Wetlands of International Importance: National Wildlife Refuges and the Ramsar Convention

Wetlands of International Importance:

National Wildlife Refuges and the Ramsar Convention

May 2008 Briefing for the

Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus

Royal C. GardnerU.S. National Ramsar Committee

Steve AtzertEdwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge

Ramsar Convention on Ramsar Convention on WetlandsWetlands

• Signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971Signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971

• Entered into Force in 1975Entered into Force in 1975

What Ramsar Does/Does Not What Ramsar Does/Does Not DoDo

Ramsar Does:Ramsar Does:

• Encourage nations to Encourage nations to promote wetlands promote wetlands conservation and list conservation and list wetlands of international wetlands of international importance as Ramsar importance as Ramsar sitessites

• Provide wise use Provide wise use guidelines, training guidelines, training opportunities, and opportunities, and access to financial access to financial resourcesresources

Ramsar Does Ramsar Does NotNot::

• Impose restrictions on Impose restrictions on nations and landownersnations and landowners

• Affect sovereignty Affect sovereignty rights – site listing is rights – site listing is voluntaryvoluntary

• Act as a regulating Act as a regulating entity or a UN entity or a UN conventionconvention

• Site Contains Representative, Rare, or Site Contains Representative, Rare, or Unique Wetland TypesUnique Wetland Types

• Site Supports Vulnerable, Site Supports Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered Endangered, or Critically Endangered SpeciesSpecies

• Site Supports Plant/Animal Site Supports Plant/Animal Populations Important for Regional Populations Important for Regional BiodiversityBiodiversity

Wetlands of International Wetlands of International ImportanceImportance

• Site Regularly Supports 1% of Site Regularly Supports 1% of Population of Waterbird Population of Waterbird Species/SubspeciesSpecies/Subspecies

• Site Supports Plant/Animal Species at a Site Supports Plant/Animal Species at a Critical Stage in Life CyclesCritical Stage in Life Cycles

• Site Regularly Supports 20,000 or More Site Regularly Supports 20,000 or More WaterbirdsWaterbirds

Wetlands of International Wetlands of International ImportanceImportance

Wetlands of International Wetlands of International ImportanceImportance

• Site Supports Significant Site Supports Significant Proportion of Indigenous Fish Species That Proportion of Indigenous Fish Species That

AreAre Representative of Wetland Benefits/ValuesRepresentative of Wetland Benefits/Values

• Site Is an Important Source of Food for Fish, Site Is an Important Source of Food for Fish, Spawning Ground, Nursery and/or Migration Spawning Ground, Nursery and/or Migration PathPath

• Site Regularly Supports 1% of Population of Site Regularly Supports 1% of Population of Species/Subspecies of Wetland-Dependent, Species/Subspecies of Wetland-Dependent, Non-Avian Animal SpeciesNon-Avian Animal Species

Ramsar WorldwideRamsar Worldwide

• 158 parties, 158 parties, including the U.S.including the U.S.

• Ninth COP in Ninth COP in Uganda in 2005; Uganda in 2005; Tenth COP in ROK Tenth COP in ROK in 2008 in 2008

• More than 1740 More than 1740 sites designated sites designated covering almost covering almost 400 million acres 400 million acres – 24 in U.S. – 24 in U.S. with over 3 with over 3 million acresmillion acres

Alaska:Alaska:Izembek NWRIzembek NWR

Arkansas:Arkansas:Cache River NWR Cache River NWR White River NWRWhite River NWR

California:California:Merced NWRMerced NWRSan Luis NWRSan Luis NWRTijuana Slough NWRTijuana Slough NWR

Delaware:Delaware:Bombay Hook NWRBombay Hook NWRPrime Hook NWRPrime Hook NWR

Florida:Florida:Okefenokee NWROkefenokee NWRPelican Island NWRPelican Island NWR

Georgia:Georgia:

Okefenokee NWROkefenokee NWR

Illinois:Illinois:

Cypress Creek NWRCypress Creek NWR

Kansas:Kansas:

Quivira NWRQuivira NWR

Louisiana:Louisiana:Catahoula NWRCatahoula NWR

Maryland:Maryland:Blackwater NWRBlackwater NWREastern Neck NWREastern Neck NWRMartin NWRMartin NWR

Nevada:Nevada:Ash Meadows NWRAsh Meadows NWR

New Jersey:New Jersey:Cape May NWRCape May NWREdwin B. Forsythe NWREdwin B. Forsythe NWRSupawna Meadows NWRSupawna Meadows NWR

South Dakota:South Dakota:

Sand Lake NWRSand Lake NWR

Texas:Texas:

