Sanitation
consist of a small dam and large storage reservoir in Guinea,
would provide much needed water storage, irrigation
potential, and hydropower in Guinea, as well as significant
irrigation potential in Mali. The Dam was identified by
the countries of the Niger Basin as a priority in the 2010
Sustainable Development Action Plan, with the recognition
that extensive riparian coordination would be necessary for
its success.
Like other transformative infrastructure projects around
the world, the potential of Fomi to help address the Niger
Basin’s water and energy challenges is tremendous – and
like all others, it has considerable potential impacts.
“The next several years will require a consultative process
that closely examines these potential impacts, which include
resettlement of communities in Guinea, environmental and
social impacts in the ecologically rich Niger Inner Delta in
Mali, as well as the technical and economic considerations
of building transboundary, transformative infrastructure,”
says Christina Leb, Senior Water Resources Specialist for
the World Bank Group. “All design-related tradeoffs would
need to be discussed with stakeholders and negotiated
between the two countries with all the facts on the table in
order to maximize benefits and minimize negative impacts.”
Source: The World Bank
Ramsar COP 12 Adopts Declaration of Punta del Este, 16
Resolutions
9 June 2015: The
12th meeting of
the Conference
of the Parties
to the Ramsar
Convention
on
Wetlands (COP
12) agreed on four
strategic priorities
that link the wise
use of wetlands to solving pressing issues, such as climate
change and food and water security. Noting the loss of
64% of global wetlands since 1900, the final declaration
calls for strengthening partnerships “beyond those
responsible for the operation and maintenance of Ramsar
Sites and important wetlands,” to enhance the Convention’s
implementation.
In total, COP 12 delegates adopted 16 resolutions, including
the ‘Declaration of Punta del Este’ that aims to enhance
the visibility of the Convention, demonstrate parties’ strong
commitment to the new Strategic Plan for 2016-2021, and
underline the relationship between wetlands and other
global environmental issues.
In a resolution agreeing to restructure the Convention’s
Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), COP
12 delegates note the Panel’s role in, among other areas,
providing guidance on wetland monitoring methodologies
and tools, and undertaking economic and non-economic
valuations of wetland goods and services. They further
call for exploring modalities to upgrade the ‘State of the
World’s Wetlands and their Services to People’ as a periodic
flagship report of the Convention.
COP 12 also approved a proposal by the Republic of Korea
and Tunisia aimed at boosting local government leadership
in wetland conservation and management. The final
resolution outlines criteria and a procedure for accrediting
cities located close to Ramsar Sites and/or other significant
22
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • July - August 2015
wetlands, to be labelled as “Wetlands City Accreditation of
the Ramsar Convention,” and instructs the Secretariat to
develop a global online network of accredited cities.
Several resolutions reaffirm the linkages between Ramsar
and other international environmental agreements. Building
on a statement by the Nordic Council of Ministers of the
Environment on the role of peatlands in climate regulation
and wise use, COP 12 encourages parties to inter alia:
consider, as appropriate, limiting activities that lead to
drainage of peatlands; designate at least one peatland area as
a Wetland of International Importance; and utilize national
and regional inventories to determine peatlands’ contribution
to carbon sequestration. On ensuring water requirements of
wetlands, based on a submission by Mexico, COP 12 calls
for the integration
of water protection
into
national
policies to allow for
synergies between
international
commitments,
national agencies
and
related
initiatives.
COP
12
also
adopted a resolution on disaster risk reduction (DRR),
submitted by the Philippines, calling for a range of
interventions to integrate wetland-based DRR within
national and international policy making and requesting
the STRP to review and compile existing guidance on
ecosystem-based adaptation measures, and develop
appropriate indicators and baseline information. Delegates
also adopted a final resolution underscoring the need for
enhanced monitoring of Ramsar Sites in zones of armed
conflict. It calls on the Secretariat to investigate the potential
value and feasibility of gathering satellite data on changes
to Ramsar Sites.