umweltbundesamt), Jochen Flasbarth, paid a visit to the CMS Secretariat and addressed staff of the CMS Family. The main purpose of his visit was to reconfirm Germany’s commitment to the work of CMS and its Agreements. Last week Jochen Flasbarth was appointed as head of the UBA by the Federal Cabinet on the recommendation of Federal Environment Minister, Sigmar Gabriel. He succeeds Prof. Dr. Andreas Troge, who had been President of the UBA for 14 years.
  More information: http://www.cms.int/news/PRESS/nwPR2009/08_august_09/Flasbarth_visit_100809.pdf

6 August

• CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD) - South-South - exchange meeting on the conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity
  The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), in collaboration with the German Development Cooperation (GTZ), and with generous support from the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), facilitated a meeting from 8 to 10 July on South-South Cooperation and sustainable forest management, with a focus on forest biodiversity, between the three major regional organizations of the world’s tropical forest regions: the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Central Africa Forests Commission (COMIFAC). The purpose of this three-day cross-regional meeting, held at the Secretariat’s headquarters in Montreal, was to share knowledge, strategies and experiences in order to promote mutual learning on forest policy coordination and cooperation, and to improve the impact of regional organizations.
  More information: http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2009/pr-2009-07-16-forest-en.pdf

• CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD) - Peer review of the draft report of Scientific synthesis on the impacts of ocean fertilization on marine biodiversity
  Pursuant to decision IX/20, paragraph 3, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has prepared this report in collaboration with the UNEP-WCMC, with funding provided by the Government of Spain, by compiling and synthesizing available scientific information on potential impacts of direct human-induced ocean fertilization on marine biodiversity. Upon the completion of peer-review and further revision, this report will be made available for consideration at the forthcoming fourteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, scheduled for May 2010. The draft report is accessible at http://www.cbd.int/marine/doc/scientific-synthesis-marine-peerreview-en.doc. Please submit your comments and suggestions on the draft report to the CBD Secretariat (secretariat@cbd.int) at your earliest convenience, but no later than 31 August 2009.
  More information: http://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2009/ntf-2009-082-marine-en.pdf

• CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD) - Statement by Mr Ahmed Djoghlaf, the executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity on the occasion of Life Institute Launching event. Curitiva (Brazil) 17 July 2009
  "We at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity are very glad to hear of the launch of the LIFE Certification initiative. This project dovetails nicely with recent efforts to engage the private sector globally in the struggle to address an extremely serious environmental issue with profound economic and social implications – the loss of biodiversity. We are particularly happy because the initiative brings new energy to decision VIII/17 adopted at the ninth meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention, which was held in here in Curitiba in 2006. At that time, the Parties encouraged the involvement of the private sector in the achievement of the Convention‘s three objectives, namely: to conserve biological diversity, to promote the sustainable use of its components, and to share fairly and equitably the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources. It is extremely fitting that LIFE Certification is being launched in the very same city where the decision to encourage such projects was originally made..."
  More information: http://www.cbd.int/doc/speech/2009/sp-2009-07-17-life-institute-en.pdf

• CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD) - Statement by the executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity on the occasion of Diversity fro Life Campaing "Planning Workshop". Bellagio (Italy) 17 July 2009
  "The Diversity for Life campaign, with its goal of motivating people to use agricultural biodiversity to improve their nutrition, their livelihoods, and the health of the planet, could not be more important. With an estimated three-fourths of the planet’s agricultural crop diversity already having been destroyed, we need to make people realize that ability of agro-ecosystems to provide humans with food and raw materials for clothing, shelter and medicine is increasingly coming under threat. We need to make it clear that vital ecosystem services – from soil and water conservation, to the maintenance of soil fertility, to pollination and natural pest control – are increasingly being imperilled. And we need to make it known that the problem is set to get worse: unless we protect agricultural biodiversity, agricultural species will not be able to adapt to the changing frost levels, higher temperatures, intensified drought and water-logging, and increased spread of diseases and pests that will accompany climate change in the years to come..."
  More information: http://www.cbd.int/doc/speech/2009/sp-2009-07-17-life-en.pdf

• CONVENTION oN MIGRATORY SPECIES - South American fishermen help to save seabirds
  South America is blessed with one of the world's most charismatic birds - one which sadly is in danger of disappearing forever. "Modern fishing methods are accidentally killing around 100,000 albatrosses globally every year - that's one every five minutes", said Dr Ben Sullivan - BirdLife's Global Seabird Programme Coordinator. However, South American fishermen are working alongside BirdLife staff to help save their favourite of birds, and early results of their united efforts are capturing global attention...
  More information: http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2009/07/atf_callingcard.html

• CONVENTION ON MIGRATORY SPECIES - New Interim Management in Place for CMS
  Elizabeth Maruma Mrema has been appointed Officer in Charge of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) by Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) as of 27 July 2009. In addition, Mr. Steiner has appointed Bert Lenten, the current Executive Secretary of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) Secretariat as Acting Deputy Executive Secretary of CMS, effective since 2 July 2009.
  More information: http://www.cms.int/news/PRESS/nwPR2009/07_july_09/
  new_interim_cms_management.htm

• CONVENTION ON MIGRATORY SPECIES - Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. Report of the third session of the meeting of the parties
  The Third Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) was held in Bergen, Norway, from 27 April to 1 May 2009. The meeting was officially opened by Dr Marco Favero as acting Chairperson of the meeting in accordance with Rule of Procedure 12 (2). Eleven Parties were represented: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) and Uruguay. Apologies were received from Chile and Ecuador, which were not represented. Three Range States were represented: Canada, Japan and the United States of America (USA). Namibia had been invited but was not represented.
  More information: http://www.cms.int/species/acap/MoP3_Report_final_English.pdf

• BERN CONVENTION - Bosnia and Herzegovina joins the Bern Convention in March 2009
  On 1 March 2009, Bosnia and Herzegovina will become the 48th Contracting Party to the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, 1979). The Bern Convention brings together most member countries of the Council of Europe, the European Community and four African States (Burkina Faso, Senegal, Tunisia and Morocco), given that this European treaty on nature conservation also includes the protection of migratory species. The Bern Convention’s main objectives are the conservation of Europe’s wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats, and the co-operation among States in this field. Special attention is paid towards vulnerable species and those threatened with extinction.
  More information: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/conventions/Bern/bosnianews_en.asp

