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 This
concept, the central theme of the event, will be the motif that
orients the 7th Meeting of Signatories to the Convention on
Wetlands, or Ramsar Convention, to be held in San Jose,
Costa Rica, May 10 to 18, 1999.
I don’t believe it is difficult to demonstrate
the existence of this vital link between people and wetlands.
Almost without exception, these areas are extremely useful for
societies, whether because of their ecological functions or for
the direct and indirect benefits they provide for the welfare
of people and development. The old, deep-rooted concept of wetlands
as infected swamps that should be drained is now giving way surprisingly
rapidly to an appreciation of the tangible and intangible benefits
provided by these ecosystems. As always, there are exceptions
to the rule, and wetlands continue to be drained, polluted and
transformed. But the movement to conserve wetlands and use them
sustainably, to a large extent embodied in the Ramsar Convention,
is winning more converts every day.
Attesting to this are the Convention’s
110 member countries, including all of Mesoamérica. Together
these signatories have designated more than 900 sites for inclusion
on the Ramsar List of Wetlands Areas with International Importance,
all together extending over 68 million hectares.
"Ramsar and Water" will be
one of the key issues of debate at "COP7," as
we call the event for short. Water, an increasingly scarce resource,
is at the very heart of the international community’s concern,
and the Ramsar Convention will not be able to stay out of that
debate. Indeed, given its urgings and the mechanisms that have
been developed, Ramsar must prepare to make its rightful contribution
on behalf of comprehensive management of aquatic resources. The
basic premise is that to make sure people have the water they
need for their well-being and development, ecosystems that contribute
water must be healthy, and this includes wetlands.
 The
participation of all levels of society in wetlands management
will be another central issue of debate. Without the participation
of local communities and indigenous peoples, and particularly
women, but also business and the private sector, academic groups,
nongovernmental organizations, lawmakers, educators—in a
word, all those interested and/or affected by the mere existence
and/or use made of natural resources--their long-term conservation
and sustainable use cannot be guaranteed. We must all be conscious
of this and take the corresponding actions.
International cooperation, in particular trans-border
cooperation with respect to shared wetlands and aquatic resources,
are also issues that participants of the event will have to roll
up their sleeves and deal with. Water crosses borders, sometimes
at the surface and sometimes deep below. This requires governments
and private citizens to find an ideal and equitable forum where
this fact of nature can produce fruitful contacts, not confrontation
and conflict. The Ramsar Convention must be an instrument for
this purpose.
Lastly, planning mechanisms, including legislation
and techniques for restoring degraded wetlands, can also be an
important topic of discussion, as long as we intend to move beyond
mere debate. Concrete measures for action will have to be recommended
and adopted.
COP7 will be an important event in
the history of Ramsar, because the Convention must emerge from
this meeting renewed, strengthened, and prepared to make a definitive
contribution to planetary sustainable development, in synergy
with the other great environmental treaties.
Delmar Blasco
Secretary General
Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)
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