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Ramsar COP9 9th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Kampala, Uganda | 8-15 November 2005
Ramsar Convention
 
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15 Nov &
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Ramsar COP9 Continues in Kampala

Delegates to Ramsar COP9 convened in Plenary to continue consideration of draft resolutions on regional wetlands initiatives, natural disaster prevention, mitigation and adaptation, and other matters. The Committee on Finance and a contact group on the Conceptual Framework for the wise use of wetlands convened in the afternoon. The Asia regional meeting resumed discussions in the morning, and informal consultations on conservation and sustainable use of fish resources took place in the evening. Above: Plenary.


Friday, 11 November
Plenary

Suresh Chandra, India, called for additional financial and budgetary support for regional initiatives.

Paula Warren, New Zealand, advocated continuing support for the outposted regional support officer in the Oceania region.

Véronique Herrenschmidt, France, asked about potential financial costs to the Secretariat in supporting regional initiatives.

Reuven Ortal, Israel, supported the Central and Western Asia Regional Center based in Iran, and called for partnership in the whole region.

Uday Sharma, Nepal, asked the Secretariat to further develop the Himalayan Initiative for COP10.

Pedro da Cunha e Menezes, Brazil, noted the draft resolution on transboundary/transnational sites didn't take into account political sensitivities and suggested deferring the decision to COP10.

Michael Bobb, Saint Lucia, urged addressing chemical pollution in Ramsar sites.

Eleanore Fox, United States, expressed concern about the costs of coordination with other international biodiversity-related processes.

David Coates, CBD Secretariat, welcomed progress made in CBD/Ramsar collaboration and urged delegates to agree a new joint work programme.

Indra Semiawan, Indonesia, called for assistance in monitoring long term impacts of natural disasters on wetlands.

Enrique Hernandez, Cuba, proposed paragraphs on impacts of extreme climatic events and mobilizing resources to restore affected wetlands.

Kathleen Kutschenreuter, United States, on behalf of an informal group in the Americas region, proposed paragraphs emphasizing pre-disaster planning.

Ahmed Fazlur Rashid, Bangladesh, proposed reference to tidal surges, cyclones and earthquakes.

Bashir Ahmed Wani, Pakistan, proposed reference to the recent South Asian earthquake to assess its impacts on biodiversity.

Bernard Yaw Ofori-Frimpong, Ghana, on behalf of the Africa Region, urged consultation with national authorities on nomination of experts.
Contact Group

The contact group on the Conceptual Framework for the wise use of wetlands (COP9 DR 1 Annexes A and B), chaired by Gunn Paulsen (Norway) and Nadra Nathai-Gyann (Trinidad and Tobago), met to discuss points of contention within the Annexes, including ecosystem services and Criterion 1 for designating Wetlands of International Importance. There were also proposals to add more criteria, including one on cultural values.
Side Events

The European Space Agency presented a side event on the use of Earth Observation satellite technology for managing wetlands.

Ecuador's environmental ministry presented an event on the high Andean wetlands regional initiative.

Water Research Commission - South Africa presented an event on examples of environmental flows around wetlands and river systems.

FUNGAP presented a side event on successful experiences of participatory environmental management in American wetlands.
 
RIZA / WetCap presented a side event on wetland management training needs, including discussion groups on existing capacities.
Around COP9

A morning view of Lake Victoria from the Munyonyo shoreline.

Related Links

Ramsar Convention
Convention on Biological Diversity
Convention to Combat Desertification
Convention on Migratory Species
IUCN - The World Conservation Union
Wetlands International
WWF International
BirdLife International

Related ENB/Sustainable Developments Coverage

Linkages Water, Wetlands, Oceans and Coasts page
ENB Coverage of Ramsar COP-8
ENB Coverage of Ramsar COP-7
Sustainable Developments coverage of the 3rd World Water Forum
Sustainable Developments coverage of the Stakeholder Dialogue on Sustainable Water Management Sustainable Developments coverage of the International Conference on Freshwater

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