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This announcement came on World Wetlands Day (Feb. 2nd) and celebrates the anticipated benefits for the conservation of water, wetlands and wildlife across North America. The new partnership seeks to harness the strength of DU, the world leader in wetlands conservation, and Project WET, the U.S. leader in water and wetlands education, in educating and reaching more young people about the importance of wetlands and water resources. For further information go to: http://www.ducks.org/News/WET_Partnership.asp

International Migratory Bird Day – May 14, 2005

This year's theme, "Bird Collisions" will seek to promote awareness of the large–scale avian mortality at buildings, communication towers, and other human–made obstacles during migration. Events and festivals will be held, and education materials made available through IMBD’s Website: http://www.birdday.org/

From BirdLife International
Birdwatchers Urged to Submit Their Sightings

21 February 2005 – A growing global family of internet–based systems can now collect observers' personal birdwatching records and make sure the data contributes to conservation around the world. Worldbirds is a joint initiative by BirdLife International and two of its Partners, the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and Audubon (BirdLife in the US). It links together existing and new internet–systems to collect and report on bird populations and movements in different countries around the world. Go to: http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2005/02/worldbirds.html

News from Partners in Flight

The Partners in Flight North American Landbird Conservation Plan is now available on–line and can be downloaded in PDF format: http://www.partnersinflight.org/cont_plan/

Ramsar News:
New Listings of Wetlands of International Importance:

Jamaica – 2nd site: “Palisadoes – Port Royal”
Madagascar – 4th site: The "Marais de Torotorofotsy avec leurs bassins versants" in Toamasina Province.
Republic of Korea - 3rd site: Jangdo Island High Moor in Chollanam-do province
United Kingdom - 3 new sites: Les Écréhous & Les Dirouilles, Jersey, Les Minquiers, Jersey, Les Pierres de Lecq (the Paternosters). Each of them is part of the shoal systems off-shore from the Channel Island of Jersey.
USA – 3 new sites: Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, California; Grasslands Ecological Area, California; and Oahu's Kawainui/Hamakua Marsh, Hawaii.

For more Ramsar news: http://ramsar.org/

WWF China
Wetland Conservation in China Receives a Boost

China has nine new Ramsar sites, covering 400,000ha as a way to seek their protection from destruction and overuse. Eight of the new sites are high–altitude marshes and lakes in the Qinghai and Yunnan Provinces, and the Tibet Autonomous Region. Aside from "helping safeguard the freshwater source of Asia's most important rivers," said Jim Harkness, WWF China's country representative, the new Ramsar Sites are also considered important for migratory birds including the endangered Black–necked Crane (Grus nigricollis). For more information about wetlands in China contact WWF China Communications Manager, Caroline Liou: caroline@wwfchina.org

WWF Spain
Spain’s 2nd Largest Wetland Under Threat

According to WWF Spain, the Parque Natural de La Albufera de Valencia, is threatened by water diversison from the Júcar river to the area of Alicante/Benidorm, where it will be used for urban and tourist consumption and irrigation. The water diversion began in 2003 despite 20,000 petitions and the fact that the European Parliament recommended that the transfer be stopped. Recently, Environment Minister, Cristina Narbona, sought to invest 503 million euro as part of an action plan to restore the Albufera wetland. To date over 230 million euros has been spent on the diversion. The Albufera wetland is considered a Ramsar site, a Wetland of International Importance. For further information contact: Guido Schmidt at guido@wwf.es

South Korea Suspects North's Bird Flu Outbreak Extensive

29 March 2005, Reuters, by Jack Kim, Seoul – A bird flu outbreak in North Korea is probably extensive, South Korean officials said on Tuesday, but Pyongyang has yet to request Seoul's help to contain the virus. Go to: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8021174

