Side event details
Background
Established by Recommendation 4.8 at COP4 in 1990, held in Montreux, Switzerland, and adopted at COP6 in Brisbane in 1996, the ‘Montreux Record’ is a voluntary register of wetland sites on the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference. There are currently 46 sites on the Record.
With Ramsar sites increasingly threatened, governments are gearing up to protect and conserve 30% of land and sea by 2030 (‘30x30’) under the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and wetlands in particular have been flagged as multi-value sites, critical for climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as biodiversity and a range of ecosystem services. Given the challenges we face to protect even some of these globally recognised sites, we must mobilise the capacity, funds and political will to ensure that our existing flagship sites are maintained in a healthy state and are able to contribute to national 30x30 objectives.
Outcomes
This side event will….
- raise awareness of the common challenges that put Ramsar sites at risk and can lead to their inclusion on the Montreux Record
- raise awareness to current sites of concern and engage with Parties and partners to understand how the sites can be better protected, managed and monitored to maintain their status as wetlands of international importance
- raise attention of the tools and approaches available to support sites to achieve good status and the role of IOPs to provide advice and help build the capacity of Parties to implement the Convention
- discuss how the Ramsar Convention can support the implementation of relevant targets in the Global Biodiversity Framework, in particular the 30x30 and restoration targets
Relevance to COP14
This side event has direct relevance to four COP14 agenda items, including three draft resolutions, as follows:
- Report of the Secretariat pursuant to Article 8.2 on the List of Wetlands of International Importance
- Draft resolution on enhancing the Convention’s visibility and synergies with other multilateral environmental agreements and other international institutions
- Draft resolution on the status of Sites in the List of Wetlands of International Importance
- Draft resolution on protection, management and restoration of wetlands as nature-based solutions [or ecosystem-based approaches] to address the climate crisis
Lunch will be provided in advance
Programme:
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13:15: Opening of the Side Event and Welcome
Dr. Musonda Mumba, Secretary General, Ramsar Secretariat
13:20: Keynote Presentation: The Uncomfortable Truth
Rob McInnes, RM Wetlands & Environment Ltd
13:30: Lightning Round – Learning from the Status of Sites
Moderated by James Dalton, IUCN
The Case of the Doñana Wetlands, Spain
Rafael Seiz Puyuelo, Freshwater Program, WWF Spain
The Case of Toondah Harbour, Moreton Bay, Australia, and the Fraser Delta, Canada
Noëlle Kümpel, Head of Policy, BirdLife International
The Case of the High Andes, Argentina: Lagunas altoandinas y puneñas de Catamarca
Román Baigun, Program Manager for Saving High Andean Wetlands, Wetlands International Argentina.
The Case of the Ouse Washes, United Kingdom
James Robinson, Director of Conservation, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, United Kingdom
Threats to the Polesia Wetland Wilderness
Nicola Crockford, Flyways Policy Focal Point, BirdLife International
14:00: Questions to the Panel of Presenters
Panel Members:
- Rob McInnes, RM Wetlands & Environment Ltd
- Rafael Seiz Puyuelo, WWF Spain
- Noëlle Kümpel, BirdLife International
- Román Baigun, Wetlands International Argentina.
- James Robinson, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, United Kingdom
- Nicola Crockford, BirdLife International
14:10: Launch of the publication ‘Wetlands at Risk’
Dr Birguy Lamizana-Diallo, CEM and Senior Programme Management Officer, UNCCD
14:15: Closing, The Opportunity for Ramsar in supporting the delivery of multiple global targets
Ms. Sakhile Silitshena Koketso, Head of Science, Policy and Governance, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
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