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News from IUCN (the World Conservation Union)

IUCN's Mangroves for the Future Programme received support at a meeting organized by the Office of the United Nations’ Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, headed by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Click here for more information.

Update from Korea - Shorebirds of the Yellow Sea / Saemangeum Shorebird Monitoring Program

Three teams found 23 species and approximately 45,000 individuals of shorebirds in April. The most numerous were Dunlin (16,370), Bar-tailed Godwit (12,460), Great Knot (10,429), Far Eastern Curlew (2,560), Grey Plover (2,194), and Eastern Oystercatcher (862). Click here for more details.

News from Nepal
Wetland Friends of Nepal has been launched. Click here

U.S. Virgin Islands New Ebird Website

This is the first eBird website for the Caribbean and offers some of the most advanced capabilities to make birding, research, and outreach more enjoyable. The regularly updated "Birding News & Features" covers what's happening in the U.S.Virgin Islands and region. Like other eBird websites developed in collaboration with Cornell Labs, the "My eBird" sections allows birds and scientists to keep their own observations, generate maps, tables, and records. It is hoped that others in the Caribbean will join this exciting program and expand our knowledge of regional birds even more.
Click here to see the website.

Ramsar News:

Cameroon and Fiji Join Ramsar (see new sites listed below)

New Ramsar Sites:

Republic of Belarus - 8th Ramsar site - Prostyr.
Cameroon - Waza Logone Floodplain
Chad - Plaines d'inondation des Bahr Aouk et Salamat
Ecuador - Complejo de Humedales Ñucanchi Turupamba
Fiji - Upper Navua Conservation Area
Guatemala - Eco-región Lachuá
Indonesia - Wasur National Park
Portugal - 5 new sites: Bertiandos and S. Pedro of Arcos Lagoons; Estrela Mountain upper Plateau and upper Zêzere River; Fajãs, of Caldeira and Cubres Lagoons; Mira Minde Polje and related Springs; and and Mondego Estuary.
Turkish Republic - 3 new sites: Kizören Obrouk; Meke Maar; and Yumurtalik Lagoons.

For more details click here.

USFWS - 2006 Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Grants are Announced

43 conservation projects throughout the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean had been approved for funding under the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. Click here

No Evidence of Deadly Avian Flu in African Wild Birds

30 May 2006, Wetlands International - FAO, CIRAD and Wetlands International presented interim results of their work on Avian Influenza in wild birds in Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe. No evidence was found for Highly Pathogenic H5N1 in the samples from wild birds from Africa. This is an important outcome as many feared that through the sequence of Autumn and Spring migration, HP H5N1 would be carried by wild birds from the outbreak areas into Africa and then back up into Europe. Click here


China's Three Gorges Dam to Begin Flood Control With a Bang

29 May 2006, Environmental News Service, Beijing, China - The moment of truth for the world's largest dam will arrive on June 6. The main concrete wall of the Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze River must begin to hold water after a temporary cofferdam is demolished in a series of planned explosions. Click here


Migratory Birds Suffer Huge Loss

25 May 2006, by Rebecca Morelle, BBC News - Migratory birds have suffered a dramatic decline in numbers, according to a study. Fifty-four percent of the 121 long-distant migratory birds studied suffered plummeting numbers or had even become extinct since 1970. The researchers say the cause of the decline remains a "mystery", but could be linked to climate change, habitat destruction or pesticide use. Click here

Chad Designates Enormous Wetland Reserve

23 May 2006, Environment News Service, Gland Switzerland - The West African country of Chad has announced designation of a vast stretch of floodplains, a lake, rivers, and ponds on its southern border as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. Chad's Ramsar Administrative Authority, the Direction de Conservation de la Faune et des Aires Protegées, has effectively doubled Chad's surface area under the Ramsar umbrella. Click here

House Vote Supports Clean Water Protection for Isolated Wetlands (USA)

22 May 2006, Environmental News Service, Washington, DC - In what conservationists are calling a "huge victory for clean water," the House of Representatives voted last week 222-198 to accept an amendment to the FY 07 Interior/EPA Appropriations bill that will force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop using a policy that has put millions of acres of wetlands, streams, lakes and ponds at risk across the nation. Click here