Bangladesh : Country Faces Disaster Due to Water Diversion by India

23 March 2005, The New Nation - Construction of dams and barrages in upstream India are shrinking fresh water sources in Bangladesh and adversely affecting its ecological balance, bio–diversity, agriculture, fishery, navigability and public health. Bangladesh will face a big disaster if India implemented its much–vaunted river–linking project. Go to: http://www.rivernet.org/prs05_02.htm#180305b

Brazilian Wetlands 'Under Threat'

22 March 2005, BBC News – A wetland area in Brazil hosting rare animals and plants could be destroyed by farming, urban development and climate change, a UN report has warned. The Pantanal – the world's largest wetland – stretches across areas of Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. For the full article go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4372545.stm


South America Wetlands May Be 'Next Everglades'–Report

21 March 2005, Reuters, by Alister Doyle – Giant South American wetlands are under threat from farming and house building and could shrink like Florida's Everglades last century, a study by U.N. experts said on Tuesday. The report also said that global warming of 3–4 degrees Celsius could wreck 85 percent of the world's remaining wetlands from Bangladesh to Botswana, home to thousands of animal and plant species. Go to: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7965317

Senate Votes for ANWR Oil Drilling

17 March 2005, CNN.com, Washington, DC, USA – Amid the backdrop of soaring oil and gasoline prices, a sharply divided Senate on Wednesday voted to open the ecologically rich Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling, delivering a major energy policy win for President Bush. The Senate, by a 51–49 vote, rejected an attempt by Democrats and GOP moderates to remove a refuge drilling provision from next year's budget. The action, assuming Congress agrees on a budget, clears the way for approving drilling in the refuge later this year, drilling supporters said. Environmentalists have fought such development and argued that despite improve environmental controls a web of pipelines and drilling platforms would harm calving caribou, polar bears, and millions of migratory birds that use the coastal plain. Go to: http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/03/16/arctic.drilling.ap/index.html

38% of India’s Wetlands Degraded, Being Used as Landfills

15 March 2005, Infochangeindia.org – As if news of the situation in the Bharatpur bird sanctuary in Rajasthan were not bad enough, other vital wetlands in India are also fast disappearing. up to 38% of the country’s inland wetlands have dried up in the last decade, and, in some districts, as much as 88% of wetlands have disappeared, says a recent nationwide wetland survey. Almost all the country’s wetlands, once rich in bio–diversity, are now heavily contaminated with pesticides and heavy metals. The lack of a national policy on wetlands is being cited by experts as one of the reasons for their abysmal condition. For more information go to: http://infochangeindia.org/EnvironmentItop.jsp?section_idv=6#3823

Crane Migratory Effort Suffers Setback

16 March 2005, CNN.com – An experimental flock of whooping cranes has lost one of its youngest members to a Florida bobcat but could be on the verge of producing chicks in the wild for the first time. Six older cranes in the five–year effort to establish a migratory flock of the endangered birds between Wisconsin and Florida have formed into pairs and are being monitored closely for signs of nesting and breeding behavior, according to Operation Migration. Go to: http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/03/16/whooping.cranes.ap/index.html


Vietnam Struggles to Hold Bird Flu at Bay

15 March 2005, Environment News Service – Hanoi, Vietnam – Newly published research suggests a common source for several of the highly pathogenic bird flu viruses circulating in East Asia. The viruses have claimed the lives of 46 people and hundreds of millions of birds since December 2003 when the most recent outbreaks were first reported in Vietnam and Thailand. Go to: http://www.ens–newswire.com/ens/mar2005/2005–03–15–04.asp

Water Crisis Looms as Himalayan Glaciers Retreat

15 March 2005, People and the Planet – Himalayan glaciers are among the fastest retreating glaciers globally due to the effects of global warming, and this will eventually result in water shortages for hundreds of millions of people who rely on glacier–dependent rivers in China, India and Nepal, warns WWF, the global conservation organization. Go to: http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=2449

Wetlands, Fish, People Benefit from Rise in Great Lakes' Levels (USA)

11 March 2005, Associated Press, by James Prichard, Grand Rapids, Michigan – Rising water levels in the Great Lakes during the past year not only have delighted property owners, who prefer views of waves over weeds, but the swelling bodies also are feeding commerce and a variety of plants and animals that call the lakes home. It also means the replenishment of wetlands along the state's shoreline, which are havens for countless varieties of fauna and flora. Go to: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny–bc–ny––lakelevels0311mar11,0,6437643.

