[posted on 23 January 2008] 

2 February – World Wetlands Day in Ramsar

Wetlands and human health

The Convention’s suggested theme for World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2008, is Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People, and this will also be the theme for Ramsar’s 10^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in October-November 2008 in the Republic of Korea.

In Ramsar's interpretation of this theme,  the opportunity has been taken to introduce to the wetland community some topics that exemplify both the direct, positive effects on human health of maintaining healthy wetlands –such as the provision of food, clean water, pharmaceutical products, etc.– and the direct negative effects of mismanaging wetlands that result in the impairment of our health and even the loss of life –such as through the effects of water-related diseases, burning peatlands, floods, and water pollution. more

[posted on 28 November 2007] 

Delos2 Workshop, 24-28 October, Ouranoupolis, Halkidiki, Greece

The second workshop of the Delos Initiative was held on 24-28 October, in Ouranoupolis, a town next to the Holy Mountain of Athos, in Halkidiki, Greece. Thus the Delos Initiative, in the framework of the Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of IUCN/WCPA, continued its activities after the first successful workshop that was held in November 2006, in the Monastery of Montserrat, Spain. The Ouranoupolis meeting was hosted by Med-INA and was attended by 22 participants from 11 countries. Among them there were representatives of the Holy Community of Mount Athos, the Halkidiki Prefecture, the Greek Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works, as well as members of the conservation and religious communities. The meeting was honoured by a message of blessings and guidance of HAH The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome (click here to read text).  more

[posted on 27 September 2007]

Arctic Symposium

During the first part of September 2007, on the ship Fram and on frequent landfalls on the western coast of Greenland, a large group consisting of religious leaders from various faiths, scientists and conservationists, politicians and the press debated the rapid advancement of climate change and its impacts on the globe and on its peoples.

Led by HAH The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, under whose enlightened initiative the Arctic Symposium was organized, this diverse group of people was shocked by the worsening situation in the fragile Arctic region, due to the increase of temperatures on land and the sea, the rapid melting of the glaciers, the increase of acidity in the oceans, the growing pollution concentrating in the food chain and the dramatic impacts of these phenomena on the life style and culture, the health and the genetic balance of the indigenous Inuit peoples. more

[posted on 27 August 2007]

Two new Med-INA projects launched

For the next three years, Med-INA is launching two new major projects.

The first concerns the continuation and enhancement of its work on the cultural values of Mediterranean wetlands. The main objectives of the project are (a) disseminating the current knowledge on cultural actions in Mediterranean wetland sites, (b) monitoring the development of these actions, drawing conclusions from them and advising on their future development and (c) increasing the capacity of integrated management of both natural and cultural aspects in the region. The project also includes the publication of the book on Action for culture in Mediterranean wetlands.

The second focuses on the landscapes of Greece, with the aim to promote the protection of the Greek Landscapes through sound scientific research, public awareness strategies and encouragement of the participation of both the public sector and experts entities (i.e. NGOs and the academic sector). The specific objectives of the project are (a) to document the Greek landscape types, (b) to analyse the threats against them and to develop strategic proposals for remedial action and (c) to improve the instruments governing landscape development and management of the whole complexity of territorial, nature and human relations, as well as legislative protection and spatial planning, through public awareness and lobbying.

This second project is particularly pertinent, in view of the biblical destruction of Greek landscapes due to massive forest fires during the summer of 2007.

[posted on 24 August 2007]

Publication on the interface of nature and culture

The July-September special issue of the International Journal of Heritage Studies was devoted to the theme ‘Nature as heritage’. Edited by Peter Howard and Thymio Papayannis this double issue includes papers by conservationists and academics, as well as by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, on the interface between nature and culture, and specifically on the heritage values of nature. Of particular interest is the analysis of two sites (Everglades in Florida, USA, and Mt. St. Michel in France), the position of major multilateral environmental agreements and the impact on education.

The editorial, written by Thymio Papayannis and Peter Howard, synthesizes the contents of the double issues and draws integrated conclusions.

The contents of this double issue of IJHS will be published by Routledge in book form later this year.

