wetlands for our future

Report and Recommendations

(participants on educational visits at the mires “Schwemm” and “Rosenheimer Stammbeckenmoore”, photos by T. Salathé)

The Meeting was hosted and financially supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forests, Environment and Water Management, the Government of the State Tyrol and the City of Kufstein.

Additional financial support was provided by the Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljø-Direktoratet), the Finnish Ministry of the Environment (Ympäristöministeriö) and the Biosphere Connections programme of the Star Alliance airlines group.

8th European Ramsar Meeting 20-24 October 2014 Kufstein – Tyrol – Austria

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Summary of the Meeting Aims

The Meeting focused in an innovative way on areas of cooperation between different sectors of society, administration and private business to use water-related ecosystems sustainably. Ramsar focal points from the Ministries, experts on scientific, technical and management issues, individuals in charge of communication, education, awareness and capacity building, NGO representatives and sustainable development experts looked together at progress made with the implementation of the Ramsar Convention. They discussed strategic priorities, updated newcomers about environmental challenges in the water sector, and outlined how to make best use of wetland ecosystem services in the long term. This “pre-COP” Meeting provided the formal opportunity for all European Parties to prepare themselves for the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on 1-9 June 2015. The Meeting provided an opportunity to:

obtain a better understanding where we are with Ramsar implementation, develop a sense of priorities for action and to close remaining gaps, start our active preparation for COP12 in June 2015, discuss and make comments on available Draft Resolutions for COP12, and elaborate concrete recommendations for actions to be undertaken during the months to come. New concept of interactive sessions

The Meeting focused on practical questions about key topics. After stimulating introductions in plenary, the audience split into three groups to discuss key questions in an interactive way. The group discussions prepared proposals how to deal with the subject and they clarified what are relevant issues, and proposed solutions. Group moderators and rapporteurs prepared conclusions and reported back to plenary the next day. With this novel procedure, all participants had many opportunities to discuss and exchange their experiences and ideas. Participants

The Meeting was held in the Stadtsaal of Kufstein, linked to Hotel Andreas Hofer. It was opened by Viktoria Hasler (head of the Austrian Ramsar Administrative Authority) for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, Christian Plössnig for the State Government of Tyrol, and Doina Catrinoiu (Romanian Ministry of Environment) for the chair of the Ramsar Standing Committee. It was attended by 106 participants, representing 29 Contracting Parties (62% of 47 in the European region), two of Ramsar’s five International Organization Partners (WWF, Wetlands International), the European Commission, the Danube Commission (ICPDR), the International Peat Society (IPS), NGOs, business partners and Ramsar’s Regional Initiatives (BlackSeaWet, CWI, MedWet, NorBalWet), STRP, Culture Network and Secretariat. 29 Parties participated: Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and Ukraine. 12 Parties apologized: Andorra, Cyprus, Georgia, Greenland (DK), Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the Republic of Moldova. 6 Parties did not react: Albania, Belgium, Ireland, Monaco, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and the United Kingdom. Programme and supporting documents

This Report and Recommendations, the Annotated Agenda and the Participants List of the Meeting are available at: http://www.ramsar.org/event/regional-pre-cop-meeting-europe. Visual presentations (PDF) can be obtained –on simple demand– from europe@ramsar.org. COP12 negotiation documents (Draft Resolutions DRs) are referred to using SC48 numbers, as the Meeting took place at the time of final document preparation for the 48th meeting of Standing Committee (26-30 January 2015). Proposals made during the Meeting to add or modify text of DRs were submitted to SC48, who finalized the DRs for submission to COP12. Active hyperlinks in the remainder of this report provide links to supporting websites and background documents.

For a summary of the issues covered by the Meeting, refer to the bullet-point conclusions in blue.

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Ramsar in Austria

Wolfgang Pelikan (chair, Austrian Ramsar Committee) illustrated how the Ramsar Convention is implemented in Austria (www.ramsar.at) and how this is coordinated by its National Ramsar Committee. Gert Michael Steiner (STRP focal point) presented an overview of the 23 Austrian Ramsar Sites in the Continental, Pannonian and Alpine regions of the country. They include important steppe lakes, river stretches, floodplains, fishponds, karst areas and mires (i.e. growing peatlands). A specific brochure Ramsar Sites in Austria was issued at the occasion of the Meeting and distributed in English and German. Ulrich Schwarz (Fluvius Ltd) and Gerhard Schwach (National Focal Point) presented the Austrian Floodplain Inventory Auenland (elaborated with EU support) that lists 823 sites larger than 3 hectares and provides the scientific basis for the „Austrian Floodplain Strategy 2020“, to be adopted by the Federal Government. (Photo from the Inventory: Tiroler Lech floodplain - hopefully a future Ramsar Site)

On-site wetland visits

Several guided visits were offered during and after the Meeting. The participants profited from interactive educational sessions (developed with EU INTERREG support www.alpen-moorallianz.eu) at a peatland area in the Wilder Kaiser Ramsar Site by Nicole Schreyer (reserve manager), Stephanie Guggenberger and Christian Rieser (both Austrian Federal Forests Ltd), and at the Schwemm mire nature reserve by Gert Michael Steiner (University of Vienna), Manuela Kalkhauser (reserve manager), Klaus Auffinger and Philipp Larch (both nature guides and Tyrolean reserve managers). After heavy snowfall, an alternative visit was organised at very short notice to the restoration area of the Rosenheimer Stammbeckenmoore in nearby Bavaria, guided by Harry Rosenberger (mire guide of Raubling Commune) and Gert Michael Steiner. Here, for many years peat was cut commercially by up to 400 local workers. Now, with initial support from the EU LIFE programme, an ambitious project aims to restore 4,400 ha of the degraded peatlands for carbon sequestration, biodiversity and recreation. Reception at the Kufstein Fortress