Most Lakes' Ecosystems in Indonesia Under Threat

10 March 2005, The Jakarta Post, Medan – Severe chemical pollution threatens most lakes in the country and has the potential to create further environmental disasters, a state minister says. Go to: http://www.worldlakes.org/shownews.asp?newsid=1914

World Fisheries Managers Let Seabirds Perish on Longlines

9 March 2005, Environment News Service, Cambridge, UK - The first review ranking the environmental performance of the world’s 19 intergovernmental Regional Fisheries Management Organizations finds that most are failing to safeguard albatrosses, and the seabird populations are headed for extinction as a result. More than 300,000 seabirds, including 100,000 albatrosses, and thousands of marine mammals and turtles are killed by both legal and illegal longline fishing fleets every year. Go to: http://www.ens–newswire.com/ens/mar2005/2005–03–09–02.asp

Malawi's Man–Eaters Meet Their Match

3 March 2005, Reuters, by Ed Stoddard and Shafiek Tassiem Planet Ark, Malawi – Suddenly his target is caught in the glare: a four–metre (13 foot) brute of a crocodile crouching in the mud. "That's a good one," said Hassen, whose energy and agility belie his 69 years, as he and his assistant began the task of loading the 400 kg (1,000 lb) croc onto the boat –– which at five metres is not much longer than the dead animal. It is a perfect shot to the head, laying to rest a potentially lethal menace to local villagers terrorised by crocodiles. Malawi, with its tropical climate, fish–rich waters and abundant game is crocodile heaven. Go to: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=29802&newsdate=03–Mar–2005

Farmers 'Key to Bird–flu Control'

23 February 2005, CNN.com, Hi Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Small–scale farmers across Asia will need to modify their animal husbandry practices if a bird–flu pandemic is to be avoided, world health experts have been told. In particular, farmers will need to start fencing off poultry and animals to stop viruses spreading to humans and mutating into deadlier varieties. Go to: http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/conditions/02/23/bird.flu.asia/index.html

Report Looks at Environmental Impact of Asian Tsunami

21 February 2005, CNN.com, Nairobi, Kenya – Coastlines already damaged by pollution and man's poor land management suffered more from the southeast Asian tsunami than those with healthy coral reefs and other natural protection, the U.N. environment chief said Monday. "Those coastlines with intact coral reefs, mangroves, vegetated dunes and robust coastal forests came off better than those degraded by pollution and insensitive land use," Toepfer said... "so the environment is not a luxury ... It is an economically important insurance policy whose wisdom we ignore at our peril." Go to: http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/02/21/un.tsunami.impact.ap/

Careful Flooding May Restore Iraq Marshes

19 February 2005, Reuters, by Maggie Fox, Washington, DC, USA – Wetlands that once sheltered Marsh Arabs and a host of wildlife in southern Iraq are being partly restored and could offer a haven once again if it is done right, experts said Saturday. Luckily, water coming into the area from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is unexpectedly clean, washing away toxic salts that built up when the area was drained under Saddam Hussein's regime, the international team of experts reported. Bird species are starting to return, including pelicans, cormorants and wading species. The area was also important for spawning fish and shrimp and, with only 20 percent of the marshes restored, these animals have along way to go, the experts reported. Go to: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7680332

Fewer Monarchs Make Winter Flight to Mexico

18 February 2005, Houston Chronicle, by Dudley Althaus and Ioan Grillo, Mexico City – Mexico reports 75 percent fewer monarch butterflies in 2004. The number of monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico has declined by 75 percent this year, and some researchers warned Thursday that conditions in this country as well as in the United States and Canada threaten the survival of one of nature's great wonders. Go to:
http://earthlife.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=2