• CBD & BERN CONVENTION - Signature of a Memorandum on enhanced co-operation between the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Bern Convention secretariats
  The signature of this Memorandum on enhanced co-operation will improve co-operation between the secretariats of the two conventions on a number of key issues on which the Bern Convention has become a crucial legal instrument in Europe, such as protected areas, plant conservation, invasive alien species and the impact of climate change on biological diversity. The Memorandum identifies the areas and means for close co-operation...
  More information: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/conventions/Bern/MoCCBD_2008_en.asp

• Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (BERN CONVENTION) - Group of Experts on Biodiversity and Climate change
  Wild flora and fauna constitute a natural heritage of great value that needs to be preserved and handed on to future generations. In addition to national protection programmes, the parties to the Convention consider that cooperation should be established at a European level. The Convention is intended to promote cooperation between the signatory States in order to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats and to protect endangered migratory species.
  More information: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/conventions/Bern/
  GoE_ClimateChange/StrasbourgCC_2009_en.asp

• CITES World: a newsletter published by the CITES Secretariat
  In the 18th issue on electronic permitting (July 2009) you will find:
  • CITES and the advent of electronic permitting
  • Electronic permitting – a view from the Swiss and United Kingdom Management Authorities
  • The development and implementation of electronic permitting systems in Thailand
  • Expediting electronic exchange of permit data among CITES Authorities – a pilot project
  • IATA e-freight: Taking the paper out of air cargo
  • The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) and electronic documents
  • A useful glossary of terms and acronyms
  • Introduction to CITES for Customs on CD-ROM

  More information: http://www.cites.org/eng/news/world/18.pdf

• ITTO – CITES Program for Implementing CITES Listings of Tropical Timber Species newsletter
  The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and the CITES Secretariats are collaborating on a programme of activities aimed at ensuring that international trade in CITES-listed timber species is consistent with their sustainable management and conservation. This capacity-building project is funded through the ITTO by a large grant from the European Commission, with additional funding from Japan, Norway and the United States of America.
  More information: http://www.cites.org/eng/news/ITTO2.pdf

• CITES: Deadline to submit to the CITES Secretariat for consideration at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES: 14 October 2009
  Conference of the Parties to CITES, which, with the agreement of the CITES Secretariat, will be held in Doha, Qatar, from Saturday 13 to Thursday 25 March 2010. In accordance with the provisions of Resolution Conf. 4.6 (Rev. CoP13) on the Submission of draft resolutions and other documents for meetings of the Conference of the Parties, the text of any draft resolution and any document submitted for consideration at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties should be communicated to the Secretariat at least 150 days before the meeting, i.e. by 14 October 2009.
  More information: http://www.cites.org/eng/notif/2009/E030.pdf

• CITES: Countries currently subject to a recommendation to suspend trade
  As CITES uses trade measures for its implementation, one recommendation for improving the effectiveness of the Convention is a temporary suspension of trade. Recommendations to suspend trade in specimens of CITES-listed species are made by the Conference of the Parties and the Standing Committee. A recommendation to suspend trade provides a period of time during which the relevant country can move from non-compliance to compliance by inter alia making progress in the enactment of adequate legislation, combating and reducing illegal trade, submitting missing annual reports or responding to specific recommendations of the Standing Committee concerning the implementation of Article IV of the Convention in the context of the Review of Significant Trade. Recommendations to suspend trade are withdrawn immediately upon a country’s return to compliance.
  More information: http://www.cites.org/eng/news/sundry/trade_suspension.shtml

• PACAMAMA - A traditional knowledge Newsletter of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
  This issue includes various issues of relevance to indigenous and local communities, including the development of the international regime on access and benefit-sharing, climate change, protected areas, and others. The work being carried out by the CBD in the next two years is of particular significance as it provides an opportunity for indigenous and local communities worldwide to help shape international commitments that will emerge, not just in the immediate future, but in the years ahead-after the 2010 target.
  More information: http://www.cbd.int/traditional/pachamama/pachamama-03-03-en.pdf

• RAMSAR CONVENTION - Removal from the Montreux Record:Alagol, Ulmagol, Ajigol Ramsar site, Islamic Republic of Iran
  The Alagol, Ulmagol and Ajigol lake complex (1400ha), Islamic Republic of Iran, comprises three small lakes and associated marshes situated in the semi-desert steppes at the southeast corner of the Caspian Sea near the border with Turkmenistan. In June 1975, this wetland was designated a Ramsar site because of its abundance and diversity of wintering waterbirds, a number of which are internationally threatened. In summer, the wetland also supports regionally significant populations of breeding waterbirds.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-76^23828_4000_0__

• RAMSAR CONVENTION - River restoration and management in Europe
  On 28-29 May 2009 the European Centre for River Restoration (ECRR, www.ecrr.org) celebrated its ten year anniversary with an international seminar in Lelystad, the Netherlands. ECRR is an independent network of people and organizations enhancing ecological river restoration all over Europe. ECRR wants to deliver river restoration as part of sustainable water management and of an integrated river basin management approach - a perfect illustration of how to implement Ramsar’s consolidated guidance for wetland and river basin management adopted with Resolution X.19.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/
  main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-76^23786_4000_0__

• UNEP/CMS Secretariat welcomes the Republic of Mozambique, which will be the 112th Party to the Convention on 1st August, 2009
  Located on the Southeastern seaboard of Africa, Mozambique possesses sites of high importance in regard to biodiversity such as the Gorongosa Mountains, the Great Inselberg Archipelago of Quirimbas in Northern Mozambique, and the Chimanimani Massif. Mozambique is home to a great variety of migratory animals like whales, dolphins, turtles, birds and bats. The geographical location of Mozambique makes it an important destination for migratory animals.
  More information: http://www.cms.int/news/PRESS/nwPR2009/
  07_july_09/mozambique_112.pdf

• RAMSAR CONVENTION - Pakistan breaks mangrove-planting record
  The government of Pakistan, as part of its National Year of the Environment efforts, set out to break the Guinness World Record for the most mangrove trees planted at a single site in a 24-hour period. On 15 July 2009, 541,148 young mangrove trees were planted in the Indus Delta Ramsar site in southern Sindh Province, bettering the previous record of 447,000 trees. The Ministry of Environment’s press release on the event can be seen here (PDF), and WWF International’s “Leaders for a Living Planet” certificate for the Minister in recognition of the achievement, signed by Lifeng Li, Director of WWF-International Freshwater Programme, can be seen here (PDF).
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?
  zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-76_4000_0__