Ingrid Felipe (Deputy State Governor of Tyrol) and Martin Krummschnabel (Mayor of Kufstein) invited the participants to a dinner reception in the impressive Kufstein Fortress, constructed to control the narrow passage of the river Inn. This was an occasion to illustrate local history and culture, with the performances by a contemporary saxophone quartet and a traditional folklore group, to have friendly exchanges with the international guests, and to explain to the foreign visitors the local interest in wetland ecosystem services, notably for tourism, education, flood and water management. Media relations and a first Ramsar video contest and fair open to the public

The Tyrolean media were informed about the Ramsar Convention and its relevance at global, regional and local level in written, and the government office organised a media conference on 21 October. This resulted in public outreach and substantive articles in the local and regional press. The wish to share Ramsar’s concerns and ambitions with the local users of wetland services, and our aim to increase their awareness about the work of the Convention, lead to the organisation of a public wetland video show on 22 October. Seven short films were submitted by participants from different parts of Europe and selected for the public contest. Among the films shown, the public and the participants in the Meeting voted for their favourite movie. The winning film was “The Danube River Basin and the ICPDR”, followed by “Pomorie – the wild lagoon”, a film by Green Balkans (Bulgaria), and “Vrana Lake Nature Park”, a film by the managers of this Croatian Ramsar Site. During the evening, the public and the participants had also the opportunity to visit the poster exhibition and the stands of the Ramsar fair, to collect wetland information materials (leaflets, documents, etc.), and to discuss with the authors of the posters and the exhibitors the work presented by individuals, organisations and companies from Tyrol, Austria and other European countries.

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(invitation for the public Ramsar video contest)

European Riverprize 2014

Austrian authorities and wetland managers are to be congratulated for the international recognition they received soon after the Meeting, on 28 October, during a ceremony in the prestigious Town Hall of Vienna, when the judging panel of the International RiverFoundation (including Ramsar’s Thymio Papayannis) awarded the European Riverprize 2014 to Austria’s River Mur, praising the work of the Styrian Government and the engineering company freiland Ltd to re-establish the natural conditions of the river and restore natural habitats for the many species that rely on the river and its surrounding environment.

Cooperation at river basin level

Planning and organizing Ramsar’s work at river basin level – and at transboundary level for international river

basins – is essential to succeed and to be respected by others (e.g. water managers, energy, transport, tourism). Ramsar puts a strong emphasis on the river basin approach, supported by European Union policies, such as the Water Framework, Groundwater and Flood Directives.

EU tools for integrated river basin management (Session 5.1)

Frank Vassen (European Commission, DG ENV) and Gerhard Schwach (National Focal Point, Austria) illustrated the high spatial overlap and convergence of the objectives of Ramsar Sites, Natura 2000 sites and Water Framework Directive (WFD) protected areas, and underlined the high potential for using WFD and Natura 2000 (Birds and Habitats Directives) processes for the implementation of Ramsar objectives. They discussed with the participants how synergies between national Ramsar and EU planning processes for the elaboration of Prioritised Action Frameworks in the environment and water sectors can be improved, and how new integrated LIFE projects can contribute to the preparation of such synergies. They recommend that:

the European Commission be more involved in Ramsar activities, e.g. as a Contracting Party or by inviting Ramsar National Focal Points to relevant EU meetings (such as the Water Directors’ Meetings), the European Commission become more involved in Ramsar Regional Initiatives and in regional conventions (as is the case with the Danube River Protection Convention/ICPDR), EU project databases, such as the LIFE database, are used to identify potential synergies between Ramsar and

Natura 2000 and WFD implementation, the already existing emphasis on Ramsar Sites in the Birds Directive is noted and used, new funding opportunities under the new LIFE programme are used for measures on Ramsar Sites outside the

EU member states, where these create benefits for EU populations of migratory species, wetlands are taken into account when implementing the EU Biodiversity Strategy target 2 to restore 15% of degraded ecosystems, more emphasis is put on wetlands and their ecosystem services in national Priority Action Frameworks and National River Basin Management Plans,

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National Wetland Strategies be established, and the LIFE programme be used as a platform for synergies, awareness on European and international conservation objectives be raised at site level (Ramsar, WFD, Natura 2000), awareness on the existence of LIFE Integrated Projects (IP), and their need to be based on a national Priority

Action Framework, is raised, to note that the new LIFE programme is based on a top-down process (multiannual work programmes) but

that it still allows traditional bottom-up projects to find synergies between Ramsar, WFD and Natura 2000, wetland objectives should be included into Priority Action Frameworks, the WFD Plan of Measures, National Biodiversity Strategies or Actions Plans and others, and funding for related activities made available through

national and EU financial instruments, and National Ramsar Strategies be elaborated to set priorities, objectives and measures in order to become

involved in synergetic processes with EU instruments. A tool for Ramsar Sites – the SEE River Project (Session 1.1)

Alexander Zinke (external expert, Austrian Federal Environment Ministry) provided a summary of the recommendations of the project funded by the EU South East Europe Territorial Cooperation Programme (www.see-river.net), involving 26 partners from 12 countries focusing on pilot areas along six rivers: Drava, Bodrog, Prut, Soča, Neretva and Vjosa, to elaborate a new methodology for state-of-the-art river management.

The project theme is cross-sectoral participatory management of transboundary river corridors, aiming to actively involve stakeholders from all sectors (from international to local levels) in a joint planning process. This should start with a joint analysis of the area's status (qualities, deficits) and result in an agreed area development vision and action plan. The project elaborated a toolkit based on lessons learned, providing guidance with a road map and communication techniques. The targeted end users are policy makers, public administrations and any stakeholder with vested interests in a river corridor. This methodology can also be applied to Ramsar Sites. During the discussions, the participants agreed on the following recommendations:

processes to maintain or improve the ecological character of Ramsar Sites should start with an analysis of land uses in the surroundings (20 categories were identified) which may influence the site, reflections, discussion or dialogue about land uses at Ramsar Sites need to involve stakeholders (25 categories

were identified), and their interests must be respected and integrated in some way, ensure that a wide scope of issues is addressed and assessed, and use good-practice examples, always undertake/use Strategic Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Assessments, lessons from working with different stakeholders show the need for transparent communication and open

access to information and data, listen first before talking, inform yourself before asking for information, and to illustrate your information to

assure good communication with your partners, use plain language for a common understanding, and use independent facilitators to support smooth

communication between different stakeholders, progress from providing information towards the next level of communication, i.e. consultation, and then towards participation in decision-making, ensure implementation of commonly agreed action and monitoring of progress and evaluation of results. Are Natural Water Retention Measures the right answer to a changing climate? (Session 1.2)

