Ramsar Convention to remain at IUCN

13 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania - DR1 was the buzz word during the 11^th Conference of the Parties on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the issue being ‘Draft Resolution One – Institutional hosting of the Ramsar Secretariat.’  After much deliberation and negotiation during the 11^th Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, a consensus was agreed.

“The Conference of the Contracting Parties decides to renew its confidence to IUCN and continue its hosting arrangement for the Ramsar Secretariat”

In continuing to do so, the Ramsar Standing Committee, through a working group of contracting parties will explore; the accommodation of UN languages into the Convention; elevation of Ramsar visibility and stature including enhancing high level political engagement in the work of the convention at national, regional and global level; enhance the synergies between the Ramsar Convention and other multi-lateral environment agreements (MEA's); increased involvement of Ramsar in UNEP’s initiatives and programs regarding biodiversity-related MEAs to  enhance cooperation and synergies between the Ramsar Convention and UNEP.

Nicola Scott, NZ Delegation

“It has been a hard week and I think that we were on tender hooks right until the end of the meeting there were a number of items that were extremely controversial,” said Nicola Scott, head of the New Zealand delegation.

“Right up until the 99^th hour we didn’t see how we were going to get though and find concensus but we did, the positive thing is that the meeting did not come to a formal vote on the hosting procedures.”

The majority of the Pacific parties to the Convention preferred to keep the status quo, keeping the Ramsar Secretariat hosted  by  IUCN.

The spirit of Ramsar is concensus, that contracting parties negotiate until they come to an agreement instead of formal voting to make decisions.  In the history of the Ramsar Convention, the contracting parties have never had to make a formal vote to come to an agreement.

Photo courtesy of Diane Klaimi, UNEP

While there is some work ahead to strengthen the Ramsar Convention, for the Oceania region it is hoped that there will be new contracting parties from the Pacific by the 12^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention.  Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu are in the process of becoming contracting parties with support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

“I think there were some very good outcomes for all out of this COP.  The issue of Insitutional hosting, while an important one, took up too much time and diverted attention away from the core business of the Convention – the conservation and wise use of wetlands,” said Vainuupo Jungblut, Ramsar Officer Oceania.

”Nevetherless, I am quite satisfied with the outcomes and am thankful that Ramsar’s spirit of consensus has prevailed once again, given those hard issues that were deliberated upon. With further Pacific Countries joining the Convention very soon, I look forward to having an even stronger Oceania delegation and voice at COP12 in Uruguay.”

Uruguay, home of Ramsar COP12

13 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania - Uruguay will be hosting the next Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on wetlands in 2015.  Announced at the closing ceremony of Ramsar COP11 in Romania, the event will be held at the Conrad Resort and Casino in Punta del Este.

“It will be a major challenge for Uruguay and thus we call upon the parties to work with us during the organization and actual holding of the COP to ensure success,” presented the delegate from Uruguay at the Closing.

“I would like to join with those who have expressed their congratulations to Romania, out host country and thank them for the excellent organization and efforts taken during COP 11.  We express gratitude to the people and government of Romania.”

“See you in Uruguay in 2015.”

Uruguay is located between Brazil and Argentina, and became the thirty-fifth Ramsar Contracting Party in 1984.  

There are three proposed Wetlands of International Importance for Uruguay – Humedales de Stana Lucia, Laguna de Rocha and Islas del Rio Negro y Humedales de Villa Soriano.  


Uruguay has two and their Wetlands of International Importance Banados del Este y Franja Costera and Eseros de Farrapos e islas del Rio Uruguay.  Both sites have a combined total surface area of  424,904 hectares.

The date for the 12^th Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention is yet to be confirmed.

Reimaanlok, a conservation plan for the future of the Marshall Islands

12 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania - Reimaanlok, the Marshall Islands Conservation Plan is proposed to under review this year.  Established in 2007, a year after the Marshall Islands signed on to the Micronesia Challenge, the plan is a guide to help the island nation meet their part of the commitment.

