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Network of MPA’s in East Asia: Case study from the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Dr. Lew Young Senior Regional Advisor – Asia/Oceania, Ramsar Convention Secretariat e‐mail: [email protected] • What is the Ramsar Convention? • The network of Ramsar sites • Views of the Ramsar site managers • Conclusions What is the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands? Ramsar Convention on Wetlands An intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. • Signed in 1971 • Originally aimed to conserve waterbirds and promote he wise use of their wetland habitats but now covers the full range of functions and benefits that wetlands provides • 159 Contracting Parties Broad definition of wetlands •Inland Wetlands: lakes, rivers, marshes, peat swamps, fishponds, flooded caves, • Coastal Wetlands: up to 6m deep at low tide. Includes mangroves, coral reefs, sea-grass beds, tidal-flats and estuaries. The ‘3 Pillars’ of the Ramsar Convention • The wise use (= sustainable use) of all wetlands. • Designation and management of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar sites). There are presently 1872 Ramsar sites worldwide, totalling 184 million hectares. • International co-operation: shared river basins, transboundary wetlands, flyway networks for migratory waterbirds, and sharing of information and expertise . East Asian – Australasian Flyway (EAAF) Partnership Network A wetland is internationally important if… Group A of criteria Sites containing representative, rare or unique wetland types Criterion 1: If it contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near‐natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region. Criteria based on species and ecological communities Group B of criteria Criteria based Sites of international on waterbirds importance for conserving biodiversity Criteria based on fish Criteria based on other taxa Criterion 2: If it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities. Criterion 3: If it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region. Criterion 4: If it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles. Criterion 5: If it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds. Criterion 6: If it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird. Criterion 7: If it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish. Criterion 8: If it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend. Criterion 9: If it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland‐dependent non‐avian animal species. PEMSEA and Ramsar • Of the 13 countries in the PEMSEA region, • nine (69%) are also Party to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. These nine countries have listed 110 Ramsar site of which 45 (41%) are coastal or marine sites (no deeper than 6 metres at low tide). • Coastal Ramsar sites in the PEMSEA region include a range of habitats, such as peat swamps, lagoons, mangroves, inter-tidal flats, coral reefs and sea-grass beds. • These sites provide a variety of benefits and function, such as: − Habitats and species conservation; − Providing ecosystem services; − Supporting livelihood and human health; − Maintain traditional wetland wise use practices; − Recreation, tourism, education and public awareness; Support for Contracting Parties Provides standardize approaches to: •Baseline site information (Ramsar Information Sheet, RIS) • Site management and wise use, e.g. − Inventory − Site management plans; − Site monitoring and reporting; − Communication, education, participation and awareness; − Stakeholder involvement; • Wetland policy − Wise use of wetlands; − National wetland policy; − Coastal management − Environmental impact assessment. Available as a series of 17 Handbooks that summarize the various guidelines adopted by Parties at the COPs. Support for Contracting Parties Small Grant Fund (SGF) •Provide support for developing countries and those with economies in transition to implement the Convention. •Up to US$32,000 per project. Ramsar Advisory Mission: to assist Parties to resolve the problems or threats facing their Ramsar sites and other wetlands. Ramsar Regional Initiatives Intended to provide support for improved implementation of the Ramsar Convention in specific geographical regions based on common wetland species or habitats. Regional centres: focus on building capacities through providing training, exchange of expertise and knowledge, and coordinating and harmonizing technical, scientific and monitoring work in the region, e.g. •Ramsar Regional Centre – Central and West Asia (Iran) •Ramsar Regional Centre – East Asia (R.O. Korea) Regional networks provide a framework for regional consultation, planning, cooperation, as well as for joint activities among Contracting Parties and other stakeholders. •East-Asian Australasian Flyway (EAAF) Partnership Network •Himalayan Wetland Initiative Forming Partnerships Multilateral Environmental Agreements •The Ramsar Convention acts as the lead implementation partner on wetlands for CBD through CBD COP3 Decision III/21 •MoU and Joint Work Plan between Ramsar and CBD, UNCCD, CMS, World Heritage, and UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere programme. International Organization Partners (IOPs) • BirdLife International, • International Water Management Institute (IWMI), • Wetlands International, • World Conservation Union (IUCN), and • World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Questionnaire on benefits of Ramsar site designation • Questionnaires were emailed to the National Focal • Points in the nine Ramsar Contracting Parties in the PEMSEA region Replies were received from Cambodia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Questionnaire on benefits of Ramsar site designation Q1a. Has Ramsar designation benefitted your coastal Ramsar site(s)? Yes No 7 0 Q1b. If [Yes], can you tick in which area(s) Ramsar designation has benefitted your coastal site(s)? No. Increased funding 3 Increased protection 5 Increased awareness 5 Increased tourism 5 Increased research and monitoring 4 Increased training opportunities for staff 4 Other benefits: International recognition, increased sustainable use, increased community participation in wetland management. Questionnaire on benefits of Ramsar site designation Q2a. Has Ramsar designation helped you to build network/s between your coastal site(s) and other sites on a national, regional or international level? Yes No 6 1 Q2b. Has Ramsar designation helped you to build network/s between your organisation and other bodies on a national, regional or international level? Yes No 7 0 Questionnaire on benefits of Ramsar site designation Q2c: If [Yes], can you explain how Ramsar designation has helped your coastal site(s) in networking with other sites or bodies on a national, regional or international level? Thailand: • Improved networking with local communities and international NGOs at Ramsar sites. China: • National training workshops, and the wetland website (www.wetland.gov.cn) has helped coastal sites share experiences and techniques on site management. Japan: •National network of local governments with Ramsar sites that promotes information exchange and cooperation. •Twinning of coastal Ramsar sites between Japan and Australia. Questionnaire on benefits of Ramsar site designation Q3. What can the Ramsar Convention Secretariat do to help gain greater benefits for your coastal wetlands from being part of a network of coastal Ramsar sites? • Provide training for site staff; • Provide opportunities for site managers to share challenges, solutions and best practices through workshops, electronic communication or other means; • Provide technical support to develop and enhance a network of coastal Ramsar sites; • Information on funding opportunities. Questionnaire on benefits of Ramsar site designation Q4a. Has Ramsar designation caused any problems for your coastal site? Yes No 0 7 Q 5. Is there any other information you would like to provide about whether Ramsar site designation has benefitted your coastal site? Malaysia: It has benefited by creating greater awareness and the need to practice “wise use” and sustainable management of sites. Questionnaire on benefits of Ramsar site designation Olango Island: •Site designation has caused problems for the site because the area has since been zoned and the community is now no longer allowed into the ‘Strict Protection Zone’ to cut mangroves. •Lack of budget and manpower to adequately patrol the site Tubbataha Reef: •Site designation has neither benefitted nor adversely affected the site. •Appreciation of the Convention is very limited because of a lack of communication with the Secretariat. Requests to have more direct communication channels. •Would like to participate in the network of sites Role of international conventions and multilateral agreement s World Heritage China Lorentz National Park Philippines Tubbataha Reef Vietnam Man and Biosphere Yencheng Ramsar ASEAN Heritage Park Yencheng Lorentz National Park Tubbataha Reef Tubbataha Reef Indonesia Red River Delta Xun Thuy Ha Long Bay • Multilateral partnership: Coral Reef Triangle • Tri-national agreements: − Sulu-Sulawesi Seas Marine Ecoregion − Bismarck Solomon Seas Marine Ecoregion, − Arafura and Timor Seas Ha Long Bay