[posted on 10 August 2007]

Symposium on climate change and the Arctic

On 6-13 September, the ship M/S Fram will host the 7^th Ecological Symposium of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (after the Aegean, the Black Sea, the Danube, the Adriatic, the Baltic and the Amazon) and sail from Greenland towards the Arctic. With a broad participation from religious leaders of many faiths, scientists, conservationists, politicians and the media, the Symposium will focus on climate change and its impacts not only on the Arctic region, but on the rest of the world. Detailed information on the Symposium can be obtained from the organizers, the Religion, Science and the Environment Committee at www.rsesymposia.org.

The Arctic Symposium demonstrates the strong commitment of HAH the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople to nature conservation and environmental protection and his willingness to use the moral and spiritual power of major faiths in facing the current global problems.

Med-INA will be represented in the Symposium by its director, Thymio Papayannis, who is a member of the RSE Committee.

[posted on 31 July 2007]

Guidance on the cultural values of wetlands

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has been working on the incorporation of cultural aspects in the management of wetlands, through its Working Group on Culture (CWG). Chaired by Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General of the Convention until 31 July 2007, and with Thymio Papayannis as Secretary, the CWG just completed a first draft of a Guidance document, which includes general and technical advice on taking into account the cultural values of wetlands.

RSPB’s David Pritchard and Med-INA’s Aphrodite Sorotou and Irini Lyratzaki contributed decisively to the preparation of this Guidance, while the work was co-ordinated by Thymio Papayannis. The draft has been circulated to the Ramsar Standing Committee for review and it will be presented for endorsement to the 10^th Conference of the Parties (Korea, November 2008).

[posted on 31 May 2007]

3^rd UNESCO workshop on natural sites and cultural landscapes – Plitvice Lakes National Park

The third UNESCO training workshop on natural sites and cultural landscapes was organised on 26-28 May in Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia. Part of the workshop series on ‘Conserving World Heritage Natural Sites and Cultural Landscapes in South-Eastern Europe’, this meeting focused on the ‘Participatory management and local communities of World Heritage sites’. Plitvice Lakes National Park is the only UNESCO Natural site in Croatia and one of the most visited in Europe, with 800,000 visitors annually. The park is state-owned and self-managed by its board and sustains all the area residents, since their majority work as full- or part-time employees in the park.

Workshop participants were hosted in the Plitvice Hotel, situated inside the protected area and owned by the National Park, together with three other hotels and two camp-sites. They were guided through the breathtaking scenery that 16 lakes and numerous cascades create inside the park territory and visited the park’s research centre. The Bellagio Forum and the Istituto Superiori sui Sistemi Territoriali per l’Innovazione (SiTI) sponsored the workshops and assisted in their organisation. Med-INA participated in the workshop through its associated social anthropologist Irini Lyratzaki.

[posted on 10 May 2007]

New book on landscapes

The papers presented during the meeting of the Permanent European Conference for the Study of Rural Landscapes (PECSRL) held in the islands of Lemnos and Lesvos (Greece) on 1-6 September 2004 have just been published in book form under the title European Landscapes and Lifestyles: The Mediterranean and Beyond. The book includes a paper by Med-INA' s Thymio Papayannis and Aphrodite Sorotou on 'Mediterranean wetland  landscapes: The case of the Prespa lakes'.

The bibliographical citation of the book is: Roca, Z., Spek, T., Terkenli, T. et al  (eds) (2007), European Landscapes and Lifestyles: The Mediterranean and Beyond, Ediçðes Universitárias Lusófonas, Lisbon, Portugal.

[posted on 2 May 2007]

Prestigious lecture in Cyprus University

On 9 May 2007, professor Francesco Bandarin, director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, will deliver a lecture at the University of Cyprus on ‘The conservation predicament in the age of globalization’. The lecture will be in memory of Dino Leventis, who established the Leventis Foundation, an institution that has greatly supported efforts for the conservation of both natural and cultural heritage. The speaker will be introduced by archaeology professor Maria Iacovou, a Med-INA Board member. 

