Implementing the Ramsar Convention in Developing Countries: The Role of

Implementing the Ramsar Convention in Developing Countries: The Role of Local Community Support and Involvement Over the last two decades, â€Å"a consensus has gradually emerged that long-term conservation depends on understanding and support from those closely connected to the environment and its resources† (Shine, Klemm, 1999.) Several international environmental conventions have reflected this consensus by establishing a legal basis to involve local communities, especially those in developing countries, in their implementation. Recent changes in the focus of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands are consistent with this global trend towards emphasizing the importance of community support and involvement. Adopted in Ramsar, Iran on February 2, 1971 in response to the alarming rate of worldwide wetland loss and degradation, Ramsar’s mission is â€Å"the conservation and wise use of wetlands by national action and international cooperation.† The Ramsar Convention’s move to promote community involvement in wetland conservation began in 1990 with the initiation of a Small Grants Fund, created to fund local non-governmental organizations and community wetland conservation projects in developing countries. In its 1993 â€Å"Additional Guidance† publication, the Ramsar Convention asserts that countries should incorporate into their wetland management plans procedures to guarantee that local communities are involved in decision-making, and have a strong knowledge of wetland issues. Is the international environmental community correct in their assertion that implementation depends on local community support and involvement? As the Ramsar Convention is one advocate of this assertion, this study sought to determine if local community support ... ...unity is correct in their assertion that local communities are critical for the implementation of all other conventions. Works Cited Mangrove Action Project: Yadfon’s Way Thailand’s Community Forest Projects: The Fishers That Rescued the Sea. Online. Available: http://www.earthisland.org/map/sstal.htm. Updated May 7, 2002. [accessed 4/24/04] Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: The Lake Naivasha Riparian Association (LNRA), Kenya. Online. Available: http://www.ramsar.org/key_awards99_interview_lnra.htm. Updated May 7, 2004. [accessed 4/25/04] Shine, C., Klemm, C. 1999. Wetlands, Water, and the Law. International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources: Cambridge, UK. Susskind, L., Moomaw, W., Gallagher, K. (Editors). 2002. Transboundary Environmental Negotiation. John Wiley and Sons: San Francisco, CA.