Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

“Wetlands and Water: supporting life sustaining wetlands”

Kampala, Uganda, 8-15 November

Final Presentation

Task Group: Sean Mandel, Aimee BarnesMegan Stouffer, and Emily Capello

Summary of the Presentation

• Definition of a Wetland and the Ecological Services Wetlands Provide

• Drivers of Wetland Degradation• Wetlands Problems• Introduction to Ramsar and the COP 9:

Resolution IX.4 Annex• Solutions Proposed by COP 9• Controversies of the Proposed Solutions• Monitoring and Measurements of Success

• Wetlands are difficult to define:– Range of hydrological conditions– Great variation in size, location, and human

influence

• Distinguishing features of wetlands:– Presence of standing water– Unique wetland soil– Vegetation adapted to or tolerant of saturated

soils

What is a Wetland?

Why Protect Wetlands?

Healthy wetlands provide important services:

• Ecological• Recreational• Scientific• Cultural• Economic

Photos: www.ramsar.org

Drivers of Degradation & Destruction of Wetlands

Public Perception

Urban/Suburban Development

AgricultureAquaculture

Photo: www.nrcs.usda.gov/ wetlands/wildrice.jpgPhoto: US Fish and Wildlife Service: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/saginawNRDA/restore.htmlPhoto: http://www.ecopix.net/natresmanage/natresmanage.htm Photo: Oyster leases at Wallis Lake, NSW (photo by Dave Ryan)http://www.ozestuaries.org/indicators/aqua_pressure.jsp

Problem: Loss and Fragmentation of Wetlands• Development, agriculture, and

aquaculture lead to habitat fragmentation

• Barriers for water provision and irrigation redirect water– Fish cannot reach spawning grounds

or food sources• Habitat destruction and fragmentation

is the number one cause of declining fish populations

Implications of Wetland Loss and

FragmentationDecreased ecological integrity and services:• Loss of groundwater reserves

• Shoreline erosion

• Loss of spawning and feeding grounds for fish

• Decline in commercial/noncommercial populations

Photo: http://www.coastal.crc.org.au/wetlands/images/riparian2.gif

Implications of Wetland Loss and

FragmentationLoss of storm protection services:• Storm surge protection through friction and

absorption

• Wave height reduction by causing waves to touch bottom earlier and break

• Soil retention by lowering water velocities

Photo: http://www.katrinahelp. com/hurricane-katrina-2.jpg

Photo: http://www.ruggedelegantliving.com/a/images/Hurricane.Katrina.Help.jpg

Photo:http://www.rotary5470.org/IMupload/yaht%20club.jpeg

Implications of Loss of Storm Protection

Services

Decreased natural barrier against extreme weather events• Increased flooding• Increased destruction due to storms• Destruction of fisheries and their infrastructurePhoto: http://www.foxnews.com/photo_essay/photoessay_566_images/katrina_redcross_450.jpg

Problem: Pollution•Development, agriculture, and aquaculture lead to:

– Discharge of excess nutrients (nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)) from sewage, soaps and detergents, and agricultural runoff

– Sediments from soil erosion– Toxins (heavy metals and organic

compounds like mercury and PCBs)

•Improperly managed wetlands cannot effectively filter pollutants

Implications of Pollution• Decreased water quality

• Bioaccumulation of toxins in wetland species

• Decline in native plant, fish, and waterfowl populations

• Eutrophication of wetlands

Photo: http://www.midwestadvocates.org/media/advocacyupdates/2004/Advocacy%20Update%20August%202004/fishkillpicture.jpg

So What Happens?

Mission of Convention

"the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local, regional

and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving

sustainable development throughout the world."