 The Micronesia Challenge aims to effectively conserve 30% of nearshore marine and 20% of terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020.  Reimaanlok maps the course of actions to be taken by Marshall Islands, to establish and manage community-based conservation areas.

The Marshall Islands Conservation Plan was featured at the Oceania side event at the 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

“We use the Reimaanlok to guide us in our work.  A key part of the vision of this plan is to ensure we have a community based approach to nature conservation,” presented Ms. Olai Uludong, Chief Coastal and Land Management Division of the RMI Environmental Management Authority

“We always try to work with the community as much as possible because if the actions are community driven, then there is community ownership.”

Ms. Olai Uludong presenting the Reimaanlok

It is envisages that when the plan goes into review that it is hoped that , the findings will help them understand just how successful the actions have been under the guidance of the Reimaanlok and how close they are to achieving the Micronesia Challenge.

To fully understand the challenges faced by the Marshall Islands in implementing their conservation plans, an understanding of the islands geographical features helps. 

The Marshall Islands consists of 29 atolls with 5 solitary islands.  It comprises 1,2225 individual islands and islands and has an Exclusive Economic Zone of over 2 million Km², less that 0.01% of this, is land.  

Threats to their nature conservation range from overfishing to urban development and pollution to the nuclear history, to the loss of traditional conservation purposes. 

The Ramsar Wetland site of International Importance is based on one of the large coral atolls, the Jaluit Atoll Conservation Area it comprises 91 islets with a land area of 700 hectares enclosing a large lagoon.   

There are plans to propose a second Ramsar Wetland of international importance, the Namdrik Atoll.  Here at the 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands, the Marshall Islands, the island nation sought support to help expand their wetlands conservation areas.

“We’re here because we can’t conserve on our own anymore, we do have our traditional knowledge and skills for conservation but at this particular point we need technical assistance, we need financial resources, capacity building and knowledge, I think this is where we can try and achieve those and tap into the opportunities presented at these conferences.  We want to nominate more Ramsar sites.”

At this meeting the Marshall Islands will relinquish their position on the Standing committee and welcome Fiji in to this role to represent Oceania.

The 11th Conference of the Parties on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is held in Romania from 6 -13 July.  The Marshall Islands are contracting parties to the convention along with Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. 

The Micronesia Challenge showcased in Romania

12 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania - The Micronesia Challenge was featured at the 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands in Romania.  

An Oceania side event showcased the Challenge which was signed in 2006.  It commits the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Marianas and Palau to effectively conserve 30% near-shore marine resources and 20% terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020. 

“Known more on a regional level than it is on a national level so it is a challenge to get the local communities to know more about the challenge,” said Pua Michael, the Ramsar National Focal Point of Palau.

“We need to do more work to promote the Micronesia Challenge within our own countries and communities.”

So successful has the awareness work been on a regional and international level that it has catalyzed efforts such as the Caribbean Challenge and the Coral Triangle.  It has also drawn huge interest from donors and partners.

As part of this commitment each island nation is responsible for raising funds to help bring this challenge into fruition, known as the Micronesia Challenge Endowment Fund.  FSM has since raised 2.2 million dollars, the Marshall Islands has raised 2.3 million dollars and Palau has raised 6.1 million dollars. 

To date over USD 27 million has also been raised through different opportunities and partners such as the LifeWeb, The Packard Foundation, Global Environment Facility and the Nature Conservation and Conservation International. 

Ms. Pua Micheal, presenting on the Micronesia Challenge

“While awareness of the Micronesia Challenge may not be so strong in Palau, communities do understand the importance of nature conservation, it’s our way of life in Palau.  We’re already working to save our wetlands and terrestrial areas at the national level - this has been ingrained into us as part of the Palauan culture.” 

Palau has a Protected Area Network which was put into place before the Micronesia Challenge this is a number of Protected Areas throughout Palau which are eligible for funds under the Green Fee if there is a management plan in place.   These Protected Areas are managed by the local community of Palau and the efforts will go towards achieving Palau’s commitment to the Micronesia Challenge.