Caddo Lake NWRCaddo Lake NWR

Virginia:Virginia:

Mason Neck NWRMason Neck NWR

Presquile NWRPresquile NWR

Wisconsin:Wisconsin:

Horicon NWRHoricon NWR

U.S. National Ramsar U.S. National Ramsar CommitteeCommittee

• MissionMission: Support the goals and : Support the goals and objectives of the Ramsar Convention objectives of the Ramsar Convention within the U.S. and internationallywithin the U.S. and internationally

• MembersMembers: NGOs that have an interest : NGOs that have an interest in Ramsar issuesin Ramsar issues

• ObserversObservers: Representatives of U.S. : Representatives of U.S. agencies (FWS, State, EPA, Forest agencies (FWS, State, EPA, Forest Service, NOAA) Service, NOAA)

• www.ramsarcommittee.uswww.ramsarcommittee.us

Survey of U.S. Ramsar SitesSurvey of U.S. Ramsar Sites

• Site Identification with RamsarSite Identification with Ramsar

• Benefits of Ramsar DesignationBenefits of Ramsar Designation

• Recommendations to Recommendations to Strengthen Ramsar in the Strengthen Ramsar in the United StatesUnited States

Benefits of Ramsar Benefits of Ramsar DesignationDesignation

• Increase Pride in SiteIncrease Pride in Site

• Increase Local Awareness of Increase Local Awareness of Importance of SiteImportance of Site

Benefits of Ramsar Benefits of Ramsar DesignationDesignation

• Increased Funding Increased Funding OpportunitiesOpportunities

– NAWCA GrantsNAWCA Grants

– Land and Water Land and Water Conservation FundConservation Fund

– NFWF and Other NFWF and Other GrantsGrants

Benefits of Ramsar Benefits of Ramsar DesignationDesignation

• Support for Protection of Site Support for Protection of Site and Surrounding Areas and Surrounding Areas

– Acquisition of Surrounding LandsAcquisition of Surrounding Lands

– Encourages Watershed Conservation Encourages Watershed Conservation PartnershipsPartnerships

– Invocation of Status in Response to Invocation of Status in Response to Proposed DevelopmentProposed Development

• Increased Scientific Studies and Increased Scientific Studies and Tourism ActivityTourism Activity

– Izembek (eel grass studies)Izembek (eel grass studies)

– Caddo Lake Caddo Lake (environmental flows (environmental flows

studies)studies)

– Catahoula Lake Catahoula Lake (vegetation and lakebed elevation (vegetation and lakebed elevation

studies)studies)

Benefits of Ramsar Benefits of Ramsar DesignationDesignation

Ramsar Designation Process Ramsar Designation Process

• Scientific Scientific – must meet at least one of the nine must meet at least one of the nine

ecological criteriaecological criteria

• PoliticalPolitical– all landowners must consentall landowners must consent– letters of support from state natural letters of support from state natural

resources agency and at least one resources agency and at least one Member of Congress Member of Congress

Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, NJ

• One of the first four Ramsar sites designated by the United States -- Dec. 18, 1986– The other three sites were:

– Izembek Lagoon NWR, AK–Okefenokee NWR, GA & FL–Ash Meadows NWR, NV

Since EBFNWR Ramsar Designation•Barnegat Bay National Estuary

designated in 1997 -- One of 28 sites• Jacques Cousteau National Estuary

Research Reserve designated in 1998 – One of 27 sites

•EBFNWR designated a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site in 2001 – One of 40 sites in the US

Since EBFNWR Ramsar Designation•The New Jersey Green Acres Program

has steeped in to acquire lands•The Ocean County Open Space program

has stepped in to acquire lands•Congress has added several million

dollars in the LWCF for land acquisition•Refuge acquisition boundary expanded

three times by a total of over 13,000 acres

Since EBFNWR Ramsar designation

•Refuge featured in Atlantic County birdwatching guide

•Return to economy from recreation use on the refuge is $5.05 for each $1 in federal budgeted funding (Banking on Nature 2006, USFWS)

Since EBFNWR Ramsar Designation• The Service has acquired over 13,000 acres

for the refuge• The refuge expansion permanently protects

the wetlands. Wetlands are among the world’s most productive habitats. In addition to tourism and recreational value wetlands provide many other economic benefits, water supply and purification, fisheries production, stabilization of local climate conditions and disturbance regulation.

Thank you for your Thank you for your attention.attention.

Royal C. GardnerRoyal C. GardnerU.S. National Ramsar CommitteeU.S. National Ramsar CommitteeStetson University College of LawStetson University College of Law

[email protected]

Steve AtzertSteve AtzertEdwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife

[email protected]