Goran Gugić (Lonjsko Polje Ramsar Site) and Marijana Jurić (Standing Committee, National Focal Point, Croatia) reminded the participants that during the disastrous 2014 flood events in the Western Balkans the importance of Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM) and the role of hydropower stations appeared. The interactive session reflected on the availability, collocation and planning of NWRM, as well as on their adequacy, on hydropower schemes and the role of the Ramsar Convention. The participants concluded that:

Natural Water Retention Measures should be considered as an appropriate tool to mitigate both floods and droughts, they have to be based on a masterplan for the entire catchment area taking into account disaster and climate change scenarios and hydrological models, the masterplan should lead to redrafting of national spatial plans, consider land purchases and exchanges, the implementation of NWRM ought to comprise also the upstream parts of a catchment area and may include coastal areas, steppes and forest steppes, mountain and permafrost peatlands, the last free flowing rivers and river sections in Europe ought to remain as such,

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NWRM should not be treated separately, but be accompanied by a process of adaptation, including changes in the EU Common Agricultural Policy, forest management and physical planning,

when it comes to the implementation of subsidies and development policies, floodplain areas ought to receive a special status, similar to what islands and mountain areas have got in many European countries, NWRM can play a crucial role in mitigating negative impacts of hydropower schemes during extreme flood Events, and replace the lost, but ecologically most important, small and medium-scale floods. Maintenance and restoration of freshwater habitats in the Alpine biogeographical region (Session 8)

Ján Kadlečik (coordinator, Carpathian Wetland Initiative) presented the results of a river restoration workshop, organized in September 2014, that brought together the European and Danube Commissions and the Carpathian and Ramsar Conventions, to look at the implementation of EU Directives, EU guidance in preparation on hydropower, and Ramsar Site management needs. The workshop identified pressures on wetlands in the Alpine region, ways to react, and concrete restoration opportunities, and underlined the need to assess the environmental impacts of already established and planned small hydropower installations. As a result of this session, the participants proposed additional text for COP12 Draft Resolutions for

transmittance to SC48. This concerns DRs: SC48-18: DR proposing a new framework for delivery of scientific and technical advice and guidance SC48-28: DR on wetlands and disaster risk reduction SC48-31: DR on peatlands, climate change and wise use During the Closing Session, the participants unanimously adopted the following Statement:

AWARE about the fact that during disastrous flood events across Europe, such as in 2014 in the Western Balkans, which have caused many human casualties and economic damages, the importance of natural wetlands and floodplains and the questionable role of hydropower schemes in mitigating extreme flood events became obvious;

THE RAMSAR PARTIES GATHERED ON THE OCCASION OF THE 8TH EUROPEAN RAMSAR MEETING

CALL ON the International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC) and its Member States to take into account the high potential of natural water retention measures (NWRM) in the region;

RECOGNISE that maintaining the significant capacity of existing and rehabilitating former natural floodplains and periodically flooded karst poljes, including Ramsar sites, make NWRM the most appropriate tool to mitigate the impacts of both disastrous floods and droughts;

URGE the International Sava River Basin Commission and its Member States to develop and implement where necessary together with the International Commission on the Protection of the Danube River a strategy on NWRM, taking into account the negative impact of hydropower generation, predicted disaster and climate change scenarios and hydrological modelling for the catchment area of the Sava River and adjacent catchments;

HIGHLIGHT the need to build on lessons learnt to contribute to NWRM approaches across Europe to combat extreme weather events linked to predicted impacts of climate change.

(participants visiting the Wilder Kaiser Ramsar Site, photo by E. Allély)

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Land use and land-use change The Ramsar principle of wise use provides wetland managers with a powerful tool to work together with

stakeholders in sectors who increasingly affect wetland habitats, notably agriculture and urban development. Rehabilitation of degraded ecosystem services and restoration of wetland habitats are means to develop sustainable uses of wetland products and services.

Wetlands, water resources and agricultural practices (Session 2.1)

Libuše Vlasáková (Standing Committee, Czech Republic), Martina Eiseltová (Crop Research Institute), Hana Čižková & Jan Květ (both University of South Bohemia) revisited with the participants Ramsar’s Resolution VIII.34 on agriculture, wetlands and water resources, adopted in 2002, which aims to minimise negative agricultural impacts on wetlands, and to demonstrate sustainable use of wetlands for the production of food, fodder and technical crops. The participants compiled information on numerous examples of good practice and concluded that to fully implement the Resolution, it is still necessary to:

bring back water to agricultural areas by selectively restoring wetlands and their water needs in such areas, explain the role of wetlands to farmers, professional organizations and agricultural authorities, work towards the elaboration of wetland-friendly policies and legislation at national and EU levels, include objectives and targets on wetlands and agriculture in the new Ramsar Strategic Plan, and invited the participants of the Meeting to contribute to, and participate in the international conference on

wetlands and agriculture planned for October 2015 in the Czech Republic. Bringing farming stakeholders together for the sake of wetlands (Session 2.2)

Eva Hernandez (WWF Spain) and Dimitar Popov (Green Balkans, Bulgaria) illustrated the theme with a focus on the intensive strawberry farming around the Doñana Ramsar Site in Spain, where 2000 ha of public forest were transformed into farmland, and where a large number of illegal boreholes cause a continued decline of the underlying aquifer. With the support of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform, an opportunity exists now to expand the work lead by WWF for the last ten years, and to bring together all stakeholders along the production chain (farmers, transformers, retailers) across Europe, to improve farming practices and to have a beneficial impact on the affected wetland ecosystems. During the interactive session, the participants concluded that (3-page summary available on request):

the agricultural sector needs to improve its farming practices in relation to water and soil resources, to look for new sustainable solutions (“think out of the box”), to take bigger connections at landscape and basin scale into account, and to acknowledge wetland services provided,

ways to improve farming practices need a combination of measures by different actors along the production chain, need to improve land-use planning processes and create increased links to wetland ecosystems,

the Ramsar Convention should gather good-practice examples from its Parties and disseminate them, promote research for alternative farming income schemes, contribute to the improvement of agricultural certification schemes, and advocate for better environmental design of agricultural subsidies (such as the EU Common Agricultural Policy and its national applications).

