The wetland reckoning in the desert
The most important global meeting in three years for the planet's wetlands is underway in the United Arab Emirates. 180 countries are represented, including the UK. Also attending are six advising NGOs, including WWT. Our Director of Conservation James Robinson has the lowdown from backstage:
I haven’t been to a Conference of the Contracting Parties of the Ramsar Convention (or ‘Ramsar CoP’) before. This event happens every three years and brings together the great and good from the world of wetland conservation, from Contracting Parties (generally government representatives) to non-government organisations like WWT.
This year’s gathering is in Dubai and I’m writing this blog whilst sat in the main conference building which will be hosting more than 1,000 attendees this week. Each COP has a theme and this year it is ‘Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future’, an important topic and bang in line with WWT’s aspirations.
I first learned about Ramsar at university. I assumed Ramsar was a clever acronym but soon found out it is named after a town in Iran where the Convention was first adopted in 1971. You might have heard of it and more than likely visited a Ramsar Site in the UK or somewhere else in the world. Places like the Severn Estuary, Solway Estuary and Strangford Lough are classified as Ramsar Sites in the UK but very few people are aware of this international protection.
The Convention urges Contracting Parties to list and protect Ramsar Sites and there are clear criteria for identification. This has been one of the most tangible impacts of Ramsar since it began. But Ramsar is so much more, seeking national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands across the globe in many different ways.
WWT is well represented at this global COP and we are an International Organisation Partner (an ‘IOP’) which puts us in a very special place. We are recognised for our important and long-standing contribution to the activity of the Ramsar Convention and we have made the long journey to Dubai to support more action to protect and restore wetlands.
The agenda is demanding, with debates going on well into the night, and we’re speaking to government officials and other important attendees to make sure the outcomes, which are called ‘resolutions’, are as strong as possible. We are also involved in numerous side events with our partners, from promoting best practice for creating and managing urban wetlands to reporting on a new citizen science survey of the health wetlands around the world. We have our fingers in a lot of Ramsar pies!
I’m now in a rush to get a presentation ready on the creation of our Steart Marshes nature reserve. I’ll give it on Friday; another great way to show off a working wetland and to talk about the importance of the support from our members and supporters who allow us to do all this hard work and show it to the world.
Main pic - Ras Al Khor Wetland Centre in Dubai, co-designed by WWT (through our WWT Consulting arm) with WWT London Wetland Centre as its inspiration
Second pic - James Robinson in Dubai, his shirt neatly merging with the patchwork of wetlands in our aerial photo of WWT London Wetland Centre
