Latvia has designated three new wetlands for the Ramsae List of Wetlands of International Importance, bringing that Party's total number of Ramsar Sites to six. Two of the new sites are at the national frontiers and at least one of them has the potential to become part of a Transboundary Ramsar Site, managed collaboratively by the Parties concerned, in this case between Latvia’s Northern Bogs and Estonia’s Nigula Nature Reserve.
The Lubana Wetland Complex (48,020 ha; 56°49'N 026°54'E) in Madona, Rezekne, Balvi, and Gulbene administrative regions is a nature reserve and the largest wetland in Latvia, with a shallow freshwater lake, 7 raised and transitional bogs and fens, inundated grasslands, fishponds and wet forests – in total, 15 protected habitats of European importance are represented. The site is important for maintaining bog-specific and rare bird species and wetland characteristic plant species and communities. The main human activities are forestry, marginal non-intensive agriculture, and fishery. Drainage and dam constructions have damaged the wetland structure and threaten the fish population. A LIFE-Nature project approved in 2003 is intended to implement an environmental management plan to achieve sustainable development by 2010. Ramsar site no. 1384.
The site called Northern Bogs (Ziemelu purvi) (5,318 ha., 57°58'N 024°50'E) in Limbazi and Valmiera regions is both a protected nature area and part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The site comprises two large raised bogs which are divided by the border with Estonia. Together with Nigula Nature Reserve in Estonia (Ramsar site no. 910) located 1 km westwards from the Kapzemes bog, the area comprises one of the largest untouched wetland complexes in the Baltic Republics. It supports an appreciable assemblage of rare, vulnerable and endangered species of birds and plants, some of them occurring in great numbers or densities especially during migration. The wetland complex plays an important role in stabilising runoff. Land use is essentially restricted to berry picking and local fishing. Decline in agricultural lands outside the wetlands has a negative impact on food availability for some birds and mammals. Various state monitoring programmes are carried out within the complex. A joint management plan for the transboundary wetland complex is currently being developed with Nigula Nature Reserve (Estonia). Ramsar site no. 1385.
The Pape Wetland Complex (51,725 ha; 56°10'N 020°55'E) in Liepaja district borders Lithuania at the south and is unique in the diversity of ecosystems concentrated in relatively small territory, including coastal lagoon, oligo-mesotrophic waters, natural eutrophic lakes, coastal dunes, and raised bogs. The area is an internationally significant breeding, migrating, and wintering site for birds and includes BirdLife Important Bird Areas. The site is an important place for other species considered as vulnerable or endangered within international frameworks and shows also 6 habitats of EU importance, from which 5 are identified as priority.
Prior to World War II, most economic activities in the area were connected to fishing and there were more than 100 households within the site. During the Soviet era, fishing was prohibited because of the proximity to the border, and with the consequent loss of employment young people tended to leave the area -- presently there is a population of about 100 people, and the average age of the inhabitants is said to be somewhat above 56 years. Human activities are berry picking (in mires), recreation, fishing and reed cutting, and small scale tourism is developing. Surrounding areas are used for extensive grazing by Konik horses. Factors adversely affecting the site are the overgrowing of reeds, eutrophication of the lake, and unregulated tourist use of the area. A Nature Centre was established in 2002. A management plan for Lake Pape was prepared in 1997 and should be updated in 2004. Ramsar site no. 1386.
Source: www.ramsar.org/
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The Ukraine Government plans to build a navigable waterway through the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta. The course currently chosen for this waterway appears likely to affect seriously and irreversibly the ecological character of the Kyliiske Mouth, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance and one of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Reserves.
The Ramsar Secretariat called upon Ukraine to adhere to the international agreements it has signed, in particular the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Several other international organizations, and, indeed, several governments, share concerns on this matter.
Despite all the efforts, Ukraine's Minister for Transports, Mr. Georgiy Kirpa, was intended to lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the project on 8 May, but the event was eventually delayed until 11 May because of bad weather. It is clear that there are several solutions which would allow conservation and development to co-exist and fulfil the spirit of the wise use principle and of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002). Ramsar has offered to work with the Government and other interested parties to find a solution that would result in a ‘win-win’ situation. A report available at www.ramsar.org/ram_rpt_53e.htm proposes alternatives that would ensure the ecological character of this site of international importance, one of Europe's foremost, largest and most valuable natural coastal areas, allowing, at the same time, its appropriate development.
The German construction company began building of the 3 km deep-water channel last week.
