PDF superior REPORT ON THE LEGAL PERSONALITY OF THE RAMSAR SECRETARIAT

33. The Convention title, “Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitats” is reflective of its early focus on the rapid loss of waterfowl habitats, at a time before the convening the first UN Conference on the Human Environment or the establishment of the UNEP. Over the years, however, the Ramsar Convention has broadened its scope to cover all aspects of wetland conservation and now includes the concepts of wise use of wetlands, sustainability, recognition of wetlands as ecosystems important for biodiversity conservation and the well-being of human communities, as well as their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and poverty alleviation. Today, the Ramsar Convention has become an indispensable and integral part of the widening web of major global and regional MEAs that regulate the protection, conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, alongside CITES, CMS, CBD, UNFCCC and UNCCD, and with direct impacts on other MEAs, such as the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, and a large number of regional environmental agreements, such as the regional seas agreements and regional agreements for the conservation of natural resources.

Non-Swiss staffs are exempt from paying taxes on their IUCN earnings on the basis of a Fiscal Agreement between IUCN and the Swiss Government, which entered into effect on 1st January 1987. In order to ensure equitable treatment of both Swiss and non-Swiss staff, an internal tax is levied on non-Swiss staff resident in Switzerland. This is shown as Retained Swiss Income Tax and is classified as unrestricted income.

Brazil annually celebrates the World Wetlands Day, with environmental education and dissemination activities in Ramsar sites and in areas that are relevant to the theme of the year. Events are usually organized and supported by local government environmental agencies, NGOs and universities, among others. Printed materials are produced based on the materials provided by the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, with adaptations to the country’s reality and addition of relevant national data, including information about Brazilian Ramsar Sites. Generally these events are widely publicized in the local media (TV, Internet, local newspapers). Additionally, the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) develops other thematic awareness-raising campaigns, according to emerging issues and national priorities, which are carried out according to the resource availability and theme relevance at the time. Such campaigns are being developed since 2000 and may have national or regional scope, depending on the selected theme. To date, the following campaigns have been carried out:

The Appendix A as of 31 December 2015 and for the year then ended, is presented for the purpose of additional analysis and is not a required part of the financial statements. The information included in Appendix A is the responsibility of the Ramsar’s management. The information in Appendix A has not been subject to audit procedures; accordingly, we neither express any assurance nor issue an audit opinion on the information included in Appendix A. Our opinion is not qualified in respect of these matters.

conservation in Bhutan started with WWF and local NGOs, such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature, on board, but the Division also collaborated with the Ramsar Secretariat, ICIMOD, IUCN, FAO and GEF. These collective efforts have helped us in leveraging funds and technical assistance, while working on the wetland conservation. 4) The World Wetland Day (2nd February) has become widely known in Bhutan and is celebrated throughout the country, which was not the case prior to 2012. This particular day has been marked as an important occasion in Bhutan with the involvement of Government, NGOs, INGOs, etc.

Secretariat made initial contact with the government of Switzerland (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Political Division III, United Nations and other international organizations) and received the advice that the government of Switzerland would prefer to have the views of other bodies in a consolidated form before taking any further action. Consequently, the Secretariat approached UNESCO in December 2005; the response from UNESCO was that, “while UNESCO’s legal office is not in a position to provide detailed advice on this matter, we would like to suggest that the Ramsar Secretariat may find inspiration from precedent and models that exist in the cases of Secretariats of other international conventions that have signed seat agreements with their host country”.

2) Proclamation of the new UNESCO Transboundary Biosphere Reserve Mura - Drava - Danube (Croatia - Hungary) which includes Kopački rit Nature Park (Ramsar site) 3) Proclamation of the Natura 2000 which includes all Ramsar sites (stronger legal instrument which ensures protection of these sites, specially for sites which are not protected according the Article 111. of the Nature Protection Act (Official Gazette, 80/2013) and also other important wetlands

The SEA procedures are also applied to wetland areas through the chapters on Protected Areas, Natura 2000 sites and Biodiversity. Protected areas for which the effects of the plans are to be assessed are protected areas according to regulations related to nature conservation, including protection in national, regional and landscape parks, s trict nature reserves, nature reserves and natural monuments along with all acts designating natural sites of special interest still in force. Moreover, protected areas also include Natura 2000 sites, including special protection areas and special areas of conservation stipulated in the Decree on special protection areas (Natura 2000 sites) (Uradni list RS, Nos. 49/04, 110/04, 59/07 and 43/08).)

- In Fujairah they identify few locations in Wadi Wurayah National Park (WWNP) that been heavily affected by visitors, most of the degradation occurs at these location was due to littering and graffiti. The park is closed now for public, the affected sites are following a proper maintenance plan to restore them into their natural state. From the other hand the management of the park is looking into reintroducing some of the endemic species used to thrive in the past, some of these species has disappeared due to the extensive