[posted on 28 April 2007]

Workshop on cultural landscapes

UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, with the assistance of the Bellagio Forum and the Istituto Superiori sui Sistemi Territoriali per l’Innovazione (SiTI) is organizing a series of training workshops on ‘Conserving World Heritage natural sites and cultural landscapes in Southeastern Europe’. On 18-20 April 2007, the first of these workshops was held in Riomaggiore, Italy, within the National Park of Cinque Terre in Liguria, focusing on ‘Managing World Heritage cultural landscapes’.

Besides the lectures and discussions, the thirty participants -among which Med-INA director Thymio Papayannis- had the opportunity of site visits to the magnificent landscape of Cinque Terre, with its vineyards on terraces precariously perched on dramatic steep slopes, and to understand the many ongoing activities for the effective management of this World Heritage site.

Two more training workshops will be held consecutively in Skocjan Caves (Slovenia) from 23 to 25 May 2007 and in Plitvice Lakes (Croatia) from 26 to 28 May 2007; the first will focus on ‘Managing natural values at World Heritage sites: boundaries and buffer zones’, while the second on ‘Participatory management of World Heritage sites: Management and local communities’.

[posted on 25 April 2007]

Med-INA Board member on uninhabited island

Giorgos Catsadorakis is a biologist-ornithologist and ardent conservationist, as well as Med-INA Board member. In April 2007, he spent a month on Psathoura, a small uninhabited island in the northeastern Aegean Sea. Living in a deserted lighthouse, he studied the wildlife of the island and the surrounding marine area, and especially the spring bird migration. His eloquent and moving daily reports from Psathoura (in Greek) can be found at http://www.lifeatfaros.blogspot.com/

 [posted on 12 December 2006]

Important meeting on sacred natural sites

The famous Monastery of Montserrat in Catalunya, Spain hosted on 23-26 November 2006 the First Workshop of the Delos Initiative, devoted to Nature and Spirituality, and more specifically to sacred natural sites in technologically developed countries. Established in the framework of the World Commission on Protected Areas of IUCN, and co-ordinated by Med-INA and Silene, this initiative aims at promoting an integrated approach to important natural sites that include spiritual / religious elements and encouraging close collaboration between the custodians of these elements and the managers of the sites, leading to synergy for the benefit of both sides.

During the Workshop, case studies were presented and discussed from Finland, Greece, Japan, Romania, Spain, the UK and the USA and conclusions were drawn. Med-INA presented two case studies from Greece, the Meteora Monasteries area in Thessaly and Mt. Athos in Chalkidiki. The experts from many countries benefited from the active participation of monks from Montserrat (including the Prior) and two other monasteries in the area.

For more details on this meeting see http://www.med-ina.org/delos/montserrat.htm .  

[posted on 2 December 2006]

A new centre in Prespa

In early November, the General Assembly of the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP) approved the basic framework for the establishment of the Prespa Centre for Nature and Anthropos (PCNA). The new centre will focus on documentation and research, focusing on the complex relationship between human beings and the natural environment in the broader region of the Prespa Lakes (including the areas belonging to Albania, Greece and the FYR of Macedonia, rich both in biodiversity and in culture).

The PCNA will be established in the village of Laimos and will be housed in a restored traditional 3-storey building belonging to the SPP. The scientific guidance of the centre has been undertaken by biologist and conservationist Giorgos Catsadorakis, member of the Board of Med-INA.

For more information on the initial phase of the PCNA see the text through the following link.

[posted on 18 October 2006]

Progress on co-operation in transboundary wetlands in Europe

Report from a Symposium

On 23-26 August, more than 1500 scientists, conservationists, politicians, media representatives and various experts gathered in the historic Hungarian city of Eger in the framework of the first European Congress of Conservation Biology. In the plenary sessions important issues were presented by eminent speakers and discussed. These included:

- the dramatic and continuing loss of biodiversity in Europe;
- a certain ambiguity in the European Union plans to stop the loss of biodiversity by 2010, as the

  question of whether we should conserve biodiversity itself or natural processes remained 

  unanswered;
- the impact of climate change upon the development of the Natura 2000 network; this network 

  of  protected areas is now moving to a management and conservation phase, but might

  require  significant changes in the future due to warmer climatic conditions and sea-level rise;
- the understanding that biodiversity loss cannot be stopped solely by good science, but also (or

  mainly) by policy, lobbying and public awareness work. more

[posted on 30 August  2006]

Ramsar establishes Culture Working Group

In accordance with Resolution IX.19 (see also below news item of 8 December 2005), the Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has convened a Working Group on Culture (CWG). Its mandate during the triennium 2006-2008 will be to validate, update and refine the guidance prepared in 2002 on incorporating cultural aspects in the work of the Convention and of its Contracting Parties.

