[posted on 10 December 2004]

Culture and European wetlands

A European Regional Meeting of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, 1971) was held in Yerevan (Armenia) on 4-8 December 2004. The cultural values of wetlands were discussed in a workshop on inventories and monitoring, after a presentation by professor María José Viñals (of the Polytechnic University of Valencia and SEHUMED) on an inventory tool in development for recording and assessing cultural heritage related to these sensitive ecosystems. The workshop considered that enhancement and promotion of cultural heritage contributes to the valuation of wetlands. This is particularly valid in Europe, in which human beings have lived in close intimacy with wetlands for millennia, using their resources and benefiting from their services.

 During this Ramsar meeting, Med-INA director Thymio Papayannis gave a keynote address on ‘Shared catchments and wetlands: Benefits from transboundary co-operation’ and chaired a workshop on the theme of ‘International co-operation’. Cross-cultural exchanges related to wetlands have proven particularly significant, as they facilitate participation of local communities in joint management and conservation efforts.