The next steps will see Palau carry out their marine monitoring protocol which measures how effective the Marine Protected areas are managed.  Preparations are still underway to finalise the Terrestrial monitoring protocol in Palau.

Palau is a contracting party to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands along with Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Samoa.  The 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is held in Romania, 6 – 13 July.

Australia featured in Wetlands and Tourism publication launched at Ramsar COP 11

Destination Wetlands: supporting sustainable tourism

10 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania - 'Destination Wetlands: supporting sustainable tourism’ was launched at the 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.  It features the Kakadu National Park of Australia, one of 14 case studies in the publication that was formed as a joint partnership between the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the UN World Tourism Organisation.

According to ‘Destination Wetlands: supporting sustainable tourism’, international tourism is expected to reach 1 billion international arrivals and forecast to rise to 1.8 billion by 2030. 

Wetlands are a significant tourism experience and are likely to be a key part of the expansion in demand for tourism locations.  People are naturally attracted to water and coastal wetlands such as coral reefs and beaches and to inland wetlands such as lakes and rivers, for the Pacific region in particular beaches are a key selling point for tourism.

Marine Protected Area, Chelbacheb, Palau

Photo:  Stuart Chape

“The relevance of this theme for the Pacific is immense, during the Palau Ramsar meeting in March this year, participants highlighted and reaffirmed the value of tourism as one of the most important economic sectors for the region, ” said Mr. Vainuupo Jungblut, the Oceania Ramsar Officer at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

“Given the role our wetlands play in Pacific tourism, this publication should be of interest to many of our SPREP members, not just those that are Ramsar contracting parties.”

“Wetlands, home and destination” is the theme of the Ramsar COP11, with Tourism and Wetlands being the special theme of 2012.  The new publication contains references to existing guidelines on sustainable tourism as well as many other useful materials on developing and managing sustainable tourism.  It is relevant to wetland site managers, tourism and wetland policymakers and planners, and the private sector.

The Kakadu National Park is located in the Northern Territory of Australia it covers an area of nearly two million hectares and encompasses a living Aboriginal culture, extraordinary natural landscapes, a rich variety of plans and animals as well as rock art and archaeological sites.  In 1981 the Park was listed as a World Heritage Area.

Tourism in Kakadu generates local income, employment, business opportunities, services and support for cultural traditions.  It is also a significant attraction for Australia’s international tourism.  From 2007 – 2009, the Park received over 225,000 visitors per year, generating an annual economic impact of AUD 130 million directly from visitors.  These numbers then dropped to 176,000 in 2010 due to the impact of the global economic downturn on international tourism.  Approximately 55 per cent of visitors to Kakadu National Park are Australian residents with 45 percent being international visitors.

Kakadu National Park featured in publication

“Kakadu is is a key element in Australia's National Landscapes program which promotes the best destinations Australia has to offer for their distinctive natural and cultural experiences,” said Greg Manning, Head of the Australian delegation at Ramsar COP 11.

“Kakadu National Park features a successful model of joint management between the Aboriginal Traditional Owners and the Australian Government's Director of National Parks. Through joint management, the Traditional Owners work together with park staff to balance the protection of their culture and the places that are important to them with the needs of tourists and other stakeholders. The Traditional Owners of Kakadu are proud to share their country with visitors.”

Palau, an Oceania contracting party to the convention is also featured in the publication, with an image taken during the Oceania Preparatory meeting for Ramsar COP11 while on a kayaking tour.  The image of New Zealands booklet on 'Magical Places, 40 wetlands to visit in New Zealand' is also featured in the publication.