Regional representatives in the CWG will be from Africa Maman-Sani Issa (Benin), from Asia Sansanee Choowaew (Thailand), from Europe María-José Viñals (Spain), from the Mediterranean Ammar Boumezbeur (Algeria), from the Neotropics Sergio Lasso (Ecuador), from North America Ernesto Enkerlin (Mexico) and from Oceania Pati Liu (Samoa). Additional members will be Alexander Otte and Khin Ni Ni Thein from the UNESCO Working Group on Water and Culture and David Pritchard from BirdLife International. The CWG will be chaired by Peter Bridgewater, Ramsar Secretary General and its Secretary will be Med-INA’s Thymio Papayannis.

[posted on 20 August  2006]

Publication on the natural heritage

During 2007, the International Journal of Heritage Studies will devote a double issue on natural heritage, which is expected to explore the interface between human beings and nature at the beginning of the 21^st century. Edited by Professor Peter Howard and Thymio Papayannis, this special issue will include papers by such eminent scientists as Ramsar’s Peter Bridgewater, WWF’s Luc Hoffmann and Chris Hails, Professors Claude Lefeuvre and Jim Kushlan, IUCN’s Dave Harmon. HAH the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I has consented to write the introduction.

Later, the texts will be published in book form by Routledge.

[posted on 26 July 2006]

The Amazon River:

Indigenous peoples and the Christian Orthodox Church

Under the aegis of HAH Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and Secretary General of the United Nations Mr Kofi Anan, an ecological symposium was held on 13-21 July 2006 with the theme ‘Amazon: River of Life’, on board the Grand Amazon cruise ship. The symposium was greeted by a warm video-scoped message of HH Pope Benedict to the Patriarch. It was ably organised by the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Committee on Religion, Science and the Environment, with main financial support from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the speeches of the Ecumenical Patriarch and of Metropolitan John of Pergamon due recognition and respect was given to the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, for maintaining their culture and beliefs and for managing diachronically their natural environment in a sustainable manner. The Leaders of the indigenous peoples were given the opportunity to express their during the symposium and they were asked to initiate the ceremony of blessing of the waters, in which the Ecumenical Patriarch played a key role.

For additional information on the Amazon symposium, see a brief report by Thymio Papayannis, who is also a member of the Committee on Religion, Science and the Environment. more

[posted on 27 February 2006]

Mission to Mt. Athos

The Athos peninsula in Northern Greece has been declared a World Heritage Site in 1982 both for its nature and rich biodiversity and its culture enshrined in the 20 Monasteries that have been established there starting in the 10^th century AD. In addition, the Sacred Mountain maintains a living monastic tradition exceeding a millennium.

At the end of January 2006, a UNESCO mission visited Mt. Athos to ascertain the status of the site both from the environmental and the cultural point of view. Christian Manhart represented the World Heritage Centre and professor Herb Stovel the International Council for Monuments and Sites. Med-INA director Thymio Papayannis represented IUCN - The World Conservation Union.

The first impressions from this mission were that Mt. Athos faces a number of threats (such as fires, opening of new roads, excessive exploitation of forests and ineffective management of wastes). Serious measures, however, are taken by the Greek state and the Monastic community to resolve these problems and thus to maintain its unique ecological and cultural / spiritual character. 

[posted on 27 February 2006]

Culture in the Albanian Wetland Strategy

The Albanian Ministry of Environment, assisted by the MedWetCoast office in Tirana and various experts just completed the preparation of a National Wetland Strategy. This important initiative follows the successful inventory of all wetlands in the country, which was carried out in 2002-2003.

