Regional Cooperation for the Conservation and Wise-use of Internationally Important Wetlands in South Asia

Transcription

1 Regional Cooperation for the Conservation and Wise-use of Internationally Important Wetlands in South Asia Nishanthi Perera/ Programme Officer, SACEP & Llewellyn Young/ Senior Regional Advisor for Asia/Oceania, Ramsar Convention Secretariat

2 Established in 1982 as the regional environmental hub and has a mission of: to promote regional co-operation in South Asia in the field of environment, both natural and human in the context of sustainable development and on issues of economic and social development which also impinge on the environment and vice versa; to support conservation and management of natural resources of the region and to work closely with all national, regional, and international institutions, governmental and nongovernmental, as well as experts and groups engaged in such co-operation and conservation efforts. The Organization structure of SACEP; Governing Council - represented at ministerial level Consultative Committee - representatives of diplomatic missions residing in Colombo National Focal Points Environment Ministries/ Agencies Subject Area Focal Points - appointed by member country Secretariat - Director General, professional, administrative and supporting staff.

3 The Role of SACEP SACEP in collaboration with partner organizations had implemented programmes in the field of Environmental Law, Biodiversity, Air Pollution, Environmental Education, Multi-lateral Environmental Agreements, Environmentally Sustainable Transport, Climate Change, Waste Management, Data and Information Management, and Clearing-House Mechanism Since 1983 has served as the secretariat for the South Asian Seas Programme- UNEP RSP SACEP receives financial assistance the Government of Sri Lanka host facilities Country contribution by member governments bilateral and multilateral donors.

4 Wetlands of South Asia South Asia is home to a multihued of wetlands, ranging from high altitude glacial lakes to the near shore coral reefs, as well as man made irrigation networks, rice fields and aquaculture ponds. These habitats are crucial ecosystems in sustaining livelihoods and food security of millions of people, while very important for the survival of many globally and nationally threatened species Meeting the needs of an expanding population, overexploitation, hap hazardous development activities and climate change are threatening the existence of many wetlands

5 The Status of Ramsar Convention in South Asia Of the eight member states of SACEP, five are party to the Ramsar Convention, and as of October 2011 designated 60 Ramsar sites, covering an area of app. 2.7 million hectares The Ramsar Site area varies from 20 ha Renuka Wetland of India to 601,700 ha Sundarbans Reserved Forest of Bangladesh Country Number Ramsar Sites Area Afghanistan - - Bangladesh ,200 Bhutan - - India ,131 Maldives - - Nepal 09 34,455 Pakistan 19 1,343,627 Sri Lanka 05 32,372 Regional Total 60 2,698,785 Global Total*** 1, ,134,233

6 National Actions Related to implementing Ramsar Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka Draft National wetland policy prepared and to be adopted; A National Ramsar Committee was constituted in 1999 through an official gazette notification; Wetland information centers to be established at Tanguarr Haor and at the St. Martin s Island; A legislative review has been made and amendments were made including a new law prohibiting any development changes in Ramsar sites, and other protected areas. An inventory on High Altitude Wetlands was recently published by WWF Bhutan. Has established a Wetland Committee and a National Wetland Programme; A Management Action Plan for wetlands has been developed and priority areas for conservation identified (including 30 mangrove and 4 coral reef sites); A National Lakes Conservation Plan prepared, and work is in progress on transboundary action plans for rivers; A National Wetland Atlas has been prepared and wetlands mapping and inventory is being undertaken;. The government also Notified the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules in 2010 Baa Atoll was recently declared as a UNESCO-MAB A wetland Policy has been adopted in 2003; Several surveys have been carried out in lowland Terai and high mountains, while wetlands in middle hills are yet to be explored. National Wetland Committee formed. GEF funded wetland project is being implemented. National Wetland Action Plan prepared; A comprehensive inventory of all wetlands is being undertaken under a GEF funded wetland project; National Wetlands Management Committee is in place. Provincial and site specific committees are being formed. National Wetland Conservation Committee was established in 1990 with Cabinet approval and was reconstituted in 2003 to integrate plans for wetland areas and to coordinate development and conservation activities. The National Wetland Policy was approved by the Government in May National Wetland Management Unit is developed at the CEA to facilitate the policy implementation. A comprehensive wetland atlas was prepared in 2006.