Source: www.ramsar.org
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The Minister for the Environment, Mr. Martin Cullen T.D., is officially launching an important wildlife area of fen habitat in County Waterford as a National Nature Reserve at 2pm on Friday 28th May. Fenor Bog is jointly owned by The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) and the Móin Fhionnúrach Development Association (MFDA), who bought the 32 acre site in March 1999. Since the purchase of the site, the IPCC have worked closely with the MFDA to manage the fen as a wildlife reserve. A one-kilometre boardwalk made from recycled plastic has been constructed on the site and is due to be completed this summer. This boardwalk is elevated above the high water level of the fen to protect both the users of the boardwalk and the sensitive flora and fauna of the Nature Reserve. It was constructed by hand to ensure the sensitive site was not unduly disturbed, with both the MFDA and IPCC volunteers doing the work. A hydrological study of the fen has been funded in part by the Department of the Environment and Local Government.
Like all natural areas, Fenor Bog is affected by the surrounding landuse and the IPCC and the MFDA were delighted with the support of local families the
Queallys and Currans. These families own farmland surrounding the fen and they agreed that their land immediately adjoining the fen should be included in the National Nature Reserve in order to act as a buffer between the fen and the impacts of any surrounding landuse. The two families will manage their land within the NNR agreement.
Fenor Bog provides habitat for up to 200 species of plants and animals such as bog bean, tussock sedge, heath spotted orchid and the otter. In 2002, the rare Emperor Dragonfly was recorded at Fenor Bog, the first record in County Waterford for this species. The designation of this fen as a National Nature Reserve is a great achievement for the MFDA and IPCC and the local people. Through their vision they have saved it from becoming a dump. Caroline Hurley, IPCC¹s Conservation Officer stated, "Much of the funds raised by the IPCC to buy this fen came from our Symbolic Share Fund, which members of the public have contributed to over a number of years and we would like to thank everyone who contributed to this fund and helped make the conservation of this beautiful wilderness possible." Fenor Bog is located in the village of Fenor, three miles from Tramore on the coast road from Tramore to Dungarvan.
For more information on Fenor Nature Reserve, visit www.ipcc.ie.
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Peat Resources Inc, an Ontario company, is planning a CA$14 million plant as the first step towards building a large-scale peat burning power station.
The plant, estimated to cost CA$108 million, will use approximately one million tonnes of peat per year. Within the next 10-15 years production of some 20 million tonnes per year is projected
Source: Canadian Peat News May 2004
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A recent article on the loss of forest cover in Kalimantan, Indonesia, since the 1997-1998 El Niño reveals a significant threat to the region’s biodiversity. The forest cover in Kalimantan, Indonesia, was mapped in 2002. Comparison of the maps with Indonesian government data from 1996 revealed that almost 3 million ha of forest were lost in Kalimantan since the major El Niño event of 1997-1998, when a drought produced unprecedented burning in the region. Over two-thirds of the deforestation occurred in proposed and existing protected areas, especially those of 100,000-250,000 ha. The loss of forest in proposed and existing protected areas suggests that Kalimantan’s protected-area network is no longer viable and it is suggested that alternative conservation strategies, such as timber certification and improved monitoring and enforcement, are needed to preserve remaining forest habitats there.
Source: Fuller, D. O., Jessup, T. C. & Salim, A. (2004) Loss of Forest Cover in Kalimantan, Indonesia, Since the 1997-1998 El Niño. Conservation Biology 18: 249-254.
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A workshop on the possible development of the Carpathian Wetland Initiative was held in Brezovica, Oravsky dvor, Slovakia from 28 to 30 April 2004. It was organised by the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic and attended by most of the countries sharing a part of the Carpathian Mountains as well as a number of representatives from international conventions and NGOs. The objective was to investigate the possibility of launching a regional wetland initiative along the lines of Resolution VIII.30 of the Ramsar Convention, and also within the context of the Carpathian Convention. The meeting adopted a number of recommendations for undertaking further steps in the direction of developing a knowledge base and a regional collaboration for the protection of Carpathian Wetlands.
A report of the meeting can be found at the Ramsar website: www.ramsar.org/mtg_carpathian_2004a.htm
On 28-29 April 2004, a seminar on transboundary wetland sites took place in the town of Lida (Republic of Belarus), organized by the Environment Ministries of Belarus and Lithuania. This was the culmination of work undertaken under the coordination of Saulius Svazas of “OMPO,” the non-governmental organization working for “Migratory Birds of the Western Palearctic,” with support of Ramsar's Small Grants Fund. The second day was devoted by the 30 participants to the preparation of a specific project for joint management activities for one of the first transboundary Ramsar Sites: the Cepkeliai-Kotra wetland complex, situated on both sides of Kotra (Katra) river that forms the border between Lithuania and Belarus. A report by Tobias Salathé explains the issues and views the relevant sites in the area, and shows why transborder management cooperation can be so productive here and elsewhere. Read the report here:
www.ramsar.org/ mtg_belarus_transboundary.htm
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