How Healthy is That Marsh? Biologists Count Parasites (USA)

18 May 2006, EurkeAlert - Is that salt marsh healthy? To answer this, Sea Grant biologists are cracking open common marsh snails and counting parasitic worms. Their claim: the more parasites, the healthier the marsh. While the parasite hypothesis may conflict with conventional ideas about infectious disease and human health (malaria, for example, is caused by a parasite), the worms the scientists are investigating are not just any kind of parasite... Click here

A Conservation Vision for New Guinea's Wetlands

17 May 2006, WWF in Asia/Pacific, Madang, Papua New Guinea – A conservation "vision" to protect one of the Asia-Pacific region's largest, richest and most pristine wetlands on the island of New Guinea has been officially launched. Click here

British Water Firm Mulls Towing Icebergs to Solve Water Shortage

16 May 2006, Agence France-Presse - Britain's biggest water supplier, Thames Water, is seriously considering towing icebergs from the Arctic to London to solve what could be the worst shortage in a century, a newspaper reported. Click here

Glaciers in Africa Expected to Disappear

16 May 2006, Associated Press, Washington, USA - Mountain glaciers in equatorial Africa are on their way to disappearing within two decades, a team of British researchers reports. Located in the Rwenzori Mountains on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the glaciers will be gone within 20 years if current warming continues... Click here

Justices Uphold State Rules in Decision on Dam Licenses (USA)

16 May 2006, by Linda Greenhouse, The New York Times - The Supreme Court ruled that operators of hydroelectric dams must meet a state's water quality requirements in order to qualify for a federal license. The unanimous decision was the court's first ruling in an environmental case under Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., and it came as a relief to environmental advocates... Click here

What Price Nature? Bogs $6,000, Reefs $10,000

15 May 2006, by Alister Doyle, Reuters, Oslo — The figures read like a real estate agent's listings: 2.5 acres of marsh in Canada, $6,000 per year; a tropical forest in Cameroon, $3,500; a Caribbean coral reef, $10,000. The estimates from United Nations-backed studies are part of a fledgling bid to put a price on nature's bounties, from the production of crops, fish or timber to clean water supplies or the prevention of erosion... Click here

Who Pays to Repair Louisiana's Wetlands?

15 May 2006, by Daniel Zwerdling, National Public Radio - Southern Louisiana's wetlands, a buffer against hurricanes, are slowly disappearing. Oil exploration has contributed to the damage. But who should pay to repair the wetlands? The state government and oil companies are asking the federal government to foot a bill that will run into the billions. (Audio) Click here

Newly Approved Bird Repellant Saves Corn and Cranes

15 May 2006 - Environment News Service, Barbaboo, Wisconsin - The International Crane Foundation has been notified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that temporary approval has been given for the use of the non-lethal bird repellant, Avitec. This approval advances the International Crane Foundation’s (ICF) goal to reduce conflicts arising between farmers and the increasing population of Sandhill Cranes in the Midwest. Click here

Geologists Show How Wetlands Can Clean Up Acid Mine Drainage (USA)

14 May 2006, University of Cincinnati - University of Cincinnati geologists have found that a few key factors can determine whether a wetland area can successfully reduce the impact from acid mine drainage. Acid mine drainage is a global problem that results when chemical reactions involving key elements (sulfur and iron) react with water in the environment, ultimately producing sulfuric acid. This process occurs naturally, but is accelerated when rocks are left exposed to open air. Click here

Black Water Market Drying out Spain Says WWF

12 May 2006, PlanetArk, Madrid, Spain - Enough water to supply 58 million people is reported to be stolen from Spain's underground reserves each year, drying out already-parched land to feed the lucrative property, tourism and agricultural sectors. WWF said there was a hugely profitable black market in water extracted from around 510,000 illegal wells throughout Spain. Southern Spain is already one of the driest parts of Europe and according to the government, a third of the country is in danger of turning into a desert... Click here