To learn more about Tourism and Wetlands please visit:  http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-tourismandwetlands/main/ramsar/1%5E25782_4000_0__

A Pacific flavour at Wetlands Convention in Romania

The Oceania group meet in an informal meeting after the plenary

10 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania - Oceania has a raised profile at the 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.  For the first time, the group which includes Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Samoa have come together to take part in two key visible activities; a Pacific exhibition booth which opened last week and a side event on the evening of Thursday.

Plans to raise the visibility and profile of Oceania at this Convention began at the preparatory meeting of contracting parties from Oceania in Palau this year in March with a special planning session on communications funded by the EU and UNEP under the Capacity Building related to MEAs in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries Project.

The Pacific booth, a colourful exhibition amongst featured hundreds of copies of materials which have proven popular, with very few materials left for distribution and numerous requests for more information about wetlands conservation in the Pacific region.

“We were very surprised by the strong interest we received,” said Ms. Nanette Woonton, the Media and Public Relations Officer of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

“Fortunately most of the Oceania parties brought materials to display, many of which disappeared just days after they were made available.  We are really pleased that we took this approach to raise our profile as the interest has been amazing.”

Also to take place is the “My Pacific, My Islands, My Wetlands” event on Thursday evening.  This event will feature speakers from SPREP, Marshall Islands, Palau, Fiji and New Zealand.  It will provide a regional overview of wetlands conservation in the Pacific, the sub-regional perspective on the Micronesia Challenge and the actions taking place at the national level in the Marshall Islands, Palau, Fiji and New Zealand.

During this event the Pacific Oceanscape will also be highlighted with a film that was showcased at the Rio+20 Earth Summit, produced by Conservation International.  There will also be an injection of Pacific flavor with a giveaway prize of gifts from Oceania after a short quiz on the regions wetlands

“We’re excited to bring a taste of the Pacific to Romania!  We’re really looking forward to it, this will be another chance for us to highlight what we are achieving in our region, the challenges we have faced, and point out just how much more we could achieve with added support.”

This side event is also funded by the EU and UNEP under the Capacity Building related to MEAs in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries, Project.

Samoa at Wetlands Conference in Romania

Talie Foliga, MNRE, Samoa at the Ramsar COP 11 plenary

9 July, 2012, Bucharest, Romania – Samoa is lending its voice to that of over 100 countries attending a global conference on wetlands in Romania this week.

The 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has over 1,000 delegates, donors and partners meeting to discuss ways to strengthen the wise use of wetlands around the world, as one of the contracting parties to this convention Samoa’s presence is important.

“We want to ensure Samoa has contributed to the discussions of the draft resolutions that will guide the work of the Convention in the next triennium,” said Talie Foliga of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa.

“Being here is also an opportunity for us to learn from other parties about their success stories, challenges and the problems they have faced and overcome when implementing activities under the Ramsar Convention.”

Lake Lanoto’o National Park, consisting of 500 hectares was established in 1971.  Nearly 10 years later in 2005 the Park was established as the Ramsar Wetland site of importance in Samoa.  Managing the site over the years has provided its challenges and it’s here in Romania that Foliga hopes he can take lessons learnt from other countries and apply those at the national level in Samoa.

The national park lives in the central highlands of Upolu and consists of three small crater lakes which support fringing herbaceous marsh and swamp forest.  The lakes are among the few remaining near-pristine lakes in Samoa and are critical to maintaining the health of the watershed of the capital city, Apia.  The forests of the National Park contained threatened endemic bird species including the Tooth Billed Pigeon, the Mao and the Samoan Triller.

Right now the main challenges faced in managing the national park are the lack of resources along with those that come with having different owners of the land in the park. 

“We plan to bring all landowners and stakeholders together to discuss ways forward to continue conserving the land within the Lake Lanoto’o National Park, here at the Ramsar meeting we hope to gain some guidance as to how we can sustainably finance the park.  Right now it is funded by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and we seek partnership from regional organisations and outside donors.”

Samoa received funding under the Ramsar Small Grants fund to improve and strengthen the trails as well as develop signage for the park.  The next steps will include preparing project proposals to seek funds to help manage the park, finalise the Ramsar Information Sheet, confirm the Management plan of the Park and complete the progress report required under the Ramsar Convention.