4 August

• Ramsar Regional Centre opens in the Republic of Korea
  Secretary General Anada Tiéga and Senior Advisor Lew Young returned to Changwon, Republic of Korea, site of the successful 10th meeting of the Conference of the Ramsar Parties last year, to participate in the 21 July opening of the new Ramsar Regional Centre – East Asia. The RRC-EA will support projects and activities that will advance the mission of the Ramsar Convention in East and Southeast Asia, largely by enhancing the recognition of the value of wetlands and science-based wetland management, supporting Ramsar site designation and the establishment of the inventories and management planning, and helping decision-makers and practitioners to develop and use sustained wetland management tools.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/wn/w.n.korea_rrc_opening.pdf

• Ramsar Site Success Stories Request - Deadline for submission of case studies 4 September 2009
  The Ramsar Convention is looking for success case studies that illustrate the process and benefits of Ramsar site designations in the Americas in order to prepare a toolkit publication tailored to governmental decision-makers, technical officers and site managers, as well as NGOs, that encourages the implementation of a strategic framework and priorities for Ramsar site designations under the Convention’s international network of wetlands.
  More information: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-26-76%5E23884_4000_0__

30 June

• World Day to Combat Desertification 2009: Conserving land and water = Securing our common future
  This year’s World Day to Combat Desertification, celebrated on 17 June under the theme “Conserving land and water = Securing our common future”, is particularly relevant for the Convention on Biological Diversity. The pressures on the World’s natural functions have reached such levels that ecosystems’ ability to satisfy the needs of future generations is being seriously compromised. We are currently facing two major challenges which are interconnected : desertification and biodiversity loss. These challenges have further implications for sustainable development, and their impacts are compounded by climate change.

• GEF and CBD join forces to raise awareness for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity
  The Global Environment Facility, (GEF) the largest multilateral donor protecting global biodiversity and a pioneer in supporting innovative tools and mechanisms to ensure sustainable conservation, will join forces with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to spur binding action by decision-makers to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity, stop species loss, and maintain vital ecosystem goods and services.

• The GEF joins forces with the Convention for the celebration of the United Nations International Year on Biodiversity
  The Council of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) approved this week a special initiative to support the objectives of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). Budgeted at US$ 895,000, this is the most significant initiative for the IYB agreed to date. The GEF activities on IYB will be undertaken in consultation with the Convention Secretariat taking in to account relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention. Commenting on the support, Monique Barbut, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF, said, “What we do in 2010 could be the tipping point needed to galvanize public opinion and to spur decision-makers around the globe to take the necessary steps to reduce and halt the loss of biodiversity.”

• Convention on Biological Diversity supports Green Economy Initiative
  More than 21 United Nations agencies, including the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, have backed the call for a world-wide transition to a low carbon, resource-efficient Green Economy able to deliver multiple economic, social and environmental opportunities in the 21st century, including halting the degradation of multi-trillion dollar ecosystem services and the underlying biodiversity...

• GORILLAS – Gentle Giants in Need: International Experts Issue
  Frankfurt Declaration to Call for Better Protection of Gorillas
  Under the title "Gentle Giants in Need” 160 government officials, experts, corporate representatives and conservationists from 20 countries attended a conference in Frankfurt, 9-10 June to mark the UN Year of the Gorilla, a global campaign to help implement the gorilla agreement. In the “Frankfurt Declaration” they highlighted major threats to gorillas and their habitats, as well as the strategies available for the conservation of the second closest relative to humankind.

• 30th Anniversary of the Bonn Convention (UNEP/CMS)
  Bonn, 23rd June 1979 - 2009
  Representatives of over 100 countries as well as many intergovernmental agencies and non-governmental organisations met in Stockholm, Sweden in June 1972 to discuss the state of the world’s environment at the UN Conference on the Human Environment. One major outcome of the Conference was the decision to establish the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Conference also recognized the special threats faced by migratory species on their often arduous journeys across political boundaries. The delegates agreed that an international instrument to protect migratory species was necessary.

• 30 years of Bonn Convention: Russia supports the protection of the Saiga antelope
  On the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Bonn Convention, the Russian Federation has enhanced its support for the conservation of the Saiga antelope by signing the relevant agreement established in the framework of the Convention. The Saiga antelope is one of most rapidly declining land mammal species worldwide. While one million of the ungulates still traveled through the Eurasian steppe as recently as the early 90s, their populations have dwindled to less than 100,000 animals today. Illegal hunting and ecosystem changes are the main threats. There is a high demand for Saiga horn in traditional Chinese medicine, which is not only used in the Far East, but has also established markets in Europe. In addition, antelope meat serves as a protein source in particular for the poorer sections of the society across the Saiga's range.

9 June

• International Day of Biodiversity - Do we have the energy to save the gorilla?
  An omnipresent yet invisible threat to gorillas and their habitats, as well as to countless other species, is the ever-growing human demand for energy and its consequences. Charcoal production is a major threat to gorilla forests in many areas, not least the Mountain Gorilla habitat in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. To reduce this threat, solar cookers, tree-planting on farms and the spread of fuel-efficient stoves are needed. The Year of the Gorilla (YoG) is supporting a project in the Mountain Gorillas’ range which enables local residents to purchase highly fuel-efficient stoves for a low price, thereby enabling them to use less firewood, which is often taken from the very same forests that are home to the gorillas.

• International Biodiversity Day - Migratory Species and Invasive Alien Species
  “Invasive Alien Species (IAS)” is this year’s theme for International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB), an international public awareness event, proclaimed by the United Nations, focusing every year on a different biodiversity issue. The message of this year’s IDB aims to highlight that IAS are one of the major direct drivers of biodiversity loss and to give a clear signal to world leaders that much can be and needs to be done to tackle this problem. All components of biodiversity, including migratory species, show signs of being affected by plants, animals, pathogens and other organisms that are introduced and/or spread outside their natural habitats.

• Montenegro accedes as the 111th Party to CMS (Convention on Migratory Species)
  Among the most appealing aspects of the biodiversity of Montenegro are the numerous bird species, some of which are the focus of special CMS programmes and agreements. The Balkans region has an enormous diversity of fauna, including many migratory species. The Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), the Great Bustard (Otis tarda), the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanii) and numerous terrestrial mammals are some of the animals that regularly cross Montenegro’s borders; hence the importance of the country’s accession to CMS.

• Uganda designates famous “Mountains of the Moon” (Ramsar Convention)
  In a brief ceremony during the opening session of the 40th meeting of the Standing Committee, Paul Mafabi, commissioner of the Wetlands Management Department in Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment, accepted the Ramsar site certificate for Uganda’s newest Wetland of International Importance – “Rwenzori Mountains Ramsar site” (99,500 hectares, 00°25’N 030°00’E). The new site, within a National Park and World Heritage Site, is located in the west of the country, ranging from 1,600 to 5,100 meters above sea level in mountains that are home to one of only three glaciated areas in Africa (with Mounts Kenya and Kilimanjaro) and contiguous with the Ramsar site “Parc national des Virunga” in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda’s new designation, effective 13 May 2009, has been supported significantly by WWF – Uganda and WWF International’s Freshwater Programme.