Chinese Wetlands Protection Extended

11 February 2005, by Jane Kettle – Wetland conservation in China has received a boost in the form of nine new protected sites, now part of the Ramsar Convention, covering a total of 400,000 hectares. The protected sites are especially important for migratory birds, according to Mr. Harkness, such as the endangered black–necked crane. Considered to be a holy bird amongst the local people, villagers in Shangri–la, Yunnan Province are currently working on eco–tourism projects with WWF to try to conserve the birds' habitat. Go to: http://www.worldlakes.org/news.asp

Manual for Training Bird Guides in Rural Communities (from Mexico)

By Barbara MacKinnon, Published by Amigos de Sian Ka'an A.C., 2004. This 100 page manual (in English) seeks to assist organizers and instructors of bird identification workshops in Latin American rural communities. Content is based on the author’s experience in conducting two and three-day “bird identification and guiding” workshops in rural communities, fishing villages and a Mayan forest community, all within protected natural areas on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The workshops were conducted from 2000 to 2004. For this free resource in PDF format go to: http://www.birdlife.net/news/news/2005/03/bird_guide_manual_en.pdf

Propagation of Wetland Plants, Herbaceous Plants, Shrubs and Trees

Co–authored by Dr. Edgar Garbisch, this 350–page book covers more than 100 species and contains over 200 illustrations and combines thirty–two years of wetland horticulture experience in one book. It is USD $54.95 and USD $8.00 for shipping and handling. For more information go to: http://www.wetland.org/ or call: + 1 (410) 745–9620

Remotely–sensed Indicators for Monitoring the General Condition of Watersheds: an Application for Delaware's Nanticoke River Watershed

This 17-page paper by Ralph W. Tiner, 2004, introduces a set of "natural habitat integrity indices" that can be used to document the condition of natural habitats and habitat alterations throughout a watershed and provides a set of metrics for revealing the general condition of these habitats mostly from a quantitative standpoint, and for monitoring changes and for comparing between watersheds and among sub–basins. It is available for free in PDF format:http://wetlands.fws.gov/Pubs_Reports/EcologicalIndicatorsTiner.pdf

Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide

By Dennis Paulson, Princeton University Press, 2005, Paper: USD$29.95/£18.95 or Cloth: USD $65.00/£41.95. This guide to North American and Central American shorebirds offers more than 530 photographs illustrating all shorebird species in their varied plumage, and includes text that points out the variation within common species. Go to: http://www.pupress.princeton.edu/titles/7825.html

Tracking Ocean Wanderers: Hot Spots for Cool Birds

This BirdLife International report highlights crucial areas for the conservation of albatrosses across the world’s oceans. The full report is available for free in PDF format. Go to: http://www.birdlife.net/action/science/species/seabirds/tracking.html (Source: John Cecil, National Audubon, Important Bird Areas.)

Wetland Types in New Zealand

By P.N. Johnson and P.J. Gerbeaux, 2004. This 184–page book is the final output of a Ministry for the Environment project on coordinated monitoring of New Zealand wetlands. For more information email: enquiries@wetlandtrust.org.nz.

Job Opportunities

BirdLife Caribbean Coordinator

The successful candidate will be located in the Caribbean (optional location) and will report to the Caribbean Program Manager based at BirdLife Secretariat in Cambridge, UK. (S)he will oversee the management of the Neotropical Waterbird Conservation Project in the Caribbean; coordinate a regional migratory bird program; and assist with regional program development and fundraising. For more information contact David Wege: david.wege@birdlife.org no later than 15 April 2005.

21 – 24 April
The Wilson Ornithological Society's 86th Annual Meeting
Held jointly with the Association of Field Ornithologists and the Eastern Bird Banding Association Bowie, Maryland, USA.