Samoa is one of seven Pacific nations that make up the Oceania group under the Ramsar Convention - others include Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau and Papua New Guinea.

Fiji to represent the Oceania region

The Fiji delegation seated next to Estonia at the main meeting of the Ramsar COP 11

8 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania – Fiji will be at the helm for Oceania, representing the regions’ interests on the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.  Currently occupied by the Marshall Islands, the responsibilities will be handed over to Fiji once the 11^th Conference of the Parties is finished.

The standing committee meets in between the triennial Conferences of the Parties and provides guidance and direction on behalf of their region to the Ramsar Convention. The Oceania region consists of Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Samoa - all contracting parties to the convention from the Pacific region.

Fiji acceded to the Ramsar Convention in 2006 with the establishment of the Upper Navua Conservation Area as the Ramsar Wetland site of Importance, the island nation is now planning to have more sites submitted for inclusion - the Nasoata Islet and Lake Tagimoucia.

“Fiji very much appreciates the support of the region and we will do our best to consider their interests and encourage those first, before we try addressing the wider Ramsar issues,” said Ms. Taina Tagicakabau, the Permanent Secretary for the Fiji Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment.

“We thought we could arrange a regular meeting in the next three years to brief our leaders, with the plan that this raised awareness would bring more commitment to the Ramsar initiative - a regional type of approach which may help widen our group.”

Ms. Taina  Tagicakabau, the Permanent Secretary for the Fiji Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment - taking notes at the Ramsar Standing Committee meeting.

The level of support for wetlands conservation is strong in Fiji.  This is indicated by a four member delegation at the 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention in Romania that includes a Cabinet Minister as the Head of Delegation, as well as a member of the environment NGO – NatureFiji–MareqetiViti, and the Department of Environment.

While the delegation is at the Ramsar COP11, they hope to strengthen partnerships with donors and other interested organisations and contracting parties.  Fiji is undertaking projects at the national level which requires co-funding and the island nation is also hopeful they can reinforce possibilities for financial support here in Romania, as well as technical support for their wetlands conservation.

“Our biggest challenge in Fiji right now is to do a proper inventory of our identified sites, 42 in all, and this is going to be a costly activity.  We are calling for interest to undertake this inventory, and are still seeking the bit of funds needed to help us move forward.”

The 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention is hosted in Romania from 6 – 13 July.  Of the Oceania region; Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau and Samoa are attending Ramsar COP11.

NatureFiji-MareqetiViti - seen at Global Wetlands Conference

NatureFiji-MareqetiViti banner

8 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania - The banner of ‘NatureFiji-MareqetiViti’ is proudly displayed at the Pacific booth at the Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention in Romania.

The Environment NGO aims to enhance biodiversity and habitat conservation, endangered species protection and sustainable use of natural resources of the Fiji Islands through the promotion of collaborative conservation action, awareness raising, and education research and biodiversity information exchange. 

It is a member of the Fiji delegation at this event, providing technical advice and support.  NatureFiji-MareqetiViti works closely alongside Rivers Fiji, the ecotourism business responsible for managing the Upper Navua Conservation Area which is the Ramsar Wetland Site of Importance for Fiji.

It was established as a Ramsar site in 2006 when Fiji gained accession into the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.  It’s a narrow gorge in the central highlands of Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji and hosts native fauna and flora including an abundance of the threatened endemic Fiji sago palm and breeding populations of at least two endemic freshwater fish species.  The surrounding forest also hosts 17 endemic species of birds.

The land is owned by traditional landowning clans and is leased to Rivers Fiji, the ecotourism and rafting venture which is developing sustainable ecotourism further.