governmental organizations protect working agricultural lands and limit non-agricultural uses of the land. Under the Wetlands Reserve Easements component, NRCS helps to restore, protect and enhance enrolled wetlands. ACEP is a new program that consolidates three former programs – the Wetlands Reserve Program, Grassland Reserve Program and Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program. Land eligible for wetland reserve easements includes farmed or converted wetland that can be successfully and cost- effectively restored. NRCS prioritizes applications based the easement’s potential for protecting and enhancing habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.The Secretary of Agriculture announced that up to $35 million will be provided during the next three years to help landowners conserve grasslands and wetlands in the Prairie Pothole region. Farmers, ranchers and conservation partners will have access to a mix of financial and technical assistance opportunities through the NRCS to restore wetlands and grasslands. The Prairie Pothole region is critical as it provides critical breeding and nesting habitat for more than 60 percent of the nation's migratory waterfowl. The program's goal is to help landowners manage their working lands in a way that is compatible with agricultural production and good stewardship of the soil, water and habitat resources of the area. The wetlands and grasslands that characterize the region provide vital water storage to reduce regional flooding, improve water quality, and have tremendous potential to store carbon in soils, which reduces the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, one of the leading greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. The funding has several sources, including an Environmental Quality Incentives Program. This is the agency's largest conservation program and will help farmers with expiring Conservation Reserve Program contracts keep their lands as working grasslands or haylands through implementation of prescribed grazing and other conservation practices. Another source is a Ducks

The New National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan,which is being updated will include the outcomes of RIO +20, and also the new Sustainable Development Goals. A framework of green economy strategy was prepared and sent to the minister of planning for consideration where it is expected that policy intervention will be made to poverty alleviation. The new government is taking new measures to provide assistance to poor communities where new incentives have been approved. Our NCS vision is to preserve the natural character of the Egyptian environment for future generations while using it innovatively to enhance sustainable local productivity and alleviate poverty. Thus, while we are protecting our natural resources, we allow wise use of these resources for the benefit of local communities and the national economy. We have encouraged

Natural dispersion of (wild) alien/invasive species to Greenland have not been identified to cause major problems. To prevent and foresee the problems related to introduction of alien/invasive species in Greenland relevant legislation is implemented in the nature protection act from 2003. According to this act animals, plants and microorganisms not native to Greenland may not be released or bred in the wild. Based on an assessment of the impacts on nature the Cabinet might permit such release and breeding. In connection with such permission the Cabinet may lay down conditions for the purpose of protecting nature.

8. For a ‘free-text’ field, you can type in whatever information you wish. Note that there is only limited facility within the Microsoft ‘form’ format to make editorial changes in the ‘free-text’ box once text has been entered. Therefore, if you wish to amend any of the text you have put in a green or yellow ‘free-text’ box, you should cut and paste the existing text into a separate document, make all the amendments, and then cut and paste the revised text back into the box.

A comprehensive national monitoring program of nature and water (NOVANA) does cover lakes, streams and coastal waters. Monitoring reports are publised on a yearly basis. A parallel monitoring program of species covers certain freshwater species. In conjunction with the EU reporting obligations (Habitat Directive article 17) a comprehensive national species and habitat reports have been submitted to the EU Commission in 2013 evaluating status and trends which include a large number of inland and coastal water habitats as well as certain freshwater species. A parallel EU reporting obligation under the Birds Directive (Birds Directive article 12) was submitted the EU Commission in 2014 and includes an evaluation of status and trends of all Danish breeding and wintering birds including many waterbirds.

The Finnish Government has approved seven regional river basin management plans. These plans and the related action plans include information on the condition of water bodies, the factors affecting them and measures which will restore inland and coastal waters in these regions to good condition by 2015. Flood risks are assessed and managed. There are attempts to better integrate objectives of nature conservation and water usage. Water accounts are being constructed.

Studies done in 1991 identified 16 priority coastal wetland sites as important for Ramsar listing. However, only five were listed under the Convention. The remaining 11 in the coastal area still remain to be considered for future listing under the Convention but that primarily would be determind by factors such as how well Ghana is able to maintain the existing 6 Ramsar Sites (5 along the coast and one inland) and available resources (human and financial).

Within some wetland areas including the BRLM&RS the impact of IAS such as the Wild Ginger and the Paperbark Tree have been tracked and measures implemented through the MTIASIC Project to mitigate against and manage the spread of these IAS. Another invasive alien species impacting wetland areas and addressed by the project is the lionfish. Partners Agencies such as Fisheries Division and the Discovery Bay Marine Lab has been conducting research into the spread of the species. A national management adaptive plan was developed under the MTIASIC project to address the spread of the lionfish. One component of the plan is the 'Eat it to Beat it' campaign which promotes to the consumption of the fish in order to manage population increase. Refer to A(1) above.

Management effectiveness is regularly reviewed for all sites under some designation by the national park directorates. The last such review was the 2009-2014 development plan of the national park directorates which provided an overview of the present state of natural areas and assets and identified the strategic objectives and main goals for the named period. The development plans are available at the Ministry of Agriculture in Hungarian.

STRATEGY 1.7 Integrated Water Resources Management. Ensure that policies and implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), applying an ecosystem-based approach, are included in the planning activities in all Contracting Parties and in their decision-making processes, particularly concerning groundwater management, catchment/river basin management, coastal and nearshore marine zone planning and climate change mitigation and/or adaptation activities.

8. For a ‘free-text’ field, you can type in whatever information you wish. Note that there is only limited facility within the Microsoft ‘form’ format to make editorial changes in the ‘free-text’ box once text has been entered. Therefore, if you wish to amend any of the text you have put in a green or yellow ‘free-text’ box, you should cut and paste the existing text into a separate document, make all the amendments, and then cut and paste the revised text back into the box.