The Ramsar Bulletin Board, 2 February 2005 Headline story.World
Wetlands Day. The second of February is World Wetlands Day, and
around the world activities of all sorts are being sponsored by
governments and civil groups at all levels, both today and on
nearby dates at their convenience. At the Ramsar Secretariat,
where the STRP meetings are going on all this week, a "debate"
is being held this afternoon on the ability of ecosystems like
mangroves and coral reefs to mitigate the effects of natural
disasters such as the recent devastating tsunami in South Asia.
In addition to the STRP members themselves, participants include
experts for a number of relevant organizations, including the
WMO, FAO, UNEP, IUCN, WWF and others, and it is co-chaired by
Philippe Roch, environment minister of Switzerland, and Kemi
Awoyinka of Wetlands International, with introductory
presentations by Douglas Taylor of Wetlands International,
Rebecca Tharme of the Integrated Water Management Institute, and
Mette Wilkie of FAO. It is ex