Unite to preserve the future of wetland areas in the Mediterranean: this was the aim of the 3rd international workshop of the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory, at Tour du Valat, this past spring The meeting gathered 60 delegates including governmental representatives, NGOs and research centres together with the secretariats of the Ramsar Convention, the Convention on Biodiversity and the MedWet Initiative.
Managed by the Tour du Valat, the MWO is intended to become a major tool for monitoring and assessing the state of conservation and evolution of wetlands in the Mediterranean basin. By means of a broad international partnership, its aim is to compile and improve knowledge about this ecosystem, notably by monitoring indicators throughout the basin, and to help decision-makers and site managers to take concrete measures to preserve these still highly threatened habitats.
This year we willl be particularly busy on the following four fronts:
- collecting data and analysing some of the 22 identified indicators, with the crucial support of all our technical, institutional and financial partners
- defining indicators for two of the Observatory’s subject areas
- preparing the Observatory’s first report on status and trends in Mediterranean wetlands
- drawing up the communication plan and appropriate communication tools: next step in June will be the launching of our website.
The Observatory’s first results, to be published in the report in early 2011, will be the subject of a broad-based communication campaign.