• Kazakhstan names two important lake systems (Ramsar Convention)
  The government of Kazakhstan has designated two new Wetlands of International Importance, effective 7 May 2009 -- Koibagar-Tyuntyugur Lake System (58,000 hectares, 52°39’N 065°45’E) and Kulykol-Taldykol Lake System (8,300 hectares, 51°23’N 061°52’E) -- bringing that country's Ramsar sites total to four sites covering 531,141 hectares. Both are lake complexes in the Kostanay oblast in the northern part of the country. Both have also been designated in the Western/Central Asian Site Network for Siberian Cranes and Other Globally Endangered Wetland Bird Species in the framework of the Convention on Migratory Species and, for both of them, RIS site information has been developed with the assistance of the UNEP/GEF Siberian Crane Wetlands Project.

5 June

• Argentina designates high altitude Ramsar site - Lagunas Altoandinas y Puneñas de Catamarca
  Argentina has named a new Ramsar site, effective World Wetlands Day 2009 – Lagunas Altoandinas y Puneñas de Catamarca (1,228,175 hectares, 26º52’S 067º56’W) – that lies between 3,010m and 6,885m a.s.l. and is part of the Laguna Blanca MAB Biosphere Reserve. As summarized by Ramsar’s Nadia Castro, it includes a complex of high Andean endorheic river basins representative of the Central Dry Puna: shallow meso- and hypersaline lakes, shallow and deep brackish lakes, and deep hypersaline lakes. 19,000 individuals of Puna flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi) and 2,100 of Andean flamingo (P. andinus) gather in this site, which represents 18% and 6% of the worldwide population of these species, respectively. This High Andean wetland is a highly vulnerable and fragile ecosystem and is threatened by overgrazing, unregulated tourism, mining prospecting, and flamingo egg collection. The area is one of the 14 priority sites of the Wetland Network of Importance for Conservation of High-Andes Flamingos in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. Preparations for the Ramsar site designation were assisted by WWF International’s Freshwater Programme, the Danone Fund for Ramsar, and the Fundación Yuchán.

• Mexico names 113th Ramsar site - Humedales de Bahía Adair
  The government of Mexico has designated Humedales de Bahía Adair (42,430 hectares, 31º35’N 113º53’W) in Sonora state, effective last World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2009, as its 113th Wetland of International Importance. As summarized by Ramsar’s Nadia Castro, the site is composed of three types of habitats, including estuaries, artesian wells, and salt marshes, and is located in the Gran Desierto de Altar, one of the most arid and extreme deserts of North America. The site supports 12 fauna species found under special protection in Mexican law, such as the endangered Desert Pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius) endemic to the region, and species listed in CITES such as the marine turtles Caretta caretta, Chelonia agassizi, Chelonia mydas, Dermochelys coriacea and Lepidochelys olivacea. Three fish species, Gillichthys seta, Anchoa mundeoloides and Leuresthes sardina, are endemic to the northern Gulf of California, as well as two endemic flora species: Distichlis palmeri and Suaeda puertopenascoa. The main hydrological value of these wetlands is the presence of the Sonoyta-Puerto Peñasco Aquifer of prehistoric formation. The main land uses include tourism and real estate in the coastal zone, conservation, salt extraction, scientific research, environmental education, subsistence fishing, oyster culture and ecotourism.

• Raising awareness about Turkish Ramsar Sites
  The General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks within the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has recently published a full-colour, glossy brochure showing all 12 of Turkey’s Ramsar Sites which cover over 179,000 hectares in total. The fold-out, eight-page leaflet includes beautiful photographs of each site as well as key information concerning coordinates, elevation, area, and designation date. Text on each site highlights the wetland type as well as the important species to be found there and also includes other significant facts, such as ongoing implementation of a management plan, interesting archaeological remains, artisanal use, and key threats. A map of Turkey identifies the location of each site. Here is a low-res PDF of the leaflet. For further information, contact Serhan Çagirankaya (c.serhan@gmail.com).

28 April

• Accession by Turkmenistan to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat adopted at Ramsar in 1971, and amended in 1982
  On 3 March 2009, Turkmenistan deposited with the Director-General its instrument of accession to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat adopted at Ramsar in 1971 as amended in 1982. In accordance with Article 2 (1) of the Convention, the wetland named « Turkmenbashy Bay » has been designated by Turkmenistan for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance established by virtue of this Convention. In accordance with Article 10 (2), the Convention as amended in 1982 will enter into force with respect to Turkmenistan four months after the deposit of this instrument of accession, that is to say on 3 July 2009.

29 January

• First Central American Workshop of Swamp Birds Monitoring
  The first Central American Workshop of Swamp Birds Monitoring took place at the Palo Verde National Park, Palo Verde Biological Station, December 7 – 11, 2008. For this course 16 participants from Central American countries and Colombia were given scholarships. The purpose of the course was to provide the participants with the knowledge, the theory and practical abilities, to use the monitoring protocols of swamp birds, in order to create capability in the Central American region; hence, improving the knowledge of this kind of birds and promoting their conservation.

23 January

• A call for articles to INFOHUMEDAL, Vol. 4, no. 1
  The special issue on “wetlands and river basin management” is due out in March 2009, and CREHO – the Ramsar Regional Center for Training and Research on Wetlands in the Western Hemisphere – is calling for material on the processes, techniques, experiences and outcomes on this theme.

• "Wetlands: keeping our planet alive and well" New Ramsar video available for download
  The new Ramsar video “Wetlands: keeping our planet alive and well” is now available for download in English, French, and Spanish versions, both long and short. “The movie tells a story about the importance of wetlands for human beings and issues that these most precious resources are facing. The Ramsar Convention helps people to work together and manage these vital ecosystems.” It was first screened at Ramsar COP10 in Changwon, Korea, to grand applause, and in fact was produced by Green.tv with generous financial support from the city of Changwon.

10 December

• CD Rom on the application of the Addis Abeba guidelines within the biodiversity-related Conventions
  The preparation of this CD-ROM is now complete and the Biodiversity Liaison Group is pleased to announce the launch of the first edition. Composed of four sections, it contains information on the application of the Addis Ababa principles and guidelines by the six biodiversity-related conventions, the full text of the principles and guidelines, relevant decisions, recommendations and resolutions, and background documents and other materials, including links to relevant websites.