22 April – May 22
Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival
A month–long initiative of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds, supported by BirdLife International. For more details go to: http://www.birdlife.net/action/awareness/cebf/

May

13 – 16 May
Ramsar Regional Meeting for Asia
In preparation for the 9th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties next November, Beijing, China. For further information email: asia@ramsar.org.

14 May
International Migratory Bird Day
This year's theme, "Bird Collisions" will seek to promote awareness of the large–scale avian mortality at buildings, communication towers, and other human–made obstacles during migration. Events and festivals will be held, and education materials made available through IMBD’s Website: http://www.birdday.org/

June

New
5 – 9 June
5th International Symposium on the Ecology and Management of Shallow Lakes
Dalfsen, the Netherlands. For details go to: http://www.shallowlakes.net/congres/

5 – 10 June
Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) 26th Annual International Wetlands Meeting
Coastal Plain Wetlands: Ecological, Landscape, and Regulatory Transformations
Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Go to: http://www.sws.org/regional/SouthAtlantic/charleston.html

July

Updated
3 – 9 July
7th Bi–annual Wetlands Institute One Week Course
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Participants will learn wetland mapping, inventory, and restoration techniques, all placed in a community context. The Wetlands Institute focuses on project development and implementation. Participants interested in building and implementing a plan for a wetland education, conservation or restoration project in their own community are encouraged to apply. Go to: http://www.bcwf.bc.ca/programs/wetlands/wetlandsinstitute.html

15 – 19 July
19th Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology, Conservation Biology Capacity Building & Practice in a Globalized World
Universidade de Brasília, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil. Go to: http://www.scb2005.unb.br/

New
19 – 22 July 2005
Managing Watersheds for Human and Natural Impacts: Engineering, Ecological, and Economic Challenges
Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. Sponsored by the Environmental and Water Resources Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Go to: http://www.asce.org/conferences/watershedmanagement2005/

August

Updated
1 - 6 August
Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds 15th Regional Meeting
[La Sociedad para la Conservación y Estudio de las Aves Caribeñas]
Guadeloupe. For further details contact Carolyn Wardle: cwardle@batelnet.bs

7 – 12 August
90th Annual Meeting, Ecological Society of America
Held jointly with INTECOL, Montréal, Canada Go to: http://www.esa.org/montreal/

13 – 19 August
The American Ornithologists' Union
Santa Barbara, California, USA. 123rd Stated Meeting. Hosted by the University of California at Santa Barbara. Go to: http://www.i–o–c.org/

September

New
4 – 8 September
International Symposium on Wetland Pollutant Dynamics and Control
Ghent, Belgium. Go to: http://biomath.ugent.be/wetpol/index_high.html

Updated
6 September
River Basin Management 2005
Bologna, Italy. 3rd International Conference on River Basin Management including all aspects of Hydrology, Ecology, Environmental Management, Flood Plains and Wetlands. Go to: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2005/rm05/index.html

New
12 – 18 September
Society for Ecological Restoration International Annual Meeting
A session titled "Agricultural Wetland Habitats: Assessment, mapping, revitalizing, naturalizing" Zaragosa, Spain. Topics may include cranberry, rice, forested and other wetland areas; formerly drained/tiled/flooded sites; and related regulatory, cultural and societal issues. For further details go to: http://www.ecologicalrestoration.net/

New
22 – 25 September
W3M conference. For wetlands: monitoring, modeling, management
Wierzba, Poland. Go to: http://levis.sggw.waw.pl/wethydro/contents/w3m.htm

October

New
3 – 7 October
Peatland Ecology Research Group (PERG) Restoration Workshop
Québec, Canada, open to all those interested in studying the "Canadian way" of peatland restoration. PERG website: http://www.gret–perg.ulaval.ca/en_presentation.html

New
25 – 27 October
2nd Regional Workshop on Dredging, Beach Nourishment, and Bird Conservation
Eastern Long Island, New York, USA, Islandia Marriott. Sponsored by the American Bird Conservancy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A principal focus will be on three coastal bird groups: waterbirds, shorebirds, and Piping Plovers. For more information contact Casey Lott at American Bird Conservancy: clott@abcbirds.org

November

New
7 – 11 November
2nd North American Sea Duck Conference
Annapolis, MD. Sponsored by the Sea Duck Joint Venture, and by various other federal and private organizations. Sponsored by the United States Geological Survey – Patuxent Wildlife Research Center at the Loews Annapolis Hotel. Go to: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/perry/scoters/SeaduckConf2005.htm

Updated
8 – 15 November
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Kampala, Uganda, 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP9) Details to come.

