Guinea-Bissau Creates National Ramsar Committee

6 March 2013: The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) has reported that during a stakeholder meeting held on the occasion of the celebration of World Wetlands Day 2013, Agostinho da Costa, Secretary of State for Environment and Tourism, signed an inter-ministerial decree for the creation of a National Ramsar Committee in Guinea-Bissau.

The meeting, which brought together over 35 wetland stakeholders, was jointly organized by the State Secretariat for Environment and Tourism, the Institute for Biodiversity and Protected Areas and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN – Guinea-Bissau).

The Ramsar National Committee in Guinea-Bissau was created with assistance from the IUCN-PREMI (Initiative for Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management) programme.

After a review and evaluation of the activities carried out by the Secretariat of Environment and Tourism through the International Institute for Biodiversity and Protected Areas, a roadmap was developed for the National Ramsar Committee to facilitate the development of an action plan for the committee. According to Ramsar, key elements of the roadmap are: the elaboration of a National Wetland Policy in Guinea-Bissau; the integration of wetland issues in local and national planning; the integration of wetland issues in the National Environmental Policy; the integration of wetland issues in the National Poverty Reduction Strategy; the identification and designation of Wetlands of International Importance and ensuring the development of a management plan for all designated sites; the update of the Ramsar Site “Lagoa de Cufada” and preparation of a management plan for the site; and the development of integrated projects on water, wetlands and other related sectors.

The meeting concluded with the announcement of four proposed Wetlands of International Importance. [Ramsar Press Release]