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Delivering his welcome note, Mr. Narayan Belbase, Country Representative of IUCN Nepal, remarked that the meeting has been convened to share the outcomes of the Asian Wetland Symposium which he hoped will enable people working on the balance between wetland conservation and livelihoods improvement in Nepal to build sustainable partnerships and share knowledge and experiences. Sharing the outcomes of the 4th Asian Wetland Symposium, Dr. Bishnu Bhandari, Chief Technical Advisor of IUCN Nepal, remarked that the relevant conservation organisations should work closely with the State in coordination with all the stakeholders to identify integrated approaches for linking development goals and biodiversity conservation in order to achieve both improved local livelihoods and sustainable and wise use of wetlands in Nepal. "IUCN has initiated a multi-stakeholder wetland group aimed at facilitating deliberation about significant wetland issues. This platform provides a wide range of perspectives into wetland policy and practice," Dr. Bhandari said and added that we should focus our efforts in identifying priorities in wetland management in Nepal and the Hanoi Call for Action has provided valuable guidance to the Conference of Parties to the Ramsar Convention. Mr. Sanjay Dhungel, senior divisional engineer of Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) of the Ministry of Water Resources underlined the need to undertake wider consultations and share information and knowledge amongst the relevant inter-sectoral agencies to define programmes and possibilities of intervention in wetland conservation. Mr. Jhamak B. Karki, ecologist of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation said that the Asian Wetland Symposium has identified 10 urgent and immediate actions that should be taken to address these challenges, and calls on policy and decision-makers to give priority attention to these, and to ensure that the necessary resources are made available to support their implementation at the local, national and regional levels. He added that inter-sectoral agencies and civil society organisations need to work collectively in presenting Nepal optimally during the forthcoming 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the to the Convention on Wetlands to be held in Changwon, Korea in late October, 2008. For more information, please contact: Dr. Bishnu Bhandari |
Wetlands have aroused considerable attention in recent years as appreciation of the direct and indirect benefits of these ecosystems has increased. This awareness has taken place not only among the general public but also at many levels. Against the backdrop of the wetland issues, IUCN Nepal organised an interaction programme on July 17 to share the outcomes of the 4th Asian Wetland Symposium held in Hanoi, Vietnam in June 2008. | Print |