"Wetlands: home and destination"

5 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania - That’s the theme of the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands hosted by Romania from 6 – 13 July.
Four Pacific islands are attending the global conference on Wetlands to raise local issues to strengthen the conservation of our regions wetlands.
Fiji, Marshall Islands, Palau and Samoa are at the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention, they join Australia and New Zealand to make up the Oceania group at this event.
These, along with Papua New Guinea, are Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention, named after the small town in Iran where the Convention was signed in 1971.

Vainuupo Jungblut, SPREP (middle)

“Our key issues are those such as the impacts of climate change on wetlands, the recognition of wetlands and their role in mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, along with the role of promoting sustainable tourism in wetland areas,” said Vainuupo Jungblut the Oceania Ramsar Officer based at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is one international environment agreement of many that Pacific Island countries are party to.  

For each Convention there are different reporting requirements and conditions to be implemented as part of protecting and conserving our environment at the global level.  

The capacity, resources and time required to fulfill each of the different Conventions can pose a challenge and it’s at the Ramsar COP11 that the Pacific region hopes this issue can be addressed.
“We’re also looking at strengthening synergies between the multilateral environment agreements (MEA)  at the global level which is also important at the national level as there is a lot of administrative work to meet MEA requirements and obligations, and this usually stretches environmental services in-country who typically have one or two people dedicated to such issues .”

Registration of conference participants at Ramsar COP11

The Ramsar COP11 will bring together over thousands of delegates, ranging from country representatives to international partners to donor agencies, to discuss issues relating to strengthening wetlands conservation and wise use in each of the six Ramsar regions.  This fora provides a timely opportunity for Pacific delegates to form and strengthen relations with potential partners and donors.

Read more information on the agenda and discussions at the 11th Conference ofthe Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

The Ramsar COP 11 is held at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania. 

Oceania presence at global conference on wetlands

5 July, 2012, Bucharest, Romania - The Pacific island region boasts six wetlands of international importance with more on the horizon.

Fiji, Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Samoa are Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which will be holding its 11th Conference of the Parties in Romania over the next two weeks.

A key pillar of this Convention is to strengthen the wise use of wetlands around the world.  It has 162 contracting parties of which the Pacific Islands are grouped with Australia and New Zealand under the Oceania region, one of the six Ramsar regions.

Lake Ngardok, a Ramsar Wetland site of Importance, Palau

12% of the Earth’s land surface is made up of wetlands.  In the Pacific region Mangroves and coral reefs are the two main wetland types, containing 3% of the world’s mangroves and about 25% of the world’s coral reefs.

Right now there are seven members of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) that are contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands with other members such as Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu, in the process of joining.

 “We are often asked when you join, what can the convention give them?  We often find that it’s up to the parties to utilize the Ramsar convention and brand to raise funds for their Ramsar Sites,” said Lew Young, the Senior Regional Adviser for Asia – Oceania.

Japan is an example of how the Ramsar Convention is used to promote sustainability of their wetlands.  In Japan there are approximately 46 Ramsar sites, all of which have clear logos identifying them as wetlands of international importance, these are usually driven by the local community to help attract development and tourism.  Within this there is often the opportunity to promote sustainable use of the wetlands such as organic rice farming, which then leads to the selling of organic rice that can attract a higher price so local farmers then benefit.

Lew Young addresses Oceania delegates at regional meeting

“This really takes on board the spirit of the Convention,” said Young, “so it’s not just about conserving wetlands for the birds it’s about getting communities involved, helping rural developments and so on  - this is part of the bigger, broader concept.”

There is over 190 million hectares from 2,000 wetland sites around the world, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

In the Pacific the Marshall Islands are working to add their second Ramsar Site  – the Namdrik Atoll, Fiji plans to add two more sites - Nasoata Islet  and Lake Tagimoucia.

“It will be really good to see the Pacific develop some strong projects on the ground so decision makers can see the benefits of wetland conservation.  Hopefully partnerships between the Oceania parties and between some Asian parties, will provide support where there are gaps to bring this about; and help share ideas of possible ways forward.”

While attending the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Oceania region will meet regularly to coordinate their presence at the different discussion threads at the Conference of the Parties.

The 11th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention is from 6 – 13 July, in Bucharest, Romania. Delegates from Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau and Samoa are attending the conference.

Conserving Pacific wetlands

4 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania - The future host of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is a major topic on the agenda at the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention.  Currently hosted by IUCN in Gland, Switzerland, a proposal is on the table to have the Ramsar Secretariat hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme.

This was one of two key matters highlighted for the Oceania region, by the Marshall Islands who sat at the roundtable today, representing our region at the 44^th meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee.

This committee meets once a year with an additional meeting before and after the Conference of the Parties, whereby it transforms into the Conference Committee for the duration, providing advice and guidance on issues that may arise.

“This is an important issue for our Pacific countries.  UNEP has been active, the conduit between the countries and the Global Environment Facility and then again IUCN also has a strong presence in our region, so that’s an important issue we should pay attention to,” said Olai Uludong, Chief, Coastal and Land Management Division of the Environmental Management Authority of the Marshall Islands and current Oceania representative on the Ramsar Standing Committee.

L - Vainuupo Jungblut SPREP,  Olai Uludong Marshall Islands

"This Draft Resolution will determine the future administration of the Ramsar Secretariat," said Vainuupo Jungblut, the Oceania Ramsar Officer at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

“A lot of ground work on the pros and cons for this proposal has been prepared.  My advice would be for the Oceania parties to thoroughly consider the information they have available to them, very carefully before making their final decision on this issue.  This is a huge issue.”

The Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention have varying views on this issue, however if no consensus can be reached on this matter, further deliberations will take place through a sub-committee formed to deliberate this topic.

The second issue was the proposal to have two contracting parties from each region attend the different committees within these negotiations, given the small numbers from the Pacific at this conference, this will also need to be considered if it is possible for delegates from the Oceania region.

The Standing Committee, acting as the conference committee will be meeting on a daily basis during the Conference of the Parties.

The 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is from 6 – 13 July.  Pacific contracting parties to the Convention are; Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Samoa.

Quick tips Ramsar Convention on Wetlands:  What is a Standing Committee?

This Committee normally meets once each year, in addition it meets just before each COP at which time it transforms itself into the Conference Committee for the duration of the COP; and then again on the last day of the COP when the newly elected members choose the incoming executives.

The standing committee consists of 16 regional, two ex officio members from the Ramsar regions as well as eight permanent observers. 

The role of this committee is varied, ranging from canvassing opinions of Contracting Parties in their regional group before the meeting of the Standing Committee to advising the Secretariat in setting the agenda of regional meetings.

The Oceania representative to the Standing Committee is selected on a rotational basis.  All but Fiji and Palau have been members on the Standing Committee.

Read more about the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.