Paludiculture – win-win, win-lose, or lose-lose? (Session 3.1)

Bettina Hedden-Dunkhorst (STRP focal point, Germany) and András Schmidt (National Focal Point, Hungary) addressed the cultivation of degraded and rewetted peatlands, e.g. for reed harvest or biomass production for energy poduction. Paludiculture can become an ecologically sustainable economic activity that reduces CO2 emissions and creates diversified habitats and ecotourism opportunities, as long as it is integrated in broader rural development schemes. Paludiculture should only be considered on previously drained and cultivated peatlands, not on natural peat forming mires. Intensive forms of paludiculture may have negative impacts on environmental factors and biodiversity. The economic viability of paludiculture depends on the local context and may vary. Peat moss (Sphagnum) farming may be beneficial to protect the climate and biodiversity, and provide a viable alternative to dry cultivation of peatlands. The participants concluded from their discussions that:

many questions need further research to determine the impact on climate and biodiversity and the economic viability of different forms of paludiculture in different geographical settings,

in some cases, especially in the context of small peatlands, farmers should rather be compensated for setting

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aside rewetted peatlands than for paludiculture, the Ramsar Convention could facilitate this process by making available more results of active projects, paludiculture for carbon sequestration and biodiversity improvement should become a theme addressed in the

international conference on agriculture and wetlands in October 2015 in the Czech Republic, more evidence on the challenges and sustainable benefits of paludiculture should be made available in

publications addressing different stakeholders. Satellite tracking of land-use change trends in Mediterranean wetlands (Session 7.2)

Jean Jalbert (Tour du Valat research centre for Mediterranean wetland conservation) and Kathrin Weise (Jena Optronik Ltd) illustrated results from the GlobWetland-II project of the European Space Agency, executed in consultation with STRP. With Earth Observation tools, land use tends from 1975 to 2005 were measured for coastal wetlands in the Mediterranean. During this period, the surface of natural wetland habitats decreased by 10%, while the surface of human-made wetlands increased by 54%. Agriculture was the principal cause of wetland loss, replaced since 1990 by urbanisation. Increasing water abstraction and changes in water management had a major impact. During the discussions, the participants agreed that the trends are similar in other European regions, notably a decrease in natural wetland habitat quality, with forestry and hydropower being more prominent drivers for wetland decrease in northern Europe. The (potential) users of this remote sensing data concluded that:

Earth Observation tools show wetland changes in an objective way and are thus an important tool to support political decisions,

wetland managers wish to monitor spatial changes in relation to human activities, to map effects of climate change, and to obtain information on additional layers, such as rainfall, including ground-based data,

satellite data should be made available also at larger scale, up to water catchment basin level, remote sensing data should be used to develop scenarios and trends from past to future, existing and potential users of such data need training to use the technology most effectively, the Ramsar Convention should link such information to the Ramsar Site Information Service, and satellite pictures are a helpful educational tool for the wider public to be used by wetland education centres.

(during an interactive session, photo by E. Allély)

Responding to changing water resources and climate The Convention has adopted over the years a large number of Resolutions (decisions). In parallel, the need to

assess the extent of their implementation (at local, national and international levels) is increasing. Revisiting earlier adopted Resolutions can lead to identify gaps, not only of implementation, but also of additional guidance needed through new Resolutions.

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How are we implementing Global Action on Peatlands? (Session 7.1)

Tatiana Minayeva (Wetlands International) and Alexander Zinke (external expert, Environment Ministry, Austria) revisited the Guidelines for Global Action on Peatlands, adopted through Resolution VIII.17 in 2002 with the participants. This Ramsar framework for action elaborated at the turn of the century is still relevant. Nevertheless, today we have to cope with new challenges: create a common understanding through clear terminology, address peatland loss due to urban, industrial and agricultural developments, cope with euthrophication and pollution from littering and industry, cope with climate change effects and with the abandonment of traditional peatland uses (mowing, grazing). We have to apply new restoration techniques and focus on peat extraction inside and outside of the EU and the underlying trade policies and economic subsidies. During the discussions, the participants recommended:

to undertake more research to replace peat as a horticultural substrate, to promote alternative products and to track international product and trade chains,

to create new incentives based on peat taxation and compensation payments for replacement products, and to support the development of paludiculture,

to promote peatland restoration as a climate change adaptation measure, and to disseminate information on the capacity of peatlands to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration,

to undertake more assessments of peatland ecosystem services, notably for water retention, storage and release, for ecotourism, education and recreation, and human health,

that Ramsar Parties complete national peatland inventories and assessments, promote traditional uses of peatlands as a form of cultural heritage, provide sufficient water to peatlands, raise the awareness on the need of peatland restoration, and restore peatlands in urban areas,

to consider peatlands in Integrated River Basin Management plans as Natural Water Retention Areas for flood and drought control, and

to regulate peat extraction and trade at international level, and to ask Ramsar Parties to report on peat extraction and trade in their National Reports for each Conference of the Parties.

