Side event details

Under the Convention on Wetlands, Contracting Parties are expected to manage their Ramsar Sites so as to maintain their ecological character and retain their essential functions and values for future generations. With 46 Ramsar Sites currently listed on the Montreux Record, and no recent removals, support and action drawing on best practices is urgently needed to abate threats and regain good ecological status of these sites. Furthermore, effective management and conservation of wetlands is essential to meeting other global targets, such as the CBD Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Target 3, as well as for climate mitigation and adaptation, local livelihoods, and water security.

This side event brings together two interconnected priorities: addressing threats to wetlands to allow the removal of sites from the Montreux record; and enhancing the governance and management effectiveness of Ramsar Sites.

It will present practical and effective strategies to address wetlands at risk, and showcase global standards, tools, model policy frameworks and other resources that can benefit Contracting Parties. Examples include:  

• Policy models for integrating Ramsar Site management and governance into national and regional conservation frameworks;
• The IUCN Green List Standard, which provides a globally recognised benchmark and framework for assessing and improving the governance equity, design and planning, management effectiveness and successful conservation outcomes; 
• Protected Area Management Effectiveness (PAME) tools including the Ramsar-METT for tracking management effectiveness and conducting detailed assessments of threats;
• An expanded reporting framework for protected and conserved areas, being developed by UNEP-WCMC and partners, to support comprehensive reporting on Target 3 to Protected Planet.

Objectives and outcomes

• Raise awareness of wetland sites at risk and effective strategies for addressing threats
• Demonstrate how tools such as the Green List Standard and R-METT can address ecological threats, support recovery and facilitate site removal from the Montreux Record, and improve monitoring and adaptive management using the Ramsar criteria;
• Exchange experiences on effective wetland conservation and addressing threats;
• Highlight approaches to ensuring inclusive and equitable governance, particularly involving IPLCs;
• Identify strategies for embedding Ramsar Sites, standards and assessments of conservation effectiveness in national conservation policies and implementation of global targets.

Relevance to COP15 Discussions

This event is designed to support the adoption and implementation of draft resolution XXIII.18 on wetlands as protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) and builds on past resolutions aimed at supporting management effectiveness of Ramsar Sites, such as Resolution XII.15. It clarifies how Ramsar Sites contributes to GBF Target 3 by strengthening their protection, effectiveness and integration with global targets and reporting frameworks, in line with draft resolution XXIII.23 on the convention’s visibility and synergies. It will identify solutions for addressing ecological threats and facilitate site removal from the Montreux Record (Recommendation 4.8, COP4, 1990), building on findings from the Global Wetland Outlook and the World Wetlands Survey.

Agenda

Welcome + presentation (10mins): Wetlands at risk 2.0: effective approaches and priorities for addressing threats to wetland sites to achieve KMGBF Target 3 (IUCN)

Case Studies (30 mins – 5 minutes each):

• • • Examples from IUCN Green List (FZS Zambia)
    • High Andean Wetlands (WI LAC)
    • Wetland ‘Red Alert’ system (Mediterranean Wetland Alliance)
    • Ramsar-METT
    • Model policies for effective management and governance
    • Reporting to Protected Planet and Montreux Record site removal

Q&A and Discussion (20 mins): Engaging participants on key challenges and solutions.