Recent promotional activities on Mediterranean island wetlands

Based on the experience acquired in the project “Conservation of the island wetlands of Greece” (2004-2013), implemented by WWF Greece and thanks to the support of the MAVA Foundation, the Mediterranean Island Wetlands project (MedIsWet) aspires to establish a network of NGOs, institutes, universities and public authorities.

The project includes actions for the completion of the inventories of all the Mediterranean island wetlands, dissemination of knowledge and promotion of certain conservation measures in local, national and Mediterranean scale.

These are the actions and events that have been organized by the MedIsWet partners in the framework of the project:

Training on ecosystem services

A three-day training workshop was organised in Tour du Valat (France) on 14-16 January 2019 with the participation of representatives of 12 NGOs, institutes, and universities. The objective of the workshop was to develop understanding of how to apply the Rapid Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services in the context of the MedIsWet project.

A total of 14 people attended this session with Rob McInnes, co-author of the Resolution XIII.17 on Rapid Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services (RAWES) adopted at the Ramsar Convention’s 13^th meeting of the Contracting Parties (COP13), which was held in Dubai in October 2018.

Training on ecosystem services in Tour du Valat. Photo credit: Thanos Giannakakis/WWF Greece

Installing information signs at Ramsar Sites in Tunisia

In the framework of the celebration of World Wetland Day, WWF North Africa installed ten descriptive signs in five Ramsar Sites on the islands of Djerba, Kerkennah, and Kneiss. This action was implemented with the cooperation of the General Directorate of Forests of Tunisia (DGF) and aims to highlight the importance of wetland ecosystems in the country.

Installing information signs at Ramsar Sites in Tunisia. Photo credit Khouloud Ben Charfi/WWF North Africa

Field visits to wetlands in Sardinia and Malta

During the three “winter” months (December, January, February), the researchers of the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (CCB) have visited 58 wetlands in Sardinia. In the same period, the team of Nature Trust Malta visited 40 wetlands in Malta.

Wetlands in Sardinia (Italy). Photo credit: Mauro Fois/CCB

Promoting the MedIsWet project during other regional events

In Croatia, WWF Adria and Association Hyla organised, on 04-05 December 2018, two mini-events on the islands of Lošinj and Cres, with the contribution of many volunteers. A mobile exhibition and a bench for promotional materials were set up for the public, including schools and the media, to point to the importance of preserving wetlands on the Mediterranean islands. In addition, Association Hyla highlighted the relationship between man, nature and health and presented the MedIsWet project during a student conference organized on 09-12 December 2018 by the Student Parliament of the State University of Novi Pazar, attended by more than 100 participants.

WWF Turkey, a MedIsWet partner, organised a workshop, on Gökçeada island (Turkey) on 07-08 December 2018 with the participation of representatives of the Nature Leaders Youth Program. The participants discussed issues related to awareness raising, project planning for school children, and the protection of island’s water sources and wildlife.

The MedIsWet project was also presented during the workshop “Role of civil society in preserving protected areas” that was held on 21-22 January 2019 in Tunisia. The workshop was organized by WWF North Africa, in partnership with the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture and the Coastal Protection and Development Agency (APAL).

The Centre for Biodiversity Conservation presented the MedIsWet project during the conference “The enhancement of wetlands as opportunities for development”, which was organised by the Municipality of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) as part of the celebration of World Wetlands Day on 2 February 2019.

New reports published

Terra Cypria has published a technical report on “Legal tools for the protection of the Cypriot wetlands”. The report in Greek is available on the MedIsWet website.

The Centre for Biodiversity Conservation has published the report “The island wetlands of Sardinia: annual report on the project ‘Conservation of the island wetlands of Sardinia’ and its outcomes”. That report is available here.

The second year’s intermediate report, covering MedIsWet activities from July to December 2018, has also been published and is now available here.

MedIsWet welcomes its new team member

MedIsWet is proud to announce that a new collaborator, Rafa Seiz, has joined the MedIsWet project. Rafa has taken over the coordination of the project within WWF Spain as a replacement of Eva Hernandez. Rafa is specialized, among other issues, in water planning, integrated river basin management, and the Water Framework Directive. The MedIsWet team wants to thank the outgoing member Eva Hernandez for her good work and wish her good luck in her new position within WWF International.