L - R, Ms. Nunia Thomas NatureFiji-MareqetiViti, Ms. Tavenisa Luisa, Department of Environment Fiji
during the Ramsar COP11 Plenary (main meeting)

“We have seen some positive results from our awareness work on this wetland site,” said Nunia Thomas, the Conservation Coordinator of the NGO and Fiji’s NGO Communications, Environment and Public Awareness Focal Point for Ramsar.

“In 2010, through the Ramsar Small Grants Fund, we designed a programe for children to visit the river site with elders, armed with disposable cameras to take images and learn from the elders and the guides accompanying them of the cultural, ecological and biological significance of the Ramsar site.  This resulted in a range of images being showcased and shared by children who told of the new things they learnt, as well as their shared appreciation of the traditional knowledge the elders have.”

This venture was so successful, a staff member from NatureFiji-MareqetiViti now dedicates three days a week to work with Rivers Fiji and continue the support for this awareness raising campaign. 

Amongst other areas, the environment NGO is dedicated to help children in Fiji broaden their understanding and knowledge of local biodiversity and nurture respect for the local species and ecosystems so they will continue to consider the environment and our nature in making future decisions.

“We noticed that our children know more about the koala bears and tigers – animals overseas, than they know about local plants and animals so we wanted to revive that culture of knowing our biodiversity in our own backyard and forming an appreciation for it and the basic ecosystem services they help to provide.”

NatureFiji-MareqetIViti was launched in 2007 as the working arm of the Fiji Nature Conservation Trust, it has six start-up programmes; Nature Club; Communication; Endangered Species; Resorts’ Conservation Values; Conservation Partnerships with Landowners and; Savura Education and Amenity Park.

As part of the Endangered Species Programme, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti has identified priority species to work with under the Fiji National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan, one of which is the endemic Fiji Sago Palm.   NatureFiji-MareqetiViti has drawn up a recovery plan for this palm that includes restoring sites through agreement with landowners and drawing up guidelines for sustainable harvesting for thatch, amongst other areas.

“In working to conserve this palm, it has been a real eye opener for us, as there are 300 families in one province that depends on the making of thatch to make a living,” said Thomas.

“Rather than try to ban the sale of thatch to conserve the species, we have learnt if you can encourage them to continue to use it they practice sustainable harvesting by managing their own plantations of Sago palm.  Whereas in the past they would harvest sago palm from the wild, they are now creating gardens, rehabilitating degraded sago fields and have established a sustainable harvest regime.  This way we help save the species and they have a long lasting source of income.”

This week in Romania however, the focus for NatureFiji-MareqetiViti is the Ramsar Convention.  The NGO will participate in a Pacific side event, presenting on the Upper Navua Conservation Area with the Environment Department.  Holding a place on the national steering committee for the Conservation of Wetlands, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti is a valuable member on the Fiji delegation.

“We have some really good environment legislation in place which relates to the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity, the next step now is for contracting parties to implement these conventions right down to the community level,” believes Thomas.

“For the average person in the household this is important because we should all help and ensure Fiji will do its part and we all play our role in ensuring the wise use of wetlands, spreading awareness so all can better manage their wetlands together.”

NatureFiji-MareqetiViti has a staff of seven with 300 club members including supporters.  If you would like to lend your support please visit NatureFiji-MareqetiViti .

Palau seeks financial support at Ramsar COP11 on Wetlands

Ngardok Nature Reserve, Palau

7 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania – Sustainable financing is a key issue for Palau, attending the 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Palau became the first island in Micronesia to join the Convention with the Ngardok Nature Reserve as the first designated Ramsar wetland site of importance.  Lake Ngardok is the largest natural lake in Micronesia.  The traditional leaders of Melekeok established the Ngardok Nature Reserve to protect the watershed from degradation, the special qualities of the lake and integrity of the forests above the lake are critical to preserving the water quality.

The Ngardok watershed culminates approximately 1,000 acres of land above Lake Ngardok.  Rain that falls in the area above Lake Ngardok, either evaporates from the forests and percolates into the groundwater or makes its way to the lake which then drains into the Ngerdorch River, a water source for the villages of Melekeok and Ngchesar.

