PEAT NEWS
3/2014
Page 4
ecosystems to society; and Understanding cumulative effects and managing impacts. The Congress aims to promote
the conservation and sustainable use of Arctic biodiversity through dialogue among scientists, policy-makers,
government officials, industry, civil society and indigenous peoples. Submissions for inclusion in the Arctic Biodiversity
Congress programme are due via electronic forms on 30 April 2014, and early bird registration is available until 24 July
2014. Proposals for sessions, presentations and more activities are still welcome. The conference also features a
photo contest and hour-long case studies that highlight best practices and lessons learnt on cross-cutting issues. The
Arctic Biodiversity Congress is being hosted and arranged by the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)
working group of the Arctic Council in close co-operation with Norway as the host country and the Norwegian
Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet). For more information and to sign up visit www.arcticbiodiversity.is/congress.
News from Ramsar Europe
The Ramsar Secretariat has changed the date of the 8th European Ramsar Meeting, which will take place in Austria, in
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Kufstein, Tyrol on 20 - 24 October 2014. This meeting will be used to prepare for the 12 Conference of the
Contracting Parties (COP12), which will take place in Uruguay in 2015. The Scientific and Technical Review Panel
(STRP) meeting will be held on 8 - 12 September, and Standing Committee on 24 - 28 November 2014. Both will
finalize the draft resolutions to be submitted to COP12. The Kufstein meeting will focus on the new Ramsar Strategy
for Water and Wetlands, on the wetland nexus linking water, food and energy, on the economics of wetland
ecosystem services and biodiversity, and on societal challenges in times of a changing climate. A field visit will tell
participants about solutions and wise use practices for water and wetlands in the Alpine region.
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The forms for National Reports by Contracting Parties to COP12, 2015 are now available for downloading. The
deadline for their submission is 1 September 2014.
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A Nordic-Baltic Ramsar project on peatland and climate regulation reviews the potential of Nordic Baltic
wetlands to mitigate climate change. In that context, Denmark has designated its “Lille Vildmose” Ramsar Site
as the first site to include criteria of CO2 carbon storage and climate change mitigation. For further
information contact STRP member Lars Dinesen, email: ladin (at) nst.dk.
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The final report of the Nordic-Baltic Wetlands Conference “Nordic Baltic Wetlands in a time of climate change
– mitigation, resilience and adaptation”, held on 3 - 5 September 2013 in Ilulissat, Greenland has been
released and can be downloaded at www.bit.ly/1lNCFyp.
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The EU LIFE project “Life to ad(d)mire” run by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and a number of
county administrations aims to restore 35 Natura-2000 mires and Ramsar Sites. More about the project can
be found at www.lifetoaddmire.se.
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental
treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise
use of wetlands and their resources. The treaty was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and the
Convention's member countries cover all geographic regions of the planet. See also www.ramsar.org.
“War and Peat” Book Available Now
War & Peat - The remarkable impacts of conflicts on peatlands and of peatlands on conflicts - a military heritage of
moors, heaths, bogs and fen (ISBN: 978-1-904098-55-3) is now available as soft back; black & white book with 292
pages; crown quarto (7.5” x 9.7”); for a cover price of £30.00. There is a special discount price of £17.50 + £3.50 P&P
(UK) until 31 May 2014; the full colour version has a guide price of £70 (£55 discount). As we approach the centenary
of the Great War (WW1), matters of landscape, terrain, resources and strategies become increasingly topical and
relevant. The relationships of people and landscapes, of economies and conflicts, and ecology and history, are
complex and multi-faceted. For peatlands, including bogs, fens, moors, and heaths, the interactions of people and
nature in relation to history and conflicts, are both significant and surprising. The themes of this book were addressed
at a major international conference in September 2013, and the expanded papers are presented here as chapters. The
conference and book are mostly focused on temperate environments, but the interactions of peatlands and conflicts
are more global and wetlands have been hugely influential in tropical conflicts too. Please contact Wildtrack
Publishing, c/o Venture House, 103 Arundel Street, Sheffield, S1 2NT (cheque attached), or order via e-mail: info (at)
hallamec.plus.com, phone: +44 114 272 4227. Payment will be by cheque or as a paypal (email) invoice.
International Peat Society
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