7 THE NEED FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION IN SOUTH ASIA Areas where regional cooperation is essential or can add additional value to national efforts in the conservation and wise use of the wetlands resources: Mobilization of regional assistance for non-signatory parties to sign and ratify the Ramsar convention. Facilitation of cooperative management of shared wetland systems, including river basins. Coordination of activities to conserve migratory and other common flagship species and their wetland habitats. Coordination between existing and future multinational and regional wetlands management programmes. Sharing of critical information and data, and experience sharing in wetlands management in a South Asian context. Interlinkages between Multilateral Environmental Agreements addressing wetland issues.

8 Migratory birds A total of 193 species of waterbirds are recorded from the South Asian countries. 24 of these species are Globally Threatened and 16 are Near Threatened The region provides an important wintering ground for around 100 migratory species All 8 countries are part of the Central Asian Migratory flyway that includes 30 range states Action Plan has been prepared under the CMS

9 Ongoing regional initiatives addressing wetland issues Wetland International Report on: Numbers and distribution of Waterbirds and Wetlands in the Asia-Pacific region. Assisting. SACEP RS A co-operative partnership adopted in 1995 for the protection and management of the shared Prgromme marine waters and associated coastal ecosystems of five maritime SACEP countries IUCN Asia regional programme IWMI CMS Secretariat Bay of Bengal Intergovernmental Programme Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project Birdlife International Mangroves for the future SAARC Coastal Zone Management Center To develop an IUCN lead mountain programme for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the Hindukush-Karakorum-Himalayas (Himal) region. Wetlands and Biodiversity Programme. A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed between IWMI and Ramsar in MoU on Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles, Dugongs and their habitats of Indian Ocean South-East Asian Region; Action Plan on Central Asian MF is under preparation Enhance cooperation among member countries, other countries and organizations in the region and provide technical and management advisory services for sustainable coastal fisheries development and management in the Bay of Bengal region Coordinated programme of action designed to improve the lives of the coastal populations through improved regional management of the Bay of Bengal environment and its fisheries Important Bird Area Programme (partners: India - Bombay Natural History Society; Nepal - Bird Conservation Nepal; Sri Lanka Field Ornithology Group). MFF is a partnership-based initiative promoting investments in coastal ecosystems that support sustainable development. Seeks to promote cooperation in planning, management and sustainable development of the coastal zones, including research, training and promotion of awareness in the region.

10 Existing Regional Collaborations cont The Partnership for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway: Government of Bangladesh is an official partner Ramsar Regional Centre East Asia (RRC-EA): India, Nepal, Bhutan Ramsar Regional Centre Central and West Asia (RRC- CWA) : Afghanistan and Pakistan

11 Proposed Regional Arrangement for South Asia The regional arrangement proposed for South Asia is a collaborative effort between the governments and other major stakeholders involved in wetland related initiatives and will offer a framework to facilitate cooperation in agreed areas of mutual interest. Three major actions proposed to initiate the establishment of a draft regional framework: Create an environment for regional cooperation through generating a dialogue between key regional stakeholders. Develop of a draft framework for a South Asian regional arrangement for wetlands conservation and wise use. Addressing priority elements of regional cooperation under the Ramsar Strategic Plan.

12 COORDINATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND THE POTENTIAL COLLABORATORS This paper proposes the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) as an appropriate organization to facilitate the coordinate process together with the Ramsar Secretariat for the establishment of the regional initiative Potential Collaborating organizations Country National Ramsar Administrative Authority Other National Institutions Afghanistan National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) Bangladesh Ministry of Environment and Forest Bangladesh Centre for Advance Studies Bhutan Department of Forest and Park Services, National Environment Commission Ministry of Agriculture India Ministry of Environment & Forest Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Bombay Natural History Society, Chilika Lake Development Authority, Maldives Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources Ministry of Home Affairs and Environment Nepal Department of National Parks and Wildlife Ministry of Environment Conservation, Ministry Forest and Soil Conservation Pakistan National Council for Conservation of Pakistan Forest Institute, Wildlife, Ministry of Environment, Local Government and Rural Development Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation CEA, Ceylon Birds Club,, Field Ornithology Group

13 Lets collaborate and cooperate to for the wise use wetlands for people and nature Thank You