By attending the Ramsar COP 11, it is hoped that the Ngardok Nature Reserve will come closer to seeking sustainable financing solutions for management.

Pua Michael, the delegate from Palau attending Ramsar COP11

“We are struggling to seek support to take care of Lake Ngardok, right now people pay USD5.00 to visit the site but it’s not enough,” said Pua Micheal, the National Ramsar Focal Point of Palau.

“While Palau has started the Green Fee, it is fairly new and we’ll apply for this fund once all the right mechanisms are in place that will allow us to access the funding.”

The Lake Ngardok Nature Reserve is home to at least 11 indigenous bird species including the national bird, the Palau Fruit Dover or bib (Ptilinopus pelewensis).  The lake and marshes surrounding the lake are home to the endangered crocodile, the (ius).  This is an important breeding area for the saltwater crocodiles, (Crocodylus porosus).  The Ngerdorch River is a travel route for the ius from the lake to the sea.

Oceania Preparatory Meeting for Ramsar COP11, March, 2012

Palau was the venue for the preparatory meeting of the Oceania region to the Ramsar COP 11, an event which helped provide Palau with lessons learnt as they aim to finalise management plans and procedures in order to apply for funding under the Palau green fee.

“The preparatory meeting really helped opened our eyes as to different things that we can try and the importance of this convention for us as we strive to strengthen the Lake Ngardok Nature Reserve.”

The Ramsar COP is held in Romania from 6 – 13 July, there are  seven members of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) that are parties to Ramsar: Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Samoa.  A number of other SPREP members are in the process of joining including Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu.

For more information on the Ramsar COP 11 please visit:  http://www.ramsar.ro/

Pacific encouraged to step up and be recognised - Ramsar Wetland Conservation Awards

One of the founding fathers of the treaty, Dr Luc Hoffman, awarded.
Photo courtesy of IISD

7 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania - The 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands opened in Romania awarding five winners of the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Awards.

Established in 1996, the awards recognize and honor the contributions of individuals, organizations and governments around the world in promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

Presented at COP events since 1999, this year’s edition were given in three categories:  Education to the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, Management to Ms. August Henriques and Science to Prof. Tatsuichi Tsujii.

The jury also conferred a Recognition of Achievement Award to Mr Thymio Papayannis for his inspired leadership in the field of wetland conservation, wise use and the cultural value of wetlands in Greece, the Mediterranean and globally.

As 2011 marked the 40^th anniversary of the signing of the Convention, the Standing Committee decided to honour one of the founding fathers of the treaty, Dr Luc Hoffman, with a 40^th Anniversary Honorary Ramsar Award.

“Congratulations to these award winners for their hard work to conserve global wetlands,” said Vainuupo Jungblut the Oceania Ramsar Officer at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

“I think this is a really good opportunity and example to encourage the people of our region, those who have been working towards the wise use of our wetlands for many many years to step up and be recognised.  There is a lot of expertise in the Pacific at the local level, many people that have done a lot of work on wetlands conservation for the past 40 years.”

A call for nominations is made in anticipation of the Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention which is held every three years.  These nominations are then analysed by the Secretariat to submission to the Standing Committee Subgroup which also acts as the Jury to make the final decision.

"We encourage our Pacific people to nominate and be nominated for these awards when the call for nominations is made."

Each award winner receives a cash prize of USD 10,000 generously donated by the DANONE Group, as part of the DANONE/Evian Fund for Water in support of the Ramsar Convention.

The DANON/Evian Fund for Water is a partnership between the Ramsar Convention and the DANONE Group for the purpose of supporting the Convention in taking action for the wise use of water resources and for maintaining their quality.

The 11^th Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is from 6 – 13 July, hosted by Romania for which six of the seven Pacific contracting parties to the convention are attending.  These are; Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau and Samoa.  Papua New Guinea, also a contracting party to the Convention is not attending this year.

Please read to find out more about the award winners.