Download Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

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