Dragonfly Migration Resembles that of Birds, Scientists Say

12 May 2006, Princeton University, Science Daily - Scientists have discovered that migrating dragonflies and songbirds exhibit many of the same behaviors, suggesting the rules that govern such long-distance travel may be simpler and more ancient than was once thought. The research, published in the May 11 Biology Letters, is based on data generated by tracking 14 green darner dragonflies with radio transmitters weighing only 300 milligrams -- about a third as much as a paper clip. Click here

Success Stories Highlighted on First U.S. Endangered Species Day

11 May 2006, Environment News Service, Washington DC - The U.S. Senate has declared May 11 to be Endangered Species Day. The resolution, passed unanimously states that the purpose of the Day is to “encourage the people of the United States to become educated about, and aware of, threats to species, success stories in species recovery, and the opportunity to promote species conservation worldwide.” Click here

Bye Bye Birdies

7 May 2006, by Michael Lemonick, TIMEeurope - Populations of many migratory species have plummeted--and, in some cases, global warming seems to be at fault. Radar studies of annual migrations suggest that the number of birds winging along America's flyways may be down by nearly 50% over the past 30 years... Click here (must log in to read full article.)

Migrating Birds Not Early Enough

5 May 2006, by Eli Kintisch, ScienceNOW Daily News - Some pied flycatchers, a common migratory bird slightly smaller than a sparrow, are missing their spring meals and dying as a result of climate change, a team of scientists reported this week. The discovery is one of the most sophisticated showing the domino effect of shifting seasons and their impact on predators and prey. Click here

Eight New Frog Species Discovered in Laos

4 May 2006, by Michael Casey, Associated Press, Bankok, Thailand - You want to find a new frog species? Head to the Southeast Asian nation of Laos. Scientists working in conjunction with the New York-based World Conservation Society, say they have discovered eight new species of frogs in the past two years. Click here


Ecology of Botswana's Okavango Delta Deteriorating

2 May 2006, Afrol News - The unique inland delta in Botswana's Kalahari Desert, the Okavango, is slowly changing due to a drier climate, increased grazing and a growing pressure from tourism. The Okavango Delta is one of Africa's most important wetland areas - known from countless nature films - and home to many threatened species. Vulnerable birds, like the slaty egret, are losing their key breeding sites. Click here

African Wetland Managers Armed with New Technology

2 May 2006, European Space Agency - GlobWetland, an ESA-led initiative in collaboration with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat is using satellite imagery to provide detailed wide-area views of individual wetlands to aid national and local conservation efforts. Because the success of wetland conservation ultimately comes down to individual wetland managers, the GlobWetland products and services are user-oriented and based on specific requests of users across 50 sites in 21 countries worldwide. Click here


China's 'Roof of the World' Glaciers Melting Fast

May 03, 2006, Reuters, Beijing — Glaciers covering China's Qinghai-Tibet plateau are shrinking by 7 percent a year due to global warming and the environmental consequences may be dire, Xinhua news agency reported. Rising temperatures that have accelerated the melting of glaciers across the "roof of the world" will eventually turn tundra that spans Tibet and surrounding high country into desert, the agency quoted Professor Dong Guangrong with the Chinese Academy of Sciences as saying. Click here


Romania Struggles as Floods Leave 4,000 Homeless

1 May 2006 - Reuters, Bucharest - Romania is struggling to prevent a humanitarian disaster after floods around the Danube river this month left at least 4,000 homeless, authorities said. Large swaths of land and hundreds of houses along the river, Europe's second-longest, remain under water after weeks of flooding and 14,000 Romanians are still displaced, living in improvised shelters, military tents or with relatives. Click here

Global Water Crisis

28 April 2006, Water Conservation Blog - A new book entitled "When the Rivers Run Dry" argues that the global water shortage is the "defining crisis" of our time. In a revealing Salon book review and interview with the author, Fred Pearce, reveals that while we may save over four gallons of water by turning off the tap when brushing our teeth, it takes 265 gallons to produce a glass of milk and 800 gallons for a hamburger. Most of the water that each one of us uses comes from the water used to irrigate the crops that we consume. Click here