In this Strategy, the cultural values of wetlands are seriously considered, in accordance with the Ramsar Convention Resolutions VIII.19 and IX.21. In particular, there is a strong focus on wetland landscapes.

The same Ministry, with the support of MedWetCoast, organised on 15-17 December 2005 in Tirana a Workshop of the European Landscape Convention, which was well-attended and arrived at important conclusions that were presented by Thymio Papayannis (who was also advisor for the preparation of the Strategy).

[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. more

[posted on 8 December 2005]

Action for Culture in Mediterranean Wetlands

On the occasion of Ramsar COP9, Med-INA prepared a CD-ROM based on an analysis of culture-related activities in 22 wetland sites around the Mediterranean, ranging from Balkan inland lakes to Sahara oases.

The user-friendly CD-ROM, with many photographs and links to detailed texts, provides a broad framework on cultural values in the Ramsar Convention, and more particularly in the Mediterranean. It includes a typology of cultural values related to examples from specific sites. It draws lessons from on-going activities and sketches perspectives for the near future.

The main conclusions of this extensive work are that Mediterranean wetlands still maintain significant cultural values, but these are being eroded rapidly, due to the abandonment of traditional activities and the impact of globalisation and tourism. Yet these values are important in strengthening the links of people with wetlands, which are a prerequisite for wetland conservation and for the sustainable use of their resources and services. Integration between the natural and the cultural heritage is generally weak, although efforts have started in a small number of sites, and will provide useful experience.

[The CD-ROM is available from Med-INA; please contact: ilyratzaki@med-ina.org.]

[posted on 23 October 2005]

Ramsar looks at cultural values

The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, 1971) will hold its Ninth Meeting of the Contracting Parties in Uganda, Kampala, from 6 to 15 November 2005 (COP9). During this important event, a Technical Session will be held on "Culture and knowledge in wetland management", chaired by Brazil. The provisional agenda of the meeting is the following: more

[posted on 20 September 2005]

Iraqi Marshlands: On the road to recovery

Following the article posted in the Med-INA website in March on the Iraqi Marshlands, we were extremely pleased to receive a press release from the United Nations Environment Programme, regarding the further improvement of the situation. more

[posted on 30 June 2005]

A significant event on urban landscapes

The Third Meeting of the Workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention was held in the City Hall of Cork (Ireland) on 16 to 18 June 2005. Its initial theme was "Landscapes for Urban, Suburban and Peri-urban Areas". It was recognised, however, early during the debates that this distinction among the three is now almost impossible, as nuclear cities tend to evolve into urban networks, with varying densities. These networks in turn –in spite of regulatory and planning measures– continue to spread in the countryside, consuming rural and natural areas. more

[posted on 20 May 2005]

The Prespa Centre for Nature and Anthropos

On 16 May 2005, the General Assembly of the Society for the Protection of Prespa approved a programme on an integrated approach to culture and nature in the Prespa Lakes Basin. This area of the Balkans, shared by Albania, Greece and the FYR of Macedonia includes a rich cultural and natural heritage and landscapes of unique beauty. The programme establishes the Prespa Centre for Nature and Anthropos (PCNA) that will be dedicated to research, action and communication on the interface between human activities and the natural environment. more

[posted on 16 May 2005]

Book on the cultural values of Mediterranean wetlands

In the framework of the MedWet (Mediterranean Wetlands) Culture Working Group, Med-INA has been preparing a publication on the actions taken to preserve and enhance cultural values in representative Mediterranean wetlands. The purpose of the book is to indicate how actions in 22 wetlands implement Ramsar Resolution VIII.19 on "Guiding principles for taking into account cultural values for the effective management of sites", and to draw lessons from the experience already gained.

A first draft of the book has been completed and publication (in English, French and possibly Spanish) is expected in September 2005. This MedWet book will be presented at the 9^th Conference of the Contracting Parties of the Convention on Wetlands, to be held in Kampala (Uganda) on 7-14 November 2005.