Are we focusing sufficiently on Arctic wetlands? (Session 2.3)

Tatiana Minayeva (Wetlands International) and Jan-Petter Huberth-Hansen (National Focal Point, Norway) provided an overview on Arctic wetlands, their ecosystem services for local communities and First Nations, on their functions in the global context of climate change, and on their global connections via the flyways of migratory bird and migration routes of sea mammals, as well as the opening up of new Arctic shipping routes. During the discussions, the participants concluded that there are gaps in our knowledge on Arctic wetlands and their values and recommended to address Arctic wetlands also in the forthcoming Ramsar meeting for the Americas. They agreed on the following recommendations:

to create a “competence centre” on Artic wetlands to close knowledge gaps, to undertake inventories and assessments (also with remote sensing tools) and to distribute information, also to non-Arctic countries,

to create an ad hoc working group between Ramsar, UNFCCC (who recognizes the Arctic tundra as a significant carbon sink), CBD (follow-up on COP12 decisions), IPBES, CMS/AEWA and the Berne Convention to work on Artic wetlands,

to use the 2012 Resolution of Cooperation between Ramsar and the working group on the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) of the Arctic Council as a framework for joint activities, to focus more on Arctic wetlands through the work of the Nordic-Baltic Ramsar Regional Initiative (cf. the report on its meeting 2013 in Greenland), and to plan a meeting to this end at the occasion of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment congress in Trondheim on 2-4 December 2014,

to prepare a Draft Resolution for COP12 as a next substantial step (to be submitted in time for SC48 by Finland and other Parties), focusing on an inventory of polar and circumpolar wetlands.

Island wetlands in Greece – a useful case for the Mediterranean (Session 1.3)

Thanos Giannakakis (WWF Greece) and Katerina Stylogianni (National Focal Point, Greece) reported on a WWF project to assess the ecosystem values and the strong pressures on Greek island wetlands from tourist and urban development. This situation is likely to be similar on other Mediterranean islands (and islands in other regional seas, e.g. the Caribbean), increasingly under stress from water abstraction and land use change, as indicated also by remote sensing studies. During the discussions, the participants recognized Mediterranean island wetlands as important stop-over sites for migratory birds and hotspots for wetland-dependent sedentary

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species. They underlined their concern about the increasing tourism pressure, especially in coastal areas, and the vulnerability of small wetlands. They recommended:

to undertake inventories of Mediterranean island wetlands, including of their ecosystem services, and to monitor these sites,

to include the results of these inventories into local spatial development plans, water and water basin catchment management plans,

to engage and work with the stakeholders who influence most the fate of island wetlands, notably tourism and ecotourism promoters, and to work with NGOs and scientific experts, and local communities and authorities.

As a result of this session, the participants proposed additional text for COP12 Draft Resolutions for

transmittance to SC48. This concerns DRs: SC48-27: DR on conservation of Mediterranean Basin island wetlands SC48-28: DR on wetlands and disaster risk reduction SC48-31: DR on peatlands, climate change and wise use

SC48-XX: DR on undertaking an inventory of polar and circumpolar wetlands (to be submitted by Finland)

Ramsar Sites to show the way

Ramsar Sites provide a unique opportunity to demonstrate Ramsar’s wise use approach under the real-life

constraints. Ramsar Sites often still lack formal recognition and application of the management tools the Convention is providing them with. Increasing the implementation of these tools helps to achieve sustainable development at local and water catchment levels.

Towards the effective management of Ramsar Sites (Session 4.2)

Gordana Beltram (National Focal Point, Slovenia) and Juris Jatnieks (National Focal Point, Latvia) presented and discussed with the participants the tools proposed to be used for the tracking of the effectiveness of the management of Ramsar Sites. The participants agreed that key wetland site management activities are the maintenance of the optimal water regime, monitoring of key parameters, integration of wetland priorities in spatial planning and national policies, the active involvement of stakeholders and local communities, and good governance. As a result of two interactive sessions, the participants recommended that:

operating a management planning cycle is fundamental and is already happening at most Ramsar Sites, synergies with the reporting requirements for Natura 2000 and WFD sites of the European Union are

essential, and Ramsar Site managers and focal points need to be associated to the EU reporting schemes, the proposed Ramsar-METT tool to track the effectiveness of management interventions is fit for purpose and

should be adopted and used widely, because currently only a small number of all countries (20%) apply (different) assessment tools,

a report on the tracking of the management effectiveness at Ramsar Sites should be included formally in the National Ramsar Report format (part 4).

Ramsar Community accreditation – an innovative approach (Session 4.1)

Denis Landenbergue (WWF International) and Delmar Blasco (MedWet Coordinator) introduced the proposal to provide a specific Ramsar quality label to communities (“cities” in a broad sense, i.e. including also smaller municipalities) who have developed cultural links with and good management practices for their local wetland ecosystems, who have designated a Ramsar Site and actively educate their population about the wetland ecosystems their values and services. Such links are likely to become more important with the continuing global trend of urbanisation and an increasing percentage of the world population living in urban areas. During the interactive sessions, the participants came to the conclusions that:

the proposed accreditation scheme is a useful tool to support wetland wise use, the criteria of the accreditation scheme could be made more flexible, e.g. allowing for situations where

several municipalities are concerned, where no Ramsar Site is yet designated, or no education centre yet operational, but a CEPA plan exists,

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the essential value of the accreditation scheme is to provide incentives for better management and to increase public awareness on wetland services ,and the need for their wise use,

the accreditation scheme would need to be put in place by a number of voluntary partners over time, in order not to exceed the capacities of the Ramsar Secretariat and to provide an opportunity to fine-tune the accreditation criteria during an early experimental period of functioning.

