The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

The Mediterrean Wetlands Initiative -- The Venice Declaration, 1996

THE VENICE DECLARATION ON MEDITERRANEAN WETLANDS

The Mediterraean Wetlands Conference, Venice, Italy, June 1996

1. RECOGNIZING

(i) that the wetlands of the Mediterranean are an essential component of the region's natural systems, and that their hydrological and ecological functions - including flood storage, aquifer recharge, water supply, and alleviation of pollution - contribute greatly to the maintenance of biological diversity, provide significant benefits to human populations, and can constitute the basis for long-term sustainable development;

(ii) that there has been significant loss and degradation of natural Mediterranean wetlands in the 20th century - with more than 50% of wetland area destroyed by human intervention in many countries of the region - and that degradation continues, with consequent loss of functions, biodiversity and potential for sustainable development;

(iii) that wetlands have a critical importance for the Mediterranean cultural and natural heritage, and that local communities therefore have a key role to play in their wise use and conservation;

2. RECALLING

(i) that the 1991 Grado Conference on Managing Mediterranean Wetlands adopted a Declaration urgently recommending all Mediterranean States, concerned Organizations and individuals to adopt the following goal:

To stop and reverse the loss and degradation of Mediterranean wetlands

(ii) that the MedWet initiative was launched to achieve this goal;

(iii) that the MedWet initiative has been implemented since 1993, with significant funding from the European Commission, to develop methodologies and to draft a strategy for the conservation and wise use of Mediterranean wetlands;

3. FURTHER RECALLING that most Mediterranean states are Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution (Barcelona, 1975) and its Protocols, and to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971);

4. NOTING that "Priority fields of activities for the environment and development in the Mediterranean Basin, 1996-2005" of the Mediterranean Action Plan, agreed in Barcelona in June 1995, included enhancing of conservation and rational management of Mediterranean wetlands;

5. FURTHER NOTING

(i) that the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands adopted a Strategic Plan at their Conference in Brisbane, Australia, in March 1996 to guide implementation of the Convention for the period 1997-2002;

(ii) that the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, at its meetings in Kushiro, Japan, in 1993 and Brisbane, Australia, in 1996, adopted recommendations welcoming MedWet as a regional wetland initiative and calling for it to be extended to all countries of the Mediterranean region; and

(iii) that the Mediterranean Wetland Strategy, annexed to this Declaration, closely follows the goals, objectives and actions of the Ramsar Strategic Plan and adapts them to the needs of the Mediterranean region;

THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN WETLANDS CONFERENCE

convened in Venice from 5-9 June 1996 by the Italian Minister of the Environment during the Italian Presidency of the European Union, with 250 participants from 21 Mediterranean states and the Palestinian Authority, the European Commission, intergovernmental Organizations, international and national non-governmental Organizations, and individual wetland experts;

6. RECOMMEND that the Mediterranean Wetland Strategy, which has been endorsed during the Venice Conference, be implemented by all Mediterranean States, and by international and national, governmental and non-governmental Organizations active in the Mediterranean region, using appropriate existing instruments and mechanisms;

7. REQUEST funding agencies - whether multilateral, bilateral, national, regional or local - to provide financial resources for the implementation of the Mediterranean Wetland Strategy;

8. FURTHER REQUEST that Mediterranean States and non-governmental Organizations concerned with Mediterranean wetlands consider formal adoption of this Strategy;

9. PROPOSE that the implementation of the Mediterranean Wetland Strategy should build on the experience of MedWet and continue to undertake actions in the priority fields of training to meet national needs, public awareness, inventory and monitoring, applied research, economic evaluation of wetland benefits and functions, and promote wise use of wetland resources;

10. COMMEND to Mediterranean States, and to governmental and non-governmental organi- zations concerned with Mediterranean wetlands, the MedWet tools and methodologies, and call for their further development in the Mediterranean region;

11. CALL ON Mediterranean States to prepare and adopt National Wetland Plans within the next two years, drawing on the Mediterranean Wetland Strategy;

12. THANK the MedWet Steering Committee, successively chaired by the European Commission and the Ramsar Bureau, for coordinating the MedWet initiative, and emphasize the need for regular international conferences in the region to review progress in implementing the Strategy.

Venice, June 1996

Final Version

[Note: The published Venice Declaration, June 1996, was accompanied by the Mediterranean Wetlands Strategy, endorsed by the participants in the Mediterranean Wetlands Conference, which is included here as a separate document.]

For further information, 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 ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 8 July 1996, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.