(Cop7 1999, San Jose, Costa Rica)

Key Data • Current sites: 1608 wetland sites• Number of parties: 152 nations• Surface area: 345 million acres• Categories: Marine & Coastal,

Inland, & Human-Made• Encompasses 42 wetland types

Photo: David Trilling (2006) Iraq

Legislation vs. Agreement

• Legislation is law– Mandates and enforces behavior– Passed by a governing body

• Agreements or

treaties– Contractual

agreement– Can be binding

or prescriptive

Photo: www.ramsar.org

Conference of Parties (COP) 9: Resolution IX.4-Annex:

The Ramsar Convention and Conservation, Production and Sustainable Use of

Fisheries Resources

Solutions of COP 9 Resolution IX.4 Annex

1. Sustainable management of wetland ecosystems for fisheries

2. Increased international cooperation

3. Improvements to information on the status of fisheries in Ramsar sites

Photo: www.corila.it/images/ligneCWC3.jpg

1. Sustainable management of wetland ecosystems for fisheries

• “Wise use” and maintenance of ecological structure of wetlands

Photos: www.ramsar.org

Implementation: “Wise Use” FrameworkThe Ramsar Toolkit

14 handbooks on how to implement the Ramsar Convention

Photos: www.ramsar.org

2. Increased International Cooperation

Salmon migration: Chum

Chinook

Sockeye

Source: www.sookesalmonenhancementsociety.com

3. Improvements to information on the status of fisheries in

Ramsar sites• Salmon Indicators at

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge—1st U.S. RAMSAR site

• Important salmon spawning ground

• Require pure, well-oxygenated cold water

• Indicators: – abundance– genetic diversity– geographic distribution– stage of lifecycle

Photo: www.mms.gov

Controversies Related to Wetland Destruction/Ramsar

COP 9 Policies

1. Mitigated wetlands

2. Cross-border cooperation on ecological goals

Photo: www.ramsar.org

1. Mitigation of Wetlands

Do constructed wetlands have the same quality as natural wetlands?

• Can compensate for wetland loss and restore formerly impacted wetlands

• Can require management for several decades

• Quality sacrificed for quantity• Mitigated wetland might not

reflect the characteristics of the natural wetland it is replacing

Past Losses and Mitigation

Image: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ConservationAndEnvironment/images/WETLANDLOSS.gif

2. Cross-Border Resource Management

• 5 of 22 US Ramsar sites span state or international borders

Map: Microsoft Encarta

Measuring the Success of COP 9 Resolution IX.4

Indicator Criteria• Simple and pragmatic• Capable of distinguishing the difference

made by the Ramsar Convention• Reflective of multiple variables• Related to readily available information • Serviceable by wide popular audiences

Photo: www.dorf.rwth-aachen.de

Priority Indicators2006-2008

1. Overall conservation status of wetlands2. Water-related indicator(s)3. Overall population trends of wetland taxa

Source: www.ramsar.org

Future Monitoring• Finalization of current indicators

• Status and trends report: 2008 & 2011

• Inclusion of more indicators– Wise use policy

– Wetland services for humans

– Additional water-related indicators

Photo: www.nationalgeographic.com

Conclusion• Wetlands provide important ecological and

socio-economic services • Degradation limits their ability to provide

these services• COP 9 of Ramsar proposes several

solutions to reduce wetland destruction and promote wetland conservation for sustainable fisheries

• Implementation of U.S. wetland conservation measures in conjunction with existing policy has improved management and monitoring of our nations wetlands

AcknowledgementsThe RAMSAR Group

Aimee Barnes, Emily Capello, Matthew Ebright, Emily Gaskin, Lauren Kell,

Megan Stouffer, Rebecca Smith, Sean Mandel, Whitney Blake, Helen Morris ,

Flora Lee

…and congratulations to all our fellow classmates for making it through the

summer term!

Thank You

Professor Cook!

Drivers of Degradation & Destruction of Wetlands

Public Perception

Urban/Suburban Development

AgricultureAquaculture

Photos:http://www.ozestuaries.org/indicators/aqua_pressure.jsphttp://www.ecopix.net/natresmanage/natresmanage.htmhttp://www.fws.gov/midwest/saginawNRDA/restore.htmlhttp://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wetlands/wildrice.jpg