The Ramsar Culture Network to celebrate culture in wetlands (Session 4.3)

Thymio Papayannis (Ramsar Culture Network) and Chris Perceval (Ramsar Secretariat) recalled Resolutions VIII.19 and IX.21, adopted in 2002 and 2005, and the Guidance Document produced in 2008 which shaped “culture, wetlands and livelihoods” as a global Ramsar priority. During the coming years, with specific MAVA Foundation support and matching funds to be raised, Ramsar will increasingly focus on natural heritage (in cooperation with the World Heritage Convention), agriculture and food, leisure, recreation and tourism, art and architecture, and children’s storytelling, and wishes to create a broad collaboration on these aspects. During the group discussions, the participants listed a number of issues to focus on:

develop active cooperation between ministries and agencies responsible for culture and nature, address historical and social aspects, as e.g. done by the French expert group on wetland history, work with culture and tourist agencies, museums and art galleries, and private companies in the fields of

gastronomy, tourism and others, undertake promotional activities such as children’s events or award ceremonies, create festivals, nature

schools and dedicated days/weeks for cultural heritage in wetlands, use established education centres and World Wetlands Day procedures,

focus on themes such as agriculture (grazing), architectural restoration, fishing and fish ponds, hunting, horse riding, salt and medicinal muds, water sources and spiritual values, engineering and building activities, that have been proven to be of significant cultural interest in different European localities.

Status of the European Ramsar Sites and the new Ramsar Sites Information Service (Session 8)

Laura Maíz Tomé (Ramsar Secretariat) introduced the summary document distributed to all participants on the current status of the European Ramsar Sites which make up nearly half of all 2186 Ramsar Sites in the world. She deplored that – for 745 European Ramsar Sites (70%) – the information available in the publicly accessible Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS) is out of date. Also, the national Administrative Authorities have confirmed to the Secretariat (according to Article 3.2 of the Convention) that human-induced negative changes threaten the ecological character of 69 European Ramsar Sites. And for an additional 27 Sites, third parties have informed the Secretariat about such threats. The full Status Report (requested by Article 8 of the Convention) is available and will be submitted through SC48 to COP12. Parties are invited to study it, and to follow these instructions:

national Ramsar Administrative Authorities have received a password to use the restricted part of the RSIS for information updates on existing Ramsar Sites and new designations, if additional accounts for compilers of Ramsar Site information are needed, they are invited to contact rsisadmin@ramsar.org,

the information compiled in the Status Report is correct as of 28 August 2014 – Administrative Authorities are invited to provide updates before the end of August 2015, so that an amended version of the Status Report can be presented to SC51 in early 2016 – this timing is intended to give Parties sufficient time to fulfil the updating tasks in good time, it will also make possible a global overview of the changes in the status of Ramsar Sites information after one year and reduce the burden on both the Parties and the Secretariat before COP12.

As a result of this session, the participants proposed additional text for COP12 Draft Resolutions for

transmittance to SC48. This concerns DRs: SC48-25: DR on evaluating and ensuring effective management and conservation of Ramsar Sites SC48-29: DR on Ramsar Community accreditation

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Using the full potential of Ramsar Sites Ramsar is unique among the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) to include cooperation with other

MEAs, its International Organization Partners (IOP), NGOs and expert institutions to support the implementation of its approaches. This provides substantial additional support to the efforts by the national Administrative Authorities, Ramsar Site managers and decision-makers at all levels.

The wetlands tourism experience (Session 5.2)

María José Viñals (Valencia Polytechnical University) and Magdalena Bernues (National Focal Point, Spain) revisited Resolution XI.7 and focused together with the participants on tourism and leisure activities as a means to raise interest and appreciation for wetlands by the general public, beyond birdwatchers. To create strong emotions and lasting impressions that can lead to behavioural changes, it is important to address all phases of a wetland tourist experience, i.e. visitor motivations and expectations before, perceptions and experiences during, and attitudes and attachments after the wetland visit. The still widespread collective memory of damp, dark and dangerous wetlands needs to be turned into a positive image based on stimulating experiences and activities on-site. The participants recommended that:

it is important to bring wetlands to the people, linking understanding with emotions, through doing and exploring wetland issues on-site, and the incorporation of artistic performances, competitions, etc.,

the wetland concept is simplified and strong key messages are developed, an ethical code is developed for respectful wetland tourism, a wetland brand is created in order to make Ramsar better known, best practises include guided visits rather than printed materials, visitor centres share knowledge, and the

visitors participate actively in wetland conservation and monitoring work, visitors should be able to experience traditional practices and interact with local people, visitor activities should also take place outside of World Wetlands Day, during a more favourable outdoor

season, good wetland experiences should be disseminated to audiences who make decisions impacting wetlands, everybody’s contribution helps “if you think you’re too small to have an impact, try to go to bed with a

mosquito in the room”. Wetland education centres – delivering the Ramsar message direct (Session 5.3)

Chris Rostron (Wetland Link International) and Robert McInnes (STRP, Society of Wetland Scientists) presented the network of wetland visitor centres Wetland Link International (WLI), hosted by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in England, and working with Ramsar’s CEPA programme. WLI supports the work of specific centres and centre networks along the North Sea and Atlantic coast (“Migratory Birds for People”) or in the Russian Federation, and provides support to set up CEPA programmes for Ramsar Regional Initiatives. During the group sessions, the participants discussed how wetland centres can work better together and what could be their contribution to the Convention’s new CEPA programme 2016-2021 “Wetlands and People”:

wetland centres should enhance cooperation through shared experiences, both information resources (e.g. “how to” guides, World Wetlands Day) and staff exchanges or twinning of wetland sites,

wetland centres to find solutions to common problems, e.g. how to deal with the ‘down’ time in the winter or quiet season,

small centres find it hard to access resources, they need good communication networks, e.g. through governmental focal points or a wetland centre database,

education and information resources need to be in the local language for most practicioners to access them, thus facilitating translations is essential,

wetland education centres need to also include broader environmental education centres, or other organisations that are delivering elements of wetland education,

training of wetland CEPA professionals could be supported by online tools and courses, wetland centres should have their own web presence, and WLI can help with this. How much is a wetland worth? (Session 3.2)

Ivan Hristov (WWF Bulgaria) and Bohdan Prots (WWF Ukraine & National Academy of Sciences) used Carpathian and lower Danube wetlands to ask, together with the participants, what methods are used to evaluate wetland