10 November

• Newsletter Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) - October 2008

• Convention on Migratory Species signs a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
  GBIF and the Convention on Migratory Species agreed to work together to develop and share biodiversity data on migratory species. The purpose of the signed Memorandum of Cooperation is to facilitate the access to the Global Registry on Migratory Species, GROMS database (http://www.groms.de/ ) by GBIF as well as to GBIF primary data by the CMS constituency. GROMS contains scientific information on migratory species, their ranges and maps of migration routes, seasonal distribution and populations.

• African Initiative gives boost to waterbird conservation in Africa
  The decision to increase international efforts to conserve waterbirds and their habitats in Africa was made by government representatives from 80 African, Asian and European countries attending the Fourth Meeting of the Parties to AEWA (MOP4) in Antananarivo, Madagascar, 15-19 September 2008. At the meeting delegates adopted, among others, AEWA Resolution 4.9 on the Initiative for the Conservation of Migratory Waterbirds and their Habitats in Africa, which calls for the mobilization of resources to support the new initiative aimed at building capacity for and strengthening the coordination of the conservation of waterbirds and their habitats in Africa.

• UNEP/CMS Backed Agreement to Protect Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia
  A meeting covered by the UN and the Government of Abu Dhabi, UAE today agreed a new agreement and action plan. 28 countries signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this afternoon, led by the Minister of Abu Dhabi, H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water at an international meeting in Abu Dhabi, hosted by the United Arab Emirates. Negotiations on the MoU began in Scotland, UK twelve months ago. The Governments of the UK and the United Arab Emirates have led the process, working through the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). A new CMS coordinating unit will now be established in Abu Dhabi to promote and monitor the new agreement as a UNEP initiative.

• Gambia’s third Ramsar site
  The government of Gambia has designated Niumi National Park as its third Ramsar site. As summarized by Ramsar’s Cynthia Kibata, this is a complex of wetland types along the coastal strip of the northern section of the River Gambia, ranging from coastal to inland wetlands which hold important hydrological values, i.e. flood control, groundwater replenishment, shoreline stabilization and sediment and nutrient retention and export. The flora and fauna are of particular note due to their abundance and adaptations to the range of habitat types found within the site.

• Uzbekistan names second Ramsar site
  The government of Uzbekistan has added the Aydar Arnasay Lakes System to the Ramsar List. This ornithological protected area is the largest reservoir of Uzbekistan, consisting of freshwater lakes situated in the middle stream of the Syrdarya river and on the irrigated massif of Golodnaya steppe and Kyzyllum desert. As summarized by Ramsar’s Pragati Tuladhar, the site is located at the crossroads of the Afro-Eurasian and Central Asian flyways and a centre for migrating and wintering waterbirds, with more than 100 species noted.

• Australia’s 65th Ramsar site
  The government of Australia has designated the “Paroo River Wetlands”, part of a National Park in New South Wales, as its 65th Ramsar site. The Paroo is the last remaining free-flowing river in the Murray-Darling Basin, and the site features such wetland types as large overflow lakes, tree-lined creeks and waterholes, lignum and canegrass swamps, and artesian mound spring. The site is one of the most important wetland systems for waterbirds in eastern Australia and supports a number of threatened plant and animal species as well as significant native fish communities. The area is highly significant for local Aboriginal people in terms of archaeological, traditional and contemporary social values.

• France and Germany collaborate on new Ramsar sites
  The Ramsar Secretariat is extremely pleased to announce that the governments of France and Germany have jointly designated two new Wetlands of International Importance and inscribed them as the ninth Transboundary Ramsar Site. The TRS covers both sides of the upper river Rhine between the two countries, roughly from the Karlsruhe area southward past Strasbourg and Freiburg nearly to Basel, some 170-190 km. Both Ramsar sites are Natura 2000 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and both share great importance for any number of reasons, not least of which is their support for internationally significant numbers of migratory birds. It’s worth mentioning that this is a fitting reward for Dr Edith Wenger, who has been advocating for and working towards just this result for many years.

• Peru names important mangrove habitat
  The government of Peru has designated its 13th Wetland of International Importance with the “Manglares de San Pedro de Vice” (3,399 hectares, 05°31’S 080°53’W). According to Ramsar’s Mila Llorens, based on the accompanying Ramsar Information Sheet, this wetland in northern Peru is the last mangrove relict of the southern Pacific coast of South America and is composed of two mangrove species Avicennia germinans and Laguncularia racemosa, as well as 43 species of Phanerogamous plants. The site is part of the coastal wetland corridor for migratory birds, registering 98 species of resident and migratory waterfowl.

• Italy designates its 51st Ramsar site
  The government of Italy has named “Lagustelli di Percile” as its next Wetland of International Importance. As summarized by Ramsar’s Monica Zavagli, this Natura 2000 SPA and Regional Natural Park in the hills of the province of Roma consists of two closed Apennine lakes, “Marraone” (the smaller with only 40 m diameter) and the wider “Marrone” also called “Fraturno” (118 m diam, depth 14 m), and their surroundings. The two basins constitute one of the most interesting areas of karstic origin of central Italy and their circular morphology witness their origin as dolines.

• Fifteen new sites in Mexico complete WWD pledge
  On World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2008, the government of Mexico announced the designation of 45 new Wetlands of International Importance, and the required bureaucratic process for getting those sites added to the Ramsar List was begun at that time. The Secretariat is extremely pleased to report now that the last 15 of those 45 new Ramsar sites have been listed, bringing Mexico’s total number of sites to 112 and surface area to 8,118,927 hectares, second only to the United Kingdom in number of sites and just after Canada and the Russian Federation in total Ramsar area.

• Chad names very large Ramsar site
  The government of Chad has designated the “Plaine de Massenya” as its sixth Wetland of International Importance, bringing its total area under Ramsar listing to 12,405,068 hectares, second only to Canada in total area listed. According to Cynthia Kibata, Ramsar’s Assistant Advisor for Africa, the site, located in the southwestern regions of the country, is an inland wetland that forms part of the Lake Chad Basin and is characterized by freshwater marshes, rivers, streams and creeks.

• France’s newest Ramsar sites
  The government of France has designated a fascinating collection of eleven new Wetlands of International Importance. In addition to several lagoon systems along the northern and southern coasts, there are two additional lagoons along the beautiful east coast of Corsica. Perhaps most interestingly, there are also several new sites in France’s overseas territories, or outre-mer, including a coral reef system near Tahiti in French Polynesia, sites on Martinique and in French Guyana, and a 2.2 million hectare expanse of the southern Indian Ocean that includes the French sub-Antarctic archipelagos Crozet and Kerguelen and the Amsterdam and Saint-Paul islands.

