Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Secretary General Martha Rojas-Urrego and Society of Wetland Scientists President Gillian Davies signed and renewed the Ramsar Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands – Society of Wetland Scientists Memorandum of Cooperation at the SWS Europe Chapter Annual Meeting in Faro, Portugal, on Friday, May 5. This Memorandum creates the framework for collaboration between the two organizations during the 2017 – 2023 timeframe.
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands, and includes 169 Contracting Parties and 2,266 Ramsar Sites throughout the world. The Ramsar Convention and SWS share objectives for protecting, conserving, restoring and sustainably managing wetlands around the world, as well as providing wetlands education and outreach. As the Memorandum notes, "The Convention on Wetlands and the SWS recognize the fundamental role played by wetlands in regulating and providing water, in supporting maintenance of cultural and biological diversity, in ensuring high ecosystem integrity, in regulating climate and in providing ecosystem services and benefits for people and the planet." Read more here.