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restoration projects, and if their results are worth the investments? Did real changes in wetland policies occur since the end of centrally planned economies some 20 years ago? What opportunities exist to introduce Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) as a tool for sustainable management and future restoration activities? The group discussions concluded that:

a large number of wetland restoration projects produced results worth their investment, however often the time factor is not well considered, and only few projects are monitored over longer periods (10 years),

more work needs to be done on the evaluation of different restoration practices and their results, a major paradigm shift from centrally planned wetland drainage policies (for unlimited resource use) to

sustainable use and wetland restoration has taken place in Central and Eastern Europe, EU policies for water management, biodiversity and natural habitats become political drivers, also in non-EU

countries, EU agricultural subsidies can create change towards positive attitudes by farmers for wetland restoration and

wise use, PES can be drivers for sustainable resource use, as long as they are supported by political decisions and

legislation, ecosystem services categories, PES and investment in ecosystem services need to be introduced in European

legislation, more pilot projects will create more public awareness on PES, they should be undertaken jointly with local

communities and produce socio-economic benefits, nowadays nature conservation can no longer be effective without addressing sustainable business

opportunities.

Moving beyond Ramsar Sites

Ramsar with its “bottom-up” conception stands out among all global MEAs. Ramsar Sites can demonstrate

the elaboration of real-life solutions to wise use problems. And these solutions need to be moved to the levels of catchment basin, national and international policy making.

The French Ramsar Association – an innovative site manager approach (Session 3.3)

Jean Jalbert (Association Ramsar France) and Ghislaine Ferrère (National Focal Point, France) presented the initiative of Ramsar Site managers in France to connect among each other and to exchange their experiences, to provide Ramsar Sites with more visibility and with ownership among the local stakeholder groups, and to help the Administrative Authority to bridge gaps between wetland issues at international, national and local levels. With the participants, they discussed experiences with similar challenges in other countries, and how others addressed these needs, e.g. through the work of national Ramsar or UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Committees. It was concluded that Ramsar Site managers should address these challenges at national level, through a specific Ramsar association (in addition to a Ministerial Committee) or otherwise:

sign an agreement with the (AA and local) authorities to clarify site management objectives, how to implement them, and what finances and governance are needed,

improve and streamline the management of all Ramsar Sites within the country, including through better dialogue between different stakeholders and exchanges of experience between different sites,

work at national and local level to increase public awareness on the Ramsar approaches and its specific value, and promote the Ramsar label as a quality brand,

bring together Ramsar Site managers with stakeholders from other sectors, qualified personalities and members of parliament,

prepare specific wetland information and awareness tools for the public, such as Ramsar Site trail guides, smartphone applications, cooperative programme between different wetland visitor centres etc.,

promote Ramsar information and dialogue on wetland issues at national level and support relevant governmental policies through advocacy and lobbying in Parliament and its commissions.

Wetlands and ecosystem services – who needs what? (Session 6.1)

Robert McInnes (STRP, Society of Wetlands Scientists) and Adriana Kušiková (National Focal Point, Slovakia) focused on the methodology and data needed to value wetland ecosystem services (ES) and take them into account in planning and decision-making processes. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from

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nature. They link the ecological character of a wetland with its wise use. The group discussions asked if there was sufficient understanding of wetland ecosystem services, what the most pressing needs are to take them into account to better implement the Ramsar Convention, and what specific assessment methods are needed. It was suggested that there was a need to:

improve the understanding of ES needs across the general public for decision-making at political level, clarify biodiversity needs, and put emphasis on processes rather than species, provide more information on the connection of ES with disasters, e.g. floods, and climate change, clarify benefits, beneficiaries and values, monetary values are still a barrier, especially where market values

do not exist, explain wetland values to local people, politicians and stakeholders from different sectors, use the website as an information source for existing guidance, and expand the ES section in the Ramsar

Information Sheet, assess ES in conjunction with Strategic Environmental and Environmental Impact Assessments, and clarify

trade-off between protecting existing wetlands vs. restoring degraded wetlands, ES values to be integrated into urban and spatial planning processes,

illustrate guidance on ES should with good case studies for different wetland types, levels of assessment (qualitative, quantitative, monetary) and in the light of regional differences,

use and develop quick assessment guides (French example) and “how to recognize value” guidance. Challenges for regional cooperation in European regional sea basins (Session 2.3)

Delmar Blasco (MedWet Coordinator) and Grigore Baboianu (coordinator, BlackSeaWet) summarized the successes and challenges that regional cooperation for better implementation of the Ramsar Convention faces and compared their experience with lessons learnt around in other regions. Ramsar’s Regional Initiatives add value by providing assistance to countries for Ramsar implementation, supporting transboundary cooperation through common project and sharing of knowledge and know-how, reinforcing communications outreach and synergies with other conventions. The group discussions focused on how to make Regional Initiatives more relevant, and how best to complement (rather than duplicate) the work of the Ramsar Secretariat. The participants concluded that:

an effective flow of information, mutual consultation and evaluation of lessons learnt are essential to understand mutually each other’s roles and to make progress,

Regional Initiatives should work with river basin authorities and involve more regional and local NGOs, Ramsar National Focal Points need to connect and work with the focal points for other (regional and global)

conventions and EU Directives, joint administration, programme planning and project execution with other regional agreements and

institutions should be developed to obtain sufficient funding, Regional Initiatives should identify additional values they can provide to wetland stakeholders, they should

aim to secure funding through partnerships, and make use of potential NGO support, e.g. for bridging the MedWet and BlackSeaWet initiatives through the “Balkan Streams and Rivers” organization.

On 23 October, the MedWet Coordinator invited all Mediterranean Parties and related participants for a “business breakfast” to present the MedWet priorities in the short term and a portfolio of 20 regional project concepts for feed-back and expression of interest.

