The assessment of Ramsar Sites within the 2nd Assessment of Transboundary Waters: rationale and objectives

Kati Wenzel - Assistant Advisor for Europe Ramsar Secretariat [email protected]

A look back… 1960s: • Fast destruction of European wetlands (marshlands) • Decrease in water bird population • Concerns about impact on people & biodiversity 1962: MAR Conference (« MARshes ») • Preparation of an international treaty on wetlands 1971: City of Ramsar, Iran: 18 nations adopted the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

High Altitude Stream

High Altitude Crater Lake

Irrigation Scheme Upper Course of River

Ox-bow Lake

Man-made Lake (Reservoir) Middle Course of River

Karst & Caves

Peatlands

Lowland River Mangroves Mudflats

Beds s s a r g a e /S Reef Flats Coral Reef Drop Off Open Sea

Limit for Definition

Type of Wetlands Included in the Ramsar Definition

The 3 pillars of the Ramsar Convention 1. Wise Use (sustainable use) of all wetlands through national land-use planning, appropriate policies and legislation, management actions and public education 2. Designation of wetlands (9 criteria) for the List of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites) and ensuring their effective management to maintain their ecological character, provide training, undertake necessary research and monitoring. 3.

Promoting International Cooperation concerning transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems (and water catchments), shared species, and development projects that may affect wetland ecosystems

today 159 countries are

40 years later…

here is

160 Contracting Parties designated 1912 Ramsar Sites worldwide covering an area of 187 million ha (about the size of Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey together)

Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar sites) International significance in terms of ecology, botany, zoology, limnology or hydrology Representative, rare or unique wetland type Also hydrological importance: • Natural control of flooding, • Recharge of aquifers • Maintaining high water quality standards etc.

9 CRITERIA

Biological diversity

▪ Threatened species or ecological communities ▪ Populations of plants or animals important for maintaining biological diversity ▪ Species at critical stage of life cycle ▪ 2 criteria refer to waterbirds ▪ 2 criteria based on fish ▪ 1 criterion based on other taxa

Ramsar’s input to the 2nd Assessment

Our objectives: • Add ecosystem and ecological information components to the Assessment •Illustrate biodiversity and cultural heritage values •Highlight links between wetland services and the hydrological cycle in the catchment basin concerned •Promote transboundary cooperation between the management authorities of Ramsar Sites Karkonosze Ramsar Site

Ramsar Sites in the 2nd Assessment •

Types of transboundary Ramsar sites - formally designated as transboundary

-without formal designation, but RS on both sides of the border -Ramsar Site + additional parts of the ecosystems extend into another country •Special datasheet will be used to collect information/draft the text •In the Assessment report selected transboundary Ramsar sites will be presented in a “box” or in a separate section of the chapter on the relevant river basin Lake Neusiedl-Fertö RS - Austria & Hungary

Structure of the

box

• General description of the ecosystem • Main wetland ecosystem services • Cultural values of the wetland area • Biodiversity values of the wetland area • Pressure factors and transboundary impacts • Transboundary wetland management

Sylt

Officially designated and potential transboundary Ramsar Sites in W&C Europe Krkonose/Karkonosze subalpine peatbogs Trilateral Ramsar Site Floodplains of the Morava-Dyje-Danube Confluence Neusiedler SeeSeewinkel-FertöHanság Bayerische Wildalm

Out of 13 officially designated transboundary Ramsar Sites worldwide: 7 are in W&C Europe

Rhin supérieur/ Oberrhein Vallée de la HauteSûre

27 potential transboundary Ramsar Sites

Officially designated and potential Wadden Sea transboundary Ramsar Sites in W&C Europe Trilateral Ramsar Site Floodplains of the 1.Vadehavet (Wadden Sea) (Denmark) Lake Geneva Morava-Dyje -Danube Confluence Krkonose/Karkonosze 2.Schleswig Holstein Wadden Sea and subalpine peatbogs adjacent) (France) – 1.Rives du Lac Léman subalpine Krkonose/Karkonosze 1. Donau-March-Thaya-Auen RS;in 3.Wattenmeer, Elbe-Weser-Dreieck Trilateral Ramsar Site additional parts of the ecosystem peatbogs Rhin sup érieur/Oberrhein 2. Untere Lobau RSWesermündung (Austria) Floodplains of the 4.Jadebusen & westliche Switzerland Txingudi (Spain ) Morava-Dyje-Danube Lough Foyle ( United Kingdom ) 5.Ostfriesisches Wattenmeer & Dollart Confluence Krkonoská rašelinište -Krkonose Rhin supérieur /Oberrhein (France) of 3. Mokrady dolního Podyjí Floodplains 6. Hamburgisches Wattenmeer 2. LeCoastal Rhônemarshes genevois Vallons de l’Allondon mountain in– the mires estuary of the Lough Foyle lower River (Czech Republic) (Germany) extension ofLaire the bay into Ireland et deDyje La (Switzerland) – Bidasoa river (Czech at Republic the Spanish-French ) Oberrhein/ Rhin supérieur (Germany) 7. Waddeneilanden, Nordzeekustzone, Wadden Sea additional parts ofborder the ecosystem in France 4. Moravské luhy – Morava floodplains Breebaart, Subalpine peatbogs in Karkonosze Lake Geneva Only unilaterally designated (Slovakia) 8.unilaterally Waddenzee (Wadden Sea) including 3. Impluvium d'Evian (France) mountains designated Ramsar Site (Poland) Officially designated as Transboundary Ramsar Site earlier designations Boschplaat and Griend Rhin supérieur/ Ramsar Site in 2008 Officially4.designated as Transboundary Ramsar (Netherlands) Lesdesignated Grangettesas(Switzerland) Officially transboundary Oberrhein Site in 2004 Ramsar Site in 2009 existing Transboundary RamsarRamsar Sites without Txingudi only unilaterally designated Sites + despite Trilateral a formal joint designation Lednické rybníky (Lednice fishponds) (Czech Wadden Sea Secretariat Etournel (not yet RS) Republic)

Thank you! For more information: www.ramsar.org

Trilateral RS Floodplains of the Danube-Morava-Dyje Confluence Austria & Czech Republic & Slovakia

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands The Convention addresses wetlands from the mountains to the sea: - Inland wetlands: - marshes, lakes, rivers, peatlands, forested wetlands - Coastal and near-shore marine systems: - Coral reefs, mangroves, estuaries

The Wadden Sea Denmark

SchleswigHolstein

• Largest unbroken stretch of mudflats world wide • Highly productive ecosystem • 10-12 mill. migratory birds pass through the area

Hamburg

• Shared by 3 countries Lower Saxony

Germany The Netherlands