• RAMSAR Convention: Changwon Declaration “Healthy wetlands, healthy people”

• Japan names four new sites for COP10
  The government of Japan has designated four more Wetlands of International Importance for the Ramsar List, and the Japanese delegation will be hosting a 30 October side event at Ramsar COP10 to celebrate the new Ramsar sites and receive the official site certificates.
  • Hyo-ko.
  • Kejo-numa.
  • Oyama Kami-ike and Shimo-ike.
  • Streams in Kume-jima.

International Course on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Strategic Assessment (ESA) for Wetlands Management
The International Course on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Strategic Assessment (ESA) for Wetlands Management is a two weeks intensive course that will take place in Panama City, 24 November to 5 December 2008, as part of the Regional Wetlands Training Program for the Western Hemisphere developed by the Ramsar Regional Center for Training and Research on Wetlands for the Western Hemisphere - CREHO. The course has been designed for decision-makers and mid-level officials from the governmental, non-governmental, private and international sectors, professionals or technicians working in wetlands-related issues.
What's New @ Ramsar. News. Publicated: 22-9-2008

Bosnia & Herzegovina names 3rd Ramsar site
The government of Bosnia & Herzegovina has designated “Livanjsko Polje (Livno karst field)” (45,868 hectares, 43°53’N 016°47’E) in Hercegbosanska canton as its third Wetland of International Importance. As summarized by Ramsar’s Monica Zavagli, based on the accompanying Ramsar Information Sheet, the new site is the largest karst depression in the Dinaric karst region and perhaps the largest periodically flooded karst field in the world. It comprises seasonally flooded agricultural land and alluvial forest, seasonal marshes and pools, permanent streams, karst springs and sinkholes, and the largest peatland in the Balkans. Together with the Sava wetlands, it is the most important wintering, migration, and breeding site for waterbirds and raptors in the country and a key site along the Central European Flyway. The polje is important for the identify of the local community of Livno, well-known for its traditional cheeses, and for a wide range of recreational pursuits. Threats include water extraction for energy production, a planned coal-fired thermoelectric plant, and unsustainable peat excavation.
What's New @ Ramsar. News. Publicated: 22-9-2008

Swiss Grant for Africa: Inventory of wetlands in the Democratic Republic of Congo
With the support of the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, under the scheme of the Swiss Grants for Africa (SGA), and technical assistance from WWF-DRC the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has just completed an impressive rapid inventory of the representative wetlands of the country. The group of freshwater experts who contributed to the report preparation highlighted 33 wetland priority areas, covering parts of every province of DRC. These areas meet or exceed the representation goal of 20% for nearly every aquatic ecosystem type. The 66-page inventory report provides a description for each priority area with information on the biological diversity as well as data responding to some of the fields of the Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS).
Ramsar. Swiss Grant for Africa. News. Publicated: 22-9-2008

Three new Ramsar sites in Mexico
The Secretariat is pleased to announce that a further three Ramsar site designations have been finalized from amongst those that the government of Mexico announced on World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2008. They are Humedales de Montaña La Kisst (36 hectares, 16°44’N 092°39’W) in Chiapas; Playa de Colola (287 hectares; 18°18’N 103°25’W), a turtle beach on the Pacific coast in Michoacán state; and El Estero La Manzanilla (264 hectares; 19°18’N 104°47’W), a productive mangrove estuary on the Jalisco coast. Summaries by Mila Llorens of the site information on all three can be found here.
What's New @ Ramsar. News. Publicated: 22-9-2008

Checklist of CITES Species
Compiled by UNEP-WCMC
ISBN 2-88323-027-7, 295 x 210 mm, 417 pp.
The Checklist of CITES species provides the official alphabetical list of CITES species, their scientific synonyms, their common names in English, French and Spanish (to the extent that these were available to the compilers) and an indication of the Appendix in which they are listed. The publication also includes a CD entitled the Annotated CITES Appendices and reservations, which provides the original listing date of all taxa (orders, families, genera, species, subspecies) and populations specifically named in the current or past Appendices. It also indicates all reservations ever made by Parties, with the dates on which they entered into force and, in the case of past reservations, the dates on which they were withdrawn. This publication should be particularly useful to CITES Management and Scientific Authorities, Customs officials and all others involved in implementing and enforcing the Convention.

This book is now out of print but you may download it for free in PDF format by clicking on the thumbnail pictures on the left (5 MB).

Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity launches webpage for the International Day of Biological Diversity 2008: Biodiversity and Agriculture
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is pleased to announce the launching of their webpage for the International Day for Biological Diversity 2008, the theme of which is “Biodiversity and Agriculture”. Celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity in 2008 seeks to highlight the importance of sustainable agriculture not only to preserve biodiversity, but also to ensure that we will be able to feed the world, maintain agricultural livelihoods, and enhance human well being into the 21st century and beyond. At the same time, it seeks to highlight the importance of maintaining the world's biological diversity, upon which agriculture and future production is so dependant.
Convention on Biological Diversity. Programmes. International Day. Publicated: 17-03-2008

Estonia names new Ramsar site and Transboundary Ramsar Site
The Secretariat is pleased to announce that the Ministry of the Environment of Estonia has designated the Sookuninga Nature Reserve (5,869 hectares, 58°00'N 024°45'E), a Natura 2000 SPA and BirdLife International IBA, as its 12th Wetland of International Importance. Citing a Joint Commission set up in February 2006 between the Ministries of Environment of Estonia and Latvia on "Management of Nature Conservation in Transboundary Context", the two countries have established a Transboundary Ramsar Site, including Sookuninga and the Nigula Nature Reserve in Estonia and the Northern Bogs (Ziemelu purvi) Ramsar site in Latvia, with the name of North Livonian Transboundary Ramsar Site.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. News. Publicated: 13-04-2008

Underwater Biodiversity: UNEP and the Bonn Convention Welcome the German Launch of Dolphins and Whales 3D
World-renowned ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau presents the documentary film Dolphins and Whales 3D: Tribes of the Ocean and invites audiences to join in a voyage into the world of these ancient sea dwellers. Thanks to the immersive IMAX (R) 3D cinema technology, viewers will dive in and become a part of these animals' daily lives in our planet's vastest habitat, the ocean. Nimble dolphins and giant whales impress with their refined social behaviour and an advanced ability to communicate.
United Nations Environment Programme. News Centre. Publicated: 13-03-2008