[posted on 5 April 2005]

Cultural values in the Ramsar Convention

The Ninth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran,1971) will be held later this year (7-16 November) in Kampala, Uganda. On 12 November, a 3-hour technical session is planned on the cultural values of wetlands. The session will focus on positive examples of actions for the implementation of Resolution VIII.19, which encourages taking into account cultural aspects for the effective management of sites. more

[posted on 28 March 2005]

Can culture be restored in the Mesopotamian Marshlands?

It was a strange sight -after 8 years of bloody war in the 1970s- to have the Iraq and Iran delegations sitting amicably side by side and agreeing on working together to designate the shared Hawr Al Hawizah wetland, one of the major remaining parts of the Mesopotamian Marshlands, as a transboundary Ramsar Site of International Importance. This hopeful event occurred during the "High-level Conference on the Restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshlands", held in Manama (Bahrain) on 28 February and 1 March 2005, co-organised by UNEP and ROPME (Regional Organisation for the Protection of the Marine Environment). more

[posted on 7 February 2005]

Review of key Mediterranean wetlands

In the historic town of Tipaza (Algeria), with its famous Roman archaeological site, the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee held its sixth meeting. A special session was devoted to the cultural values of sites. more

[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 reed , 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. more

[posted on 1 October 2004]

Co-operation on the Lower Neretva River

The Neretva Delta in Croatia is a major Mediterranean wetland, a Ramsar site, characterised by a unique type of agriculture, which produces an extremely interesting cultural landscape. In it is also the Roman settlement of Narona, built on an older Greek trading post. more

[posted on 19 September 2004]

Landscape conference in the islands of Lemnos and Lesbos

The Permanent European Conference for the Study of Rural Landscapes (PECSRL) was held this year on the Greek islands of Lemnos and Lesbos on 15-21 September. Ably organised by the Department of Geography of the University of the Aegean, the conference gathered a large team of experts in archaeology, planning, landscape architecture, geography and the environment. more

[posted on 19 September 2004]

Sacred natural sites in developed countries

Since September 2004, Med-INA is co-ordinating the Delos Initiative, an action on sacred natural sites in developed countries. This initiative is being developed in the framework of the Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of IUCN. more

[posted on 15 September 2004]

Mediterranean survey of cultural wetland sites

In early September, within the activities of the Mediterranean Wetlands Working Group on Culture, Med-INA circulated a questionnaire to Mediterranean sites with significant cultural interest. more

[posted on 27 August 2004]

Contribution to a global assessment

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is a major global effort to evaluate the state of our planet at the beginning of a new era. Already, a tremendous amount of work has been completed on conditions, scenarios and responses and first drafts have been prepared.

[posted on 10 August 2004]

Promoting the cultural values of wetlands

MedWet, the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative of the Ramsar Convention, held the second meeting of its Working Group on Culture on 29 July 2004 in Athens . The participants included representatives of the MedWet Co-ordination Unit, SEHUMED of the University of Valencia and Med-INA. more 

[posted on 10 May 2004]

Landscape and spatial planning

In the town of Tulcea , a harbour on the Danube close to the Black Sea , an information seminar was held during 6-7 May 2004, followed by a visit of the Delta on 8 May. The seminar, very well organised by the Council of Europe and the government of Romania, focused on sustainable spatial planning and the European Landscape Convention. more

[posted on 1 April 2004]

Working Group on the cultural values of wetlands

In a meeting in Valencia on 25 and 27 March, the MedWet Initiative of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar) established a Working Group on the cultural values of wetlands. Its main purpose is the following: more

[posted on 29 March 2004]

Workshop in Valencia on tools for wetlands

On 26 and 27 March 2004, SEHUMED (Sede para el estudio de los humedales mediterráneos) organised in the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and with strong support from the Spanish Ministry of Environment, a workshop "to identify tools for managing the cultural heritage of wetlands of international importance of the Ramsar Convention". more

[posted on 5 February 2004]

Where people live intimately with nature

In the hydrological basin of the Niger River ("egerou n-igereou" or "the river of rivers"), shared by nine countries, live today more than 100 million people. They are estimated to double by the year 2020. more