New
8 – 26 November
Community–based Integrated Watershed Management
Silang, Cavite, Philippines. Organised by the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), this 3–week training course intends to offer a new approach in integrating technologies and participatory strategies within the natural landscape or "watershed" for sustainable resource use, conservation and protection. Go to: http://www.comminit.com/events_calendar/2005–events/events–3312.html

28 November – 2 December
3rd International Conference on Deep Sea Corals
Virginia Key, an island off the coast of Miami, Florida, USA. Offered by the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS). For more information go to: http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/coral/index.html

December

New
December
11 – 13 December
Australasian Shorebird Conference 2005
Nelson, New Zealand. Hosted by the Ornithological Society of New Zealand, the Australasian Wader Study Group, and the New Zealand Wader Study Group. [The Conference follows the Australasian Ornithological Conference which will be held in Blenheim, New Zealand 6–10 December 2005.] For more information and/or to register go to: http://osnz.org.nz/conference.htm. Contact David Melville (david.melville@xtra.co.nz) for general conference issues, and Phil Battley (philbattley@quicksilver.net.nz) about the program.

2006

February 2006

New
20 – 23 February
4th Mangrove Forest Ecology, Management and Restoration Training Workshop
Hollywood, Florida, USA, Anne Kolb Nature Center. The workshop includes an introduction to mangrove forest ecology, management options and problems, and restoration design issues. Case studies of 5 successful mangrove restoration projects, and several unsuccessful projects, are discussed. Field trips are taken within the 500 ha West Lake Park mangrove restoration project. This course is organized by the Coastal Resources Group, Inc., and will be taught in conjunction with the Mangrove Action Project (www.earthisland.org/map). More information can be provided by Robin Lewis: LESRRL3@aol.com and www.mangroverestoration.com.

June 2006

20th Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology, Conservation Without Borders
San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California, USA. More details to come.

August 2006

6 – 11 August
Ecological Society of America 91st Annual Meeting
Memphis, Tennessee, USA. For more information go to: http://www.esa.org/

13 – 19 August
24th International Ornithological Congress
The Deutsche Ornithologen–Gesellschaft (DO–G, German Ornithologist's Society) and Institute of Avian Reseach 'Vogelwarte Helgoland,' Wilhelmshaven
Hamburg, Germany.

September 2006

1 –3 September
Seabird Populations Under Pressure
Aberdeen, Scotland. To be hosted by the (UK) Seabird Group. For further information contact: Mark Tasker: mark.tasker@jncc.gov.uk

October 2006

Updated
2 – 7 October 2006
4th North American Ornithological Conference (NAOC)
Veracruz, Mexico. Other associated meetings: American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, CIPAMEX (Sección Mexicana de Consejo Internacional para la Preservación de las Aves, A. C.) , Cooper Ornithological Society, Raptor Research Foundation, Society of Canadian Ornithologists / Société des Ornithologistes du Canada, The Waterbird Society, Wilson Ornithological Society. Go to: http://www.naoc2006.org/

December 2006

New
9 – 13 December
3rd National Conference and Expo on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration, "Forging the National Imperative for Restoration"
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, Hilton Riverside Hotel. Contact Conference Planning/Program coordinator, Steve Emmett-Mattox at sem@estuaries.org.

2007

June 2007

VIII Neotropical Ornithological Congress
Maturín (Monagas), Venezuela & Unión Venezolana de Ornitología.

The End
1 April 2005