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CMS welcomes the accession of the Republic of Serbia as Party no. 108 with effect from 1 March 2008
Serbia is located in Southeastern Europe in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula and in the Pannonian Plain. Situated at the crossroads between Central, Southern and Eastern Europe, Serbia has an enormous diversity of ecosystems and species. Of the six main European bioregions, five can be found in Serbia, and all ten types of ecosystems, except marine ecosystems, occur in the country.
CMS. News. Publicated: 6-3-2008

Hungary names two new Ramsar sites
In World Wetlands Day ceremonies held on 20 February 2008, Mr László Haraszthy, State Secretary for Nature and Environment Protection, announced the designation of two new Ramsar sites effective on that date. Borsodi-Mezoség (17,932 hectares, 47°44'N 020°54'E) is a Landscape Protection Area and Natura 2000 site, a large alkaline marshland on the bank of the river Tisza. Montág-puszta (2,203 hectares, 46°21'N 020°40'E) is part of a National Park located on the Hungarian Great Plain. In addition, one of Hungary's first Ramsar sites, Hortobágy, designated back in 1979, has been extended by over 8,000 ha. to 32,037 ha...
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. News. Publicated: 6-3-2008

Mobilizing Sciences for archieving the 2010 biodiversity targets
The scientific body of the Convention on Biological Diversity is meeting this week for the first time in Rome, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to review the implementation of the Convention?s work programmes on agricultural and forest biodiversity, as well as the impacts of climate change. The opening session of this thirteenth meeting of the Convention?s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) was attended by the Minister of the Environment of Italy with the participation of 386 experts representing 125 governments, 66 non-governmental organizations and 23 international governmental organizations...
Convention on Biological Diversity. News. Publicated: 22-2-2008

Mauritius names marine park as second Ramsar site
The Ministry of Agro-Industry and Fisheries of Mauritius has designated Blue Bay Marine Park in the Grand Port district as its second Wetland of International Importance, as of 31 January 2008. As Assistant Advisor for Africa Evelyn Parh Moloko explains, based on the RIS information, this Marine Protected Area is a unique coastal wetland recognized for its exceptional underwater seascape with diverse marine fauna and flora, especially its coral diversity. The presence of mangroves, seagrass meadows, and macro algae contribute to the overall stability of the marine environment and make it a habitat for about 72 fish species and the endangered green turtle, as well as a nursing ground for juvenile marine species...
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Publicated: 21-2-2008

Four new Ramsar sites for Congo
The Direction Générale de l'Environnement of the Republic of Congo has taken the occasion of World Wetlands Day to designate four new Wetlands of International Importance, effective 13 December 2007. Conkouati-Douli and Cayo-Loufoualeba are both at least partially mangrove sites on the Atlantic coast in Kouilou province, the first near the border with Gabon and the second farther southeast near the border with the Cabinda exclave of Angola. Grands affluents is an enormous area that includes basins of a number of important tributaries of the Congo River and surrounds Congo's only previous Ramsar site, the Réserve Communautaire du Lac Télé/Likouala-aux-Herbes, and Libenga, near the northern border, comprises the river Libenga and associated marshes and floodplains...
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Publicated: 21-2-2008

HELP organizes International Workshop on Wetlands as World Wetlands Day is celebrated
On February 2nd, 2008, the 27th anniversary of the adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was celebrated. Each year since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular. From 1997 to 2007, the Convention’s website has posted reports from more than 95 countries of World Wetlands Day activities...
UNESCO. Water Portal. Newsletter Nº 199. Publicated: 11-2-2008

Informal Advisory Committee on Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA IAC) 28 - 29 January 2008 - Bonn, Germany
What is biodiversity and why should we be concerned about it? How can we use the biological resources of the planet in a way that ensures that they are available for generations to come? What does the Convention on Biological Diversity do to preserve the web of life? How do the programmes of work of the Convention contribute to the objectives of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources?
Convention Biological Diversity. Programmes. CEPA. Canada. Publicated: 25-1-2008

Accession by Yemen to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat adopted at Ramsar in 1971, and amended in 1982
On 8 October 2007, Yemen deposited with the Director-General its instrument of accession to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat adopted at Ramsar in 1971 as amended in 1982. In accordance with Article 2 of the Convention, the wetland named "Socotra" has been designated by Yemen for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance established by virtue of this Convention. In accordance with Article 10(2), the Convention as amended in 1982 will enter into force with respect to Yemen four months after the deposit of this instrument of accession, that is to say on 8 February 2008.
UNESCO. Office of International Standards and Legal Affairs. Publicated: 10-1-2008

Antelopes Successfully Reintroduced in Tunisia
Following the severe depletion of antelopes due to major and unsustainable hunting activities, CMS has been working with the Hanover Zoo and others to reintroduce them into the wild. Currently, more than 20 antelopes from European and North American zoo-based breeding programmes are being released in Tunisia, reinforcing the Tunisian Strategy for restoring the desert ecosystems. Tunisia has been actively engaged in the ongoing process of restoring semi-desert and desert environments, and in the reintroduction of several species typical to these environments, for about 25 years.
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). News & Events. Germany. Publicated: 20-12-2007

Seychelles Meeting Realises Breakthrough For Shark Conservation
Sharks, so long neglected by conservationists and ruthlessly overexploited in modern fisheries, received a major boost today as governments agreed in principle to a new global agreement under the UN to protect three of the largest and most iconic shark species.
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). News & Events. Germany. Publicated: 20-12-2007

Now available. Ramsar Technical Report on low-cost GIS in Spanish
The Spanish version of the Ramsar publication Low-cost GIS software and data for wetland inventory, assessment and monitoring, by John Lowry (2006), is now available in Spanish in the form of a 1.5mb PDF: La utilización de programas y datos de SIG de bajo costo para el inventario, la evaluación y el monitoreo de humedales.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. What's New. Switzerland. Publicated: 16-11-2007

Wetland conservation network for the Yangtze River
The first Wetland Conservation Network along the Central and Lower Yangtze River was established on November 3 2007 with a memorandum of cooperation endorsed by 20 wetland reserves to tackle the climate change across the region. The Secretary General of Ramsar Convention, Mr Anada Tiega, and more than 100 delegates from forestry bureaus at different levels as well as twenty nature reserves of the region attended this significant event.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. What's New. Switzerland. Publicated: 16-11-2007

Memorandum of Understanding Signed between the CBD Secretariat and UNEP GRID-Arendal Centre
A Memorandum of Understanding between the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat and the GRID-Arendal Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was signed today in Trondheim, at the margins of the 2007 Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity. The Memorandum, geared toward enhanced cooperation between the Secretariat and the Centre...
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). What's new. Canada. Publicated: 30-10-2007

