The Seventh Meeting of the Regional Working Group on Wetlands was successfully convened in Manila, Philippines from 19th-21st June. The wetlands focal points from Cambodia, China, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, and the regional wetlands expert, Dr. Sansanee Choowaew, attended the meeting. The meeting discussed and revised the wetland component’s inputs to the Regional Strategic Action Programme (SAP). Please click here to access the report of the meeting.

GOAL

The ultimate goal of the Strategic Action Programme for wetland management and use is to:

Promote the sustainable use of coastal wetland resources by developing integrated management plans and enhancing conservation and restoration of coastal wetlands bordering the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, specifically lagoons, estuaries, mudflats, peat swamps, and non-peat swamps.

TARGETS

The specific targets for wetland management are:

• By the year 2012, to set up or update management plans for at least four lagoons, nine estuaries, nine tidal flats and three peat swamps in the South China Sea (See Table 3).
• By the year 2012, to increase the number of sites or specified wetland areas with protection status (i.e. non-hunting area, nature reserves, protected areas, Ramsar Sites, etc).
• By the year 2017, to have a regional monitoring scheme implemented in the seven participating countries of the UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project.   

The Regional Working Group on Wetlands agreed to establish an e-forum on UNEPSCS.org to facilitate inter-sessional communication regarding the inputs of the wetlands sub-component to the Regional Strategic Action Programme. The group agreed upon individual responsibilities in moderating the e-forum discussion and finalising inputs to the SAP. The have also established an e-forum on establishing a regional wetland monitoring system.