ERS-2 Helps Detect Massive Rivers Under Antarctica

20 April 2006, EurekAlert - British scientists have discovered rivers the size of the Thames in London flowing hundreds of miles under the Antarctica ice shelf by examining small changes in elevation, observed by ESA's ERS-2 satellite, in the surface of the oldest, thickest ice in the region, according to an article published in Nature. Click here

Worldwide Wetland Restoration Could Reduce Bird Flu Threat

11 April 2006 - Environment News Service, Nairobi, Kenya - The loss of wetlands around the world is forcing wild birds that may have avian influenza onto alternative sites like farm ponds and paddy fields, where they come into contact with chickens, ducks, and geese, finds a new report commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Restoring the tens of thousands of lost and degraded wetlands could help reduce the threat of an avian flu pandemic by providing wild birds with their preferred habitat, according to the report authored by Dr. David Rapport of Canada. Click here For a related article from UNEP click here


Massive S. Korean Land Plan Nears End, Critics Cry Foul

10 April 2006, by Jack Kim, Reuters, Puan, South Korea - Massive earthmovers and trucks roar as they dump rocks the size of cars into the sea off South Korea's west coast in a map-altering reclamation project at the centre of a bitter environmental dispute. The project calls for one of the biggest landfills in history covering about 400 square km (155 square miles) -- two-thirds the area of Singapore and more than six times the size of Manhattan. Click here

World Migratory Bird Day

8 April 2006 - First World Migratory Bird Day held by the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Click here

Marsh Bird Materials On-line

For the final continental-scale status assessment results click here.

For the results from a marsh bird monitoring technical workshop click here.

MedWet Regions DVD

This DVD contains project results from "Action Program for Wetlands in the Mediterranean Region, also known as MedWet Regions. Produced by the Junta de Andalucia, Consejeria de Medio Ambiente, the Spanish-language DVD contains information and inventory data presented in an interactive format along with interactive maps. Presence and size of settlements, vegetation, hydrographic network and location of wetlands are among the data mapped and available for browsing. Click here


Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) Site Assessment Tool Available

WHSRN announces an Assessment Tool for conservation planning at each of the 64 member sites. The Tool, an Excel workbook with both English and Spanish versions, adapts and incorporates methods developed by IUCN–The World Conservation Union, BirdLife International, The Nature Conservancy and WWF. In response to accumulating evidence of sharp declines in shorebird populations, the assessments aim to review the state of conservation at WHSRN sites, all of them crucial spots for shorebirds in the Americas. The tool can help sites with adaptive management by indicating priorities for action, information gaps and monitoring needs. Click here for more details.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service International Affairs
Wildlife Without Boarders, for Latin America & the Caribbean

Grants are between $3,000 and 50,000 USD and are intended to protect fish, wildlife and plant resources in the Western Hemisphere. There is no deadline. Click here for more details.

20 - 24 June
20th Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology, Conservation Without Borders
San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California, USA. Click here

New
20 - 25 June
Eden: Marshlands of Mesopotamia
a photographic exhibition by MedWet and Embassy of Canada at Ecofilms Festival, Rodos, Greece. Click here

30 June
Deadline for Ramsar Small Grants
Click here for The SGF Operational Guidelines.

July

9 - 14 July
The Society of Wetland Scientists Annual Meeting will be held in Cairns, Australia, as a joint meeting with the Australian Marine Science Association. For further information, visit the website or contact the conference organiser, Sally Brown: Sally.Brown@uq.net.au, or the conference chair, David Rissik: David.Rissik@nrc.nsw.gov.au

August

6 – 11 August
Ecological Society of America 91st Annual Meeting
Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Click here

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. Click here

New
20 - 26 August
World Water Week, Beyond the River - Sharing Benefits and Responsibilities
Stockholm, Sweden. It includes plenary sessions and panel debates, scientific workshops, independently-organised seminars and side events, exhibitions and prize ceremonies in the water field. The meeting is intended for experts from businesses, governments, the water management and science sectors, inter-governmental organisations, NGOs, research and training institutions and United Nations agencies. Click here

