Selection of the chairs of the Specialist Groups of the MedWet Scientific and Technical Network

To enhance the implementation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands across the Mediterranean region and contribute effectively to the conservation and management of Mediterranean Ramsar Sites, the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative (MedWet) is proud to announce the selection of the chairs of the Specialist Groups of the Scientific and Technical Network (MedWet/STN).

The MedWet/STN network was recently presented during the 20th meeting of the Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), held at the Ramsar Secretariat’s headquarters in Gland, Switzerland, from 13th to 17th of February 2017. (For more information see below)

The objectives of the MedWet/STN are, inter alia, to provide scientific and technical support to the MedWet member countries concerning their policies and actions related to wetland conservation and sustainable use; to encourage the establishment of scientific and technical networks working on wetland-related issues in each MedWet country; and to provide inputs from a Mediterranean perspective to the work of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

The MedWet/STN will work through five Specialist Groups (SG) in the key areas of: Biodiversity, Inventories, Climate change, Water and Ecosystem services.

Biodiversity: to revise new red lists for Mediterranean taxa and collect the missing information required to identify new Key Biodiversity Areas;
Inventories: to develop wetland inventories through the use of satellite-based systems to monitor wetlands and produce a harmonized database to be integrated into national legislations;
Climate change: to evaluate the impact of climate change on wetlands and water resources, and to assess carbon stocks in Mediterranean wetlands and the role of coastal wetlands in the mitigation of the consequences of rising sea levels;
Water: to provide guidance on the key water-related issues that concern the integrity of the water cycle;
Ecosystem services: to convey information on the complexity of interactions between natural systems and society and their related benefits and to provide recommendations on wetland governance for Mediterranean decision-makers.

The Chair of the MedWet/STN is Dr. Patrick Grillas, Coordinator of the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory at the Research Institute on the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands Tour du Valat.

And now, the five Chairs of the Specialist Groups have been appointed:

Biodiversity-SG will be chaired by Violeta Barrios, from IUCN-Med.
Inventories-SG will be chaired by Marc Paganini, from European Space Agency.
Climate change-SG will be chaired by Maria Snoussi, from University of Rabat.
Water-SG will be chaired by Stefano Barchiesi, from IUCN-Global Water Programme.
Ecosystem Services-SG will be chaired by Özge Balkiz, from Doğa Koruma Merkezi, Turkey.

Chairs of the Specialist Groups of the MedWet/STN

20th Meeting of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel

The 20th meeting of the Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP20) took place at the Secretariat’s headquarters in Gland from 13-17 February 2017. The main purpose of the meeting was to progress the nine high priority tasks in the STRP work plan. Read the Ramsar news here.