[posted on 8 December 2005]

Further progress on the cultural values of wetlands

In Kampala (Uganda), the Ninth Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar COP9) was held on the shore of Lake Victoria from 6 to 14 November 2005, with a broad participation of around 1200 representatives from around the world.

One of the key issues debated was how to make progress in incorporating cultural values in the work of the Convention, which aims at the wise use of wetlands. A technical session with presentations of work carried out in Australia, Thailand and Mexico, as well as around the Mediterranean, provided useful background. Extensive debates on a draft resolution submitted by Samoa and Oceania were held in the framework of a special contact group, chaired by Norway and with active participation from many countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, the US and the UK, as well as WWF and BirdLife.

The final Resolution on "Taking into account the cultural values of wetlands", which was adopted unanimously by the Conference, includes a number of positive steps, among which are:

-   encouraging the Contracting Parties to carry out pilot actions on cultural values in wetlands;

-   considering cultural values during the process of Ramsar sites designation;

-   developing further and providing further guidance for integrating cultural heritage in water management;

-   establishment of a working group with global participation to co-ordinate the activities to be carried out during 2006-2008.  

During COP9, Med-INA presented its CD-ROM on "Action for Culture in Mediterranean Wetlands" (see below). Its director, as advisor to the Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention, facilitated the discussions for the approval of the Resolution on cultural values.