On January 25, 2024, the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands held the Annual Planning Meeting of Ramsar Regional Initiatives (RRI), where RRIs members presented their achievements and exchanged ideas on future activities.
The meeting was attended by 40 representatives of 21 RRIs around the world. The discussion was based on a theme of "Capacity Building" and strategies on how RRIs and the Secretariat can support each other.
“RRI-CA has done a lot of work over the past year and achieved good results. As one of the brightest examples we can mention Lake Sudochye, which was included in the list of Wetlands of International Importance protected by the Ramsar Convention. It should also be noted that the Green Central Asia initiative is working on mechanisms for establishing transboundary Ramsar sites,” - said Maxim Mitropolsky, Chairman of the RRI-CA Coordination Committee.
In addition, RRI-CA members shared the news about the preparation and preliminary approval with the donor of a new project for RRI-CA network and plans to recommend lakes Karakol, Zhyltyrbas and Altyn Kol to the list of Ramsar sites.
Brief reference
It should be noted that the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) contributes to the implementation of the Ramsar Convention. With the support of GIZ and the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, CAREC supports the Ramsar Regional Initiative of Central Asia (RRI-CA). The RRI-CA’s objectives:
· Support for the implementation of the Strategic Plan of the Ramsar Convention in Central Asia;
· Promoting the effective conservation and sustainable use of existing and potential Ramsar wetlands in the region;
· Raising awareness of the importance of wetland ecosystems;
· Inclusion of wetlands issues in the programs of national and regional nature protection activities;
· Ensuring the transfer of knowledge and experience in Central Asia and other regions of the world.
Additional information: Ludmila Kiktenko – Programme Manage, Environmental Management Programme, CAREC, lkiktenko@carececo.org
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