22 – 25 August
5th European Conference on Ecological Restoration, Greifswald, Germany. Click here

New
27 - 31 August
Ecosystem, Water and Biodiversity,
UNITAR, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, is offering this training course in Kushiro, Japan, as part of their Training Series on Biodiversity. The series is co-organized with the Kushiro International Wetland Centre in partnership with the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Convention on Biological Diversity, with financial support from the government of Japan. Click here for more information about the course and for an application.

28 – 31 August
Great Lakes and Beyond
Wetlands 2006 International Symposium: Applying Scientific, Legal, and Management Tools to the Great Lakes and Beyond. Organized by the Association of State Wetland Managers. Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Traverse City, Michigan, USA. Click here or email Laura at: laura@aswm.org.

29 – 31 August
Wetlands 2006: Wetlands of the Great Lakes
Organized by the Association of State Wetland Managers. Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Traverse City, Michigan, USA. For more information contact: laura@aswm.org.


September

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

8 – 17 September
Jocotoco Birdathon - to take place at two Jocotoco Foundation Reserves - The Buenaventura Reserve, located in southwestern Ecuador. Sponsored by the American Bird Conservancy, the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative and Jocotoco Foundation. This event seeks to raise money to save habitat for Ecuador's rarest birds while helping two Important Bird Areas battle for the title of "Birdiest Reserve." For more information contact: Craig Thompson, (608) 785-1277, Craig.Thompson@dnr.state.wi.us.

New
10 - 14 September
IWA World Water Congress,
Beijing, China. Organized by the International Water Association, the congress will build on the work of its predecessors. Leading researchers and practitioners will present the latest innovations in water management at the Congress. Click here

11 – 14 September 2006,
HydroEco2006 International Multidisciplinary Conference on Hydrology and Ecology: The Groundwater/Ecology Connection, Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), Czech Republic. Click here

October

2 – 7 October
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. Click here

New
9 - 15 October
International Conference on Water, Ecosystems, and Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones
Urumqi, China. The conference is organized around four major themes: water and environment; agricultural practices; water and civilization; and issues and perspectives for the future. Click here

November

New
4 - 24 November
North-west Australia Wader & Tern Expedition 2006
Organized by the Australasian Wader Studies Group. To take place in Broome and 80 Mile Beach, Australia. For more information download their first announcement. Click here to find link to a full PDF description.

New
28 - 30 November
Second International Conference on Estuaries and Coasts
Guangzhou, China. Topics include advancing estuarine and coastal engineering research to enhance the ecological environment. Other topics include: estuarine and coastal processes; estuarine eco-environment and its protection; and maintenance and management of waterways in estuaries and harbours. Click here


December

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 Click here

2007

June 2007

4 – 9 June
VIII Neotropical Ornithological Congress
Maturín (Monagas), Venezuela & Unión Venezolana de Ornitología. Click here



July 2007

New
1 - 7 July 2007
21st Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The conference will be hosted by the Terrestrial Ecology Research Unit (TERU) of the NMMU. Click here

August 2007

5 –- 10 August
92nd Annual Meeting of The Ecological Society of America
San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California

8 – 11 August 2007
A meeting of The American Ornithologists' Union
to take place at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.

October 2007

New
28 October - 2 November 2007
12th World Lakes Conference
Organised by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, New Delhi, and co-hosted by the Government of Rajasthan. The Conference will be held at Jaipur (Rajasthan) the Pink City, 260 km from New Delhi. Click here

2008

New
Date-to-be-determined
10th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention
Changwon, Republic of Korea. Click here


June 2008

9 – 15 June 2008
13th International Peat Congress After Wise Use - The Future of Peatlands, Tullamore, Ireland.
Click here

July 2008

New
13 - 18 July 2008
22nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology
To be held at the Chattanooga Convention Center, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. Hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences. More information to come.

The End
1 June 2006