Mini-Treaty on Gorillas Agreed at "Paris Primates" Meetings
A new and legally-binding Agreement for the conservation of gorillas is open for signature in Paris today. Representatives of nine African Range States hammered out the terms of the new Agreement to protect man’s closest relatives, at a meeting earlier this week hosted by the Government of France and the United Nations (UNEP) Convention on Migratory Species. Contact: Liam Addis, External Relation Assistant. UNEP/CMS Secretariat. E-mail: laddis@cms.int
CMS. Conservation on Migratory Species. News & Events. Germany. Publicated: 5-11-2007

Agreement Signed to Save Sea Cows
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 31 October 2007 – A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning the conservation of dugongs in the Indian Ocean has been signed and entered into force today under the auspices of CMS. The signing ceremony took place on the final day of a range states meeting hosted by Abu Dhabi.
CMS. Conservation on Migratory Species. News & Events. Germany. Publicated: 5-11-2007

Ramsar and UNEP-GRASP co-producing documentary film in Gabon
The United Nation's Environment Programme - Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP) have signed an MOU with the Ramsar Secretariat to produce a documentary film which will highlight the correlations that exist between the sustainable management of wetlands and the great apes...
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. What's New. Switzerland. Publicated: 5-11-2007

Iraq joins the Ramsar Convention
The Secretariat is delighted to welcome the Republic of Iraq to the Convention as our 157th Contracting Party. In its formal communication UNESCO, the depositary of the Convention, confirmed that on 17 October 2007 Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs completed the necessary formalities for its accession to the Convention as amended in 1982 and 1987, and thus the Convention will come into force for Iraq on 17 February 2008...
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. News. Switzerland. Publicated: 2-11-2007

Raptors Meeting, Loch Lomond, Scotland, United Kingdom, 22-25 October 2007
As autumn comes to northern Asia and Europe, millions of birds are moving to warmer areas in southern Asia and Africa. By this age-old strategy, they are avoiding the difficulty of finding food in the northern winter. The migration, however, brings its own challenges. As well as the natural hazards of unpredictable weather, high mountain ranges to pass over and seas and deserts to cross, migrating birds must now cope with rapidly growing human-induced pressures that range from habitat loss to poisoning, and from unsustainable hunting to collision with manmade structures.
CMS. Conservation on Migratory Species. News & Events. Germany. Publicated: 23-10-2007

First Agreement that Might Save Mediterranean Monk Seal from Extinction
Adeje, Tenerife, Spain, 18 October 2007 - A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the protection of the Eastern Atlantic Populations of the Mediterranean, Monk Seal was concluded under the auspices of CMS. The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Portugal and the Kingdom of Spain signed the agreement in Adeje in the margins of the CMS meeting on Western African Talks on Cetaceans and their Habitats (WATCH). The agreement will be open for signature to all the Atlantic range states.
CMS. Conservation on Migratory Species. News & Events. Germany. Publicated: 23-10-2007

The Ramsar Convention and the US National Ramsar Committee launch a survey of selected African sites listed as Wetlands of International Importance
At the last Conference of the Parties in Kampala, Uganda, the African region reported the highest number of newly designated Ramsar sites. Since then more wetlands have been designated as Ramsar sites of international importance on the continent and the number continues to increase. Currently, we have 231 Ramsar sites for a total surface of 59,556,802 hectares in the region.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Archives. Switzerland. Publicated: 22-10-2007

Year of the Dolphin: Foundation Laid for One of the Largest Agreements on Small Whales under CMS
Adeje,Tenerife/Spain, 20 October - During the West African Talks on Cetaceans and Their Habitats (WATCH) held from 16 – 20 in Tenerife, Spain, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animas (CMS) has created the framework for a major agreement on small cetaceans under its umbrella. The area stretches from Morocco to South Africa, and covers the waters rich in whales around the Macoronesia islands in the Eastern Atlantic.
CMS. Conservation on Migratory Species. News & Events. Germany. Publicated: 22-10-2007

Implementation of Ramsar Convention on High Andean wetlands
"We are pleased to announce the first results of our participatory monitoring programme that started in 2006 in Lake Fúquene. This monitoring team was formed with local community representatives last year to evaluate the state of this Andean ecosystem (which is also part of the HumedAndes initiative). Results of the monitoring programme will be used to propose management actions and for the development of the Management Plan of this wetland complex. Please see news about this group and its legal recognition by the Agriculture Ministry. The whole process, creation of the committee with local people, development of the participatory monitoring programme, etc. are steps in the implementaion of Ramsar Resolution IX.1 dealing with monitoring and also towards the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach for management of the CBD. The monitoring programme, and the Committee itself, have the support of national and local government." Lorena Franco Vidal, Fundación Humedales, Bogotá, Colombia. Publicated: 13-09-2007

2 February. World Wetlands Day 2008. Wetlands and human health
The Convention's suggested theme for World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2008, is Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People, and this will also be the theme for Ramsar's 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in October-November 2008 in the Republic of Korea. As we approach World Wetlands Day, we have taken an opportunity to introduce to the Ramsar community, and the people you reach out to, a few key topics that exemplify both the direct, positive effects on human health of maintaining healthy wetlands - such as the provision of food, clean water, pharmaceutical products, etc. - and the direct negative effects of mismanaging wetlands that result in the impairment of our health and even the loss of life - such as through the effects of water-related diseases, burning peatlands, floods, and water pollution.
Ramsar. World Wetlands Day. Switzerland. Publicated: 13-09-2007

CBD Secretariat and IUCN—The World Conservation Union sign Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation
A Memorandum of Understanding geared towards enhancing the cooperation and collaboration between the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and IUCN–The World Conservation Union was signed today by the two organizations on the margins of the second meeting of the Convention’s Working Group on review of Implementation (WGRI-2) being held at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris from 9 to 13 July.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). News. Canada. 26-07-2007

Director-General opens the twelfth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on the Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological Diversity
On 2 June 2007, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Ko?chiro Matsuura, and France’s Minister of State for Ecology and Sustainable Planning and Development, Mr Jean-Louis Borloo, opened the twelfth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on the Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological Diversity at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
UNESCO. Office of the Spokeswoman. Flash Info N° 088-2007. Publicated: 02-07-2007

Accession by Kazakhstan to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat adopted at Ramsar in 1971, and amended in 1982 and 1987
Office of International Standards and Legal Affairs. UNESCO Headquarters, France