Ramsar Wise Use Resource Centre

Wise Use Resource Centre The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

The Wise Use Resource Centre

All members of the "Ramsar family" are dedicated to the principles of "wise use", first outlined in Article 3.1 of the Convention (1971) and defined in 1987 as the 'sustainable utilization of wetland resources in such a way as to benefit the human community while maintaining their potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations' – a concept that was at the time of the signing of the Convention a revolutionary concept in conservation thinking and is still vitally important to the future of our planet. In 1990 and 1993 the Contracting Parties articulated "guidelines" and "additional guidance" for the implementation of the wise use concept, but these are fairly general, and the need has long been felt for a body of more concrete materials to assist those who are charged actually to bring the concept to life in their planning and their daily management decisions. Thus the Wise Use Resource Centre.

Note: The "wise use" principle inscribed in Article 3.1 of the Convention in 1971, and its definition and application by the Conference of the Contracting Parties, have been established and have evolved completely independently from the so-called "wise use movement" that has emerged in recent years in North America. The use of the same term does not necessarily indicate that there is a commonality of understanding and/or purpose.

Ramsar CEPA Programme

The Wise Use Resource Library

Ramsar Handbooks on Wise Use

Ramsar Technical Reports series

The Ramsar CEPA Programme (for Communication, Education, and Public Awareness), first adopted for 1999-2002 and thoroughly revised for 2002-2005 by Resolution 31 (COP8, 2002), includes, amongst other things, an Internet-based clearing-house of news, information, and materials to assist the Parties and others in developing and exchanging ideas about Wetlands CEPA. This mini-Web site was launched in April 2001, http://ramsar.org/outreach_index.htm, and is updated almost daily - it also includes contact details of Ramsar governmental and non-governmental National Focal Points for CEPA activities in all of the Contracting Parties.

The Wise Use Resource Library is a smorgasbord of reprinted technical publications, as well as references to others, and reprints of such useful Ramsar-related materials as examples of national wetland strategies/policies, Ramsar site management plans, and Ramsar Information Sheets. The index is available at http://ramsar.org/wurc_library.htm.

The Ramsar Handbook series on the wise use of wetlands. This series has been prepared by the Secretariat of the Convention following each of the 7th, 8th and 9th meetings of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP7, COP8, and COP9) held, respectively, in San José, Costa Rica, in May 1999, Valencia, Spain, in November 2002, and Kampala, Uganda, in November 2005. The guidelines on various matters adopted by the Parties at those and earlier COPs have been prepared as a series of handbooks to assist those with an interest in, or directly involved with, implementation of the Convention at the international, regional, national, subnational or local levels. Each handbook brings together, subject by subject, the various relevant guidances adopted by Parties, supplemented by additional material from COP information papers, case studies and other relevant publications so as to illustrate key aspects of the guidelines. The handbooks are available in the three working languages of the Convention (English, French, and Spanish).

The Ramsar Technical Reports series includes the detailed technical background reviews and reports prepared by the Convention's Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) at the request of Contracting Parties, which would previously have been made available in most instances only as "Information Papers" for a meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP). The series is designed to ensure increased and longer-term accessibility of such documents. Other reports not originating from COP requests to the STRP, but which are considered by the STRP to provide information relevant to supporting implementation of the Convention, may be proposed for inclusion in the series. All Ramsar Technical Reports are peer-reviewed by the members and observers appointed to the STRP.

World Wetlands Day (2 February) stickers, posters, brochures, and information packs are also available from the Ramsar Bureau. See the latest WWD page on the Ramsar Web site for an indication of what is presently available: http://ramsar.org/wwd/wwd_index.htm.

Publications of the Convention on Wetlands

· Ramsar Handbooks for the Wise Use of Wetlands (The Ramsar "Toolkit"), 3rd edition, ed. Sandra Hails and Dwight Peck (2006), 17 A4 pamphlets published in PDF format on CD-ROM in early 2007.

· Proceedings of the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Kampala, Uganda, 2005. A CD-ROM containing the Resolutions, the Conference Report, available in English, French, or Spanish, as well as a great deal of additional material in all three languages, and includes the texts of the National Reports.

· Proceedings of the 8th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Valencia, Spain, 2002. Two hardcover volumes containing the Resolutions and the Conference Report, available in English, French, or Spanish. The CD-ROM version contains a great deal of additional material in all three languages, and includes the texts of the National Reports.

· Proceedings of the 7th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, San José, Costa Rica, 1999. Three hardcover volumes containing the Resolutions and Recommendations adopted by the COP, the Conference Report, and the List of Participants.

· Wetlands, Biodiversity and the Ramsar Convention: the Role of the Convention on Wetlands in the Conservation and Wise Use of Biodiversity, ed. by A. J. Hails (1996-97), 196 pages, ISBN 2-940073-22-8. An excellent collection with introductory chapters by Peter Bacon and Michael Smart and nearly 30 case studies from all the Ramsar regions. Maps and good color photographs included.

· Economic Valuation of Wetlands: a Guide for Policy Makers and Planners, by Edward B. Barbier, Mike Acreman and Duncan Knowler (1997), 127 pages, ISBN 2-940073-21-X. Outlines the benefits of economic valuation techniques as applied to wetlands and wetland development projects, and describes some of these techniques in detail. A number of case studies, a glossary, and a bibliography increase the importance of this book for theoreticians and practical managers alike.

· Évaluation économique des zones humides: guide à l'usage des décideurs et planficateurs (1997), 144 pages, ISBN 2-940073-24-4.

· Valoración económica de los humedales: Guía para decisores y planificadores (1997), 144 pages, ISBN 2-940073-25-2.

· Proceedings of the 6th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, Brisbane, Australia, 1996; twelve separate A4 pamphlets bound in a ringbinder. Available in English (ISBN 2-940073-18-X), French (ISBN 2-940073-19-8), or Spanish (ISBN 2-940073-20-1).

· The Legal Development of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, by Cyril de Klemm in collaboration with Isabelle Crétaux (1995), 224 pages. ISBN 2-940073-14-7. [English, French, and Spanish versions in one volume.]. For students of legal aspects of environmental conventions, this book contains the details of the development of the Convention up to Kushiro (1993).

· Towards the Wise Use of Wetlands: Report of the Ramsar Convention Wise Use Project, ed. by T. J. Davis (1993), 180 pages. ISBN 2-940073-07-4. This book details the Ramsar wise use movement and includes 17 case studies from different regions around the world.

· The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: its history and development, by G. V. T. Matthews (1993), 130 pages. ISBN 2-940073-00-7. An excellent historical narrative and analysis, written by one of the Convention's Founding Fathers.

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Posted 2 February 1998, last modified 5 August 2008, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.