A new publication produced by Rob McInnes and colleagues from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust has evaluated how Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention report on ecosystem services provided by their country’s wetlands. The paper, published in the journal Wetlands, based on analysis of the National Reports provided by Contracting Parties in advance of the Conference of the Parties in 2012, demonstrated the following:
- Assessments of the ecosystem services provided by Ramsar Sites have been conducted on less than 40% of all sites.
- Some ecosystem services (including pollination, nutrient cycling, hazard reduction and the control of pests and disease) were not reported in any of the National Reports.
- Regional differences in reporting were clear with less information on wetland ecosystem services forthcoming form African Contracting Parties and particularly those of relatively lower levels of economic development.
The recommendations provided will be used to assist the Ramsar Convention in developing guidance and policies in order to ensure that the full range of values provided by wetlands is considered in decision-making.
For more information see http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13157-016-0849-1?wt_mc=Internal.Event.1.SEM.ArticleAuthorOnlineFirst