Preparing for the future

A framework for partnerships and resource mobilisation (Session 6.3)

Chris Perceval (Ramsar Secretariat) made reference to the proposed DR on the Convention’s International Organization Partners, partnerships and resource mobilisation (SC48-22) with a three-part framework and plan: how to finance the implementation of Ramsar’s new Strategic Plan, what to prioritize and focus on with partners, and with whom to work to achieve our goals? He encouraged the participants to register their interest, share projects and express their willingness to be considered as a potential funder for projects that respond to ten proposed global priorities:

- improving wetland knowledge through earth observation and citizen science

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- developing a global partnership for wetland restoration - developing indicators relevant to Sustainable Development Goals - developing Ramsar advisory services - building human and social capacity through networks - improving business and investment standards - establishing and supporting “wetlands wise use funds” - improving water productivity in agriculture - wetlands, culture and livelihoods - natural infrastructure and wetlands for better growth.

During the group discussions, including a special session to revisit the main provisions of Resolution XI.20 on promoting sustainable investment by the public and private sectors to ensure the maintenance of the benefits people and nature gain from wetlands, the participants recommended that:

four themes be addresses as a priority: building people capacity, wetland restoration, water quantity (retention at catchment, optimised and sustainable agricultural use), and water quality (diminish eutrophication, clean water as a Ramsar quality label),

continued (and possibly increased) accession to EU funds is crucial, and that further project donors should be sought,

a strategy for Ramsar cooperation with, and engagement by the EU be developed, as well as partnership agreements with the Alliance for Water Stewardship and the Society of Wetland Scientists.

Planning strategically for wetlands and water (Session 7.3 and Closing Session)

Peter Hislaire (consultant, Ramsar Secretariat), Kristina Niikkonen and Ghislaine Ferrère (co-chairs Strategic Plan working group, Standing Committee, Finland and France) recalled the work of the specific working group set up by Standing Committee and presented the structure of the proposed Strategic Plan 2016-2021 with its rationale, vision (“prevent, stop and revers the degradation and loss of wetlands and use them wisely”), priority concerns in the next six years (addressing degradation and loss of wetlands, a robust Ramsar Site network, wetland values, use of the Strategic Plan, international cooperation), goals (addressing the drivers of wetland loss and degradation, effective conservation and management of the Ramsar Sites network, wise use of all wetlands through partnerships, raised awareness and involvement in wetlands) and 27 more specific targets. During the group discussions, the participants provided feedback on general points of the Strategic Plan and detailed comments on each of the four goals and their attached specific targets. As a result of this session, additional text for SC48-19: DR on the 4th Ramsar Strategic Plan 2016-2021 DRs was

submitted to the working group. Remaining Draft Resolutions in preparation for COP12 (Session 8)

SC48-18: DR on a Proposed new framework for delivery of scientific and technical advice and guidance on the Convention

Tobias Salathé (Ramsar Secretariat) presented the challenges to improve and optimize Ramsar’s scientific and technical guidance, as identified during the review process in 2013-14 of the delivery, uptake and implementation of scientific and technical advice and guidance, requested by COP11 through Resolution XI.16. The review committee (chaired by the USA) evaluated the work during a meeting on 15-16 September 2014 and finalized a document to be submitted to Standing Committee. Parties are requested to study the operational proposals and to reflect on STRP priorities and thematic areas for 2016-2018 prior to COP12. SC48-17: DR on follow-up on Res.XI.1: Languages of the Convention, visibility and stature, ministerial COP

segments, and synergies with multilateral environmental agreements and other international entities

He also recalled that COP11 instructed Standing Committee to explore the accommodation of UN languages in the Convention, the elevation of Ramsar visibility and stature, the enhancement of synergies with MEAs, including through Regional Initiatives, and increased involvement in UNEP’s initiatives. Working groups of Standing Committee addressed these issues during the triennium. A document presents the results of this work to be submitted to COP12. Parties are invited to study the proposals ahead of COP12.

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SC48-26: DR on regional categorization of Contracting Parties

Israel formally expressed its wish to move from the Asian to the European Ramsar region. A similar move is proposed for the Central Asian countries Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This will be discussed with the concerned countries i.a. during a special pre-COP meeting for these countries (plus the Russian Federation), planned to be held in late March 2015 in Kirgizstan. SC48-20: DR on financial and budgetary matters

This DR will be available in time for SC48 (end November 2014). It will specify additional resources needed to implement specific aspects of all other DRs proposed for adoption by COP12 addressed above. Election of the Standing Committee members representing the European Parties

COP12 will elect a new Standing Committee for the period 2015-2018. The new committee will briefly meet towards the end of COP12 to elect its Chair, Vice-chair and Chair of the Finance Subgroup, followed by more substantial annual meetings (SC51 in early 2016).

Croatia and Finland have served for two terms on Standing Committee (2008-2015) and need therefore to be replaced (according to the rules outlined in Resolution XI.19). Denmark and France serve since 2012 and are eligible for a second term. The Czech Republic serves since 2012 as an alternate member and is eligible for a second term. Azerbaijan expressed its interest to become a European member of Standing Committee during the term 2015-2018.

The European regional meeting prior to the opening of COP12, on 1 June 2015 in Uruguay, will address these DRs i.a. and decide on the countries to represent the European Parties in Standing Committee during the period 2015-2018.

Thanks and closing

Gerhard Schwach thanked all moderators and rapporteurs of the interactive sessions (listed above) for their preparation and engagement during the Meeting, and all participants for their active contributions, including the presentation of posters and videos, and the good spirit created during the week.

Tobias Salathé thanked the Austrian hosts, notably Gerhard Schwach and Ingrid Adelpoller from the Federal Ministry and their consultant Alexander Zinke, Gert Michel Steiner and Wolfgang Pelikan from the National Ramsar Committee, the Tyrolean Deputy State Governor Ingrid Felipe and her team with Nicole Schreyer, Philipp Larch and the field guides for their active support and engagement. He also expressed particular thanks to Laura Maíz for her unfailing work during her two-year internship at the Ramsar Secretariat, and warmly welcomed incoming Elise Allély.

Gerhard Schwach closed the 8th European Ramsar Meeting at 12:30 on 24 October.

(Wilder Kaiser Ramsar Site karst mountains, photo by Th. Giannakakis during a post-Meeting excursion)

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