The Ramsar Convention and its MedWet Initiative and the Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia announce the organisation of an International Symposium on Mediterranean Wetlands, to be held in the town of Grado, in Northern Italy, on 12-15 September 2011. Twenty years before, in February 1991, a first pan-Mediterranean meeting on wetlands took place also in Grado and led to important measures for the conservation and wise use of these unique ecosystems.

The Grado+20 event coincides with the 40th anniversary of the signature of the Ramsar Convention in the Iranian city of Ramsar, as well as with the 20th anniversary of the inception of the Mediterranean Wetlands (MedWet) Initiative.

The Symposium will gather experts, scientists, wetland managers, conservationists, decision-makers and other stakeholders involved with the conservation of wetlands and the sustainable use of their resources. It will provide the opportunity to evaluate the results of conservation efforts during the past twenty years, consider current and future threats and developments, assess new approaches and tools and plan for the next two decades.

More information will be available on the Grado+20 symposium’s website which is currently under construction.