OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
- Thesis statement
- Why this topic
- Local Influence
- Timely Importance
- International Law Influence in Curriculum
- Planners and Managers
- Relationship to Landscape Architecture MLA 2004 Thesis on World Heritage Convention Similarities
REVIEW OF LILTERATURE
Wetland Definitions
- Descriptions
An important component of wetland protection and management is identifying what wetland functions need to be protected. Wetland functions can be grouped into three broad categories: water quality improvement, hydrologic functions, and habitat functions. Each of these can be further divided into more specific functions. For example, habitat functions can be divided into habitat for amphibians, habitat for mammals, etc. At the finest scale, we can consider the function of habitat for an individual species[1]
- International
- U.S.
Wetlands are transitional areas, sandwiched between permanently flooded deepwater environments and well-drained uplands. Wetlands include mangroves, marshes (salt, brackish, intermediate, and fresh), swamps, forested wetlands, bogs, wet prairies, prairie potholes, and vernal pools. They often contain more plants and animals and produce more organic material than either the adjacent water or land areas. [2]
- Local
Wetland Management
- History and Principles
- International Environmental Treaties
he current system of international environmental governance consists of three basic elements. One component is a collection of intergovernmental organizations, such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and other specialized UN agencies and commissions that are responsible for coordinating policy on the environment at the international level. These organizations, controlled by UN member nations, are charged with formulating an international agenda that will protect the environment and promote sustainable development. A variety of other international organizations, such as the World Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO), also play important roles in global environmental decision-making.
A second element of the international environmental governance system is the framework of international environmental law that has evolved over the last century or so. This takes the form of a web of environmental treaties, such as the Framework Convention on Climate Change or the recently negotiated Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. These are legally binding agreements among countries to take joint action on different environmental problems, with each nation responsible for action within its own territory.
A third element is financing mechanisms—to build capacity to carry out treaty commitments, to supplement national efforts toward sustainable development in poorer countries, and to support the UN agencies and treaty secretariats that coordinate and carry out environmental efforts. Some of these mechanisms are more general, such as the system of dues and voluntary contributions that funds UN agencies, or the financing that the World Bank and other multilateral development banks provide for development activities with environmental components. Other financing mechanisms, such as the Global Environment Facility, are more specifically targeted to environmental activities.
Together, the three components of international environmental governance are supposed to set priorities and facilitate steps to protect the environment and further sustainable development. Most of these steps must be implemented by individual nations themselves. From legislation to regulation to enforcement, it is the actions taken by nations at the domestic level that ultimately count most for success at the global level. But international organizations like UNDP, UNEP, and the World Bank also play major roles in implementation. Bilateral aid agencies and civil society groups also participate in important ways, as does the private sector.
Supplementing these elements is a continuing series of international environmental “summits,” such as the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in
The record of governance this loose global regime has compiled is decidedly mixed. On the positive side, the international community has clearly accepted the environment as a key topic in global affairs, crafting hundreds of environmental agreements that promise cooperation on topics as specific as protecting certain species of sea turtles and as broad as preventing harm to the global climate. Supporting this growing will toward sustainability has been a gradual expansion of the capacity to assess global environmental threats through monitoring and analysis that the international community accepts as scientifically valid, and therefore a neutral basis for understanding and negotiation. Although far from perfect, this analysis has begun to bring the principle of access to environmental information to life at the international level—an essential enabling condition for action.[3]
- Benefits
Conservation of migratory waterbirds is integrally linked to maintenance and protection of the wetland areas along their flyways. Various international conventions and agreements such as the African / Eurasian Waterbird Agreement and the Ramsar Convention are integral in providing technical and legal standards and mechanisms for their coordination.[4]
- Drawbacks
- Attitudes
There is increasingly wide appreciation that wetlands, in all their forms, provide unique services to human societies and human well-being. Wetlands play a key role in the global hydrological cycle; supply water for the survival of biological diversity, human consumption, agricultural production and recreation; supply food (especially fish and rice and other natural products) and fibre (e.g. wood, peat and reeds); are centres of economic development focused around industry, transport, food production and tourism; and are places rich in unique plant and animal species as well.
11. However, in all regions of the world, human populations are suffering social, economic and environmental hardships resulting from the destruction and mismanagement of their natural resources, notably including their wetlands and water resources. The causes are multiple - from local actions and national policies to global issues.
12. Major global issues influencing the conservation and wise use of wetlands include:
a) increasing demands for water services to be allocated to agriculture, industry and human consumption in relation to the role of wetlands as both users and providers of water, and the need for water allocation and management to maintain their ecological functions;
b) climate change and its predicted impacts, including changing and more extreme patterns of drought, storms and flooding; rises in sea temperature and sea level; thawing of permafrost and glaciers; and changes in ecosystem distribution and quality; and the implications of these for species' survival;
c) increasing globalization of economic development, affecting agricultural, fisheries and other natural resource products;
d) the changing role of national governments through increasing privatization of services (including water supplies), devolution of decision-making responsibilities, and greater empowerment of local communities;
e) increasing land-use pressures leading to continuing loss and damage to the ecological character of wetlands and their values and functions;
f) increasing population pressure and economic challenges placing some local communities in the developing world on the edge of survival;
g) the increasing influence in the developing world of development banks and international development agencies and the need to ensure that such agencies are fully engaged in the major issues affecting wetlands; and
h) the need to ensure continuing political support and public interest in biodiversity issues and sustainable development ten years after the establishment of Agenda 21 through the Rio 92 process.[5]
U.S. Policy and Management
- Clean Water Act
- Section 404
- Farm Bill
- CWCPRA
- LA Wildlife and Fisheries Refuge Mgt.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) administers the state’s Wildlife Management Area Program and wildlife refuges. The major statutory provisions for establishing wildlife management areas and wildlife refuges are La. R.S. Sections 56:109 and 56:781. R.S. 56:109 provides general authority to establish and maintain wildlife management areas and wildlife refuges and to promulgate rules and regulations for their administration and for protection of their flora and fauna. R.S. 56:781 provides authority for the selection of lands owned or acquired by the state for the establishment of wildlife refuges, wildlife management areas, public hunting grounds, upland game preserves, and wildlife sanctuaries.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (Commission) has the power to establish, manage, and maintain wildlife management areas and refuges.1 The Commission, with permission from the Governor, also has the power to lease, purchase, or accept donations of any lands suitable as wildlife management areas.2 The Commission has the authority to select lands owned by the state for designation as wildlife management areas and wildlife refuges and has the power to maintain, equip, and stock these areas.3The Commission has the authority to establish rules governing the propagation, protection, and harvest of wildlife species and may prohibit individuals from taking, disturbing, or destroying any wildlife or egg unless it issues a permit authorizing such activity.4 The Commission also adopts seasons and bag and possession limits for wild quadrupeds and wild birds in the state. 5 LDWF’s Fur and Refuge Division (Division) manages the wildlife management areas and wildlife refuges located in coastal Louisiana.6 The Division also manages and supervises fur, alligator, reptile, and amphibian resources in the state.7 The Division is active in waterfowl, bald eagle, brown pelican, and aquaculture management and conducts alligator research.8 Other tasks of the Division are applied research into coastal marsh management practices for fur, estuarine fisheries, and wildlife resources and life history investigations of marsh wildlife and fisheries.[6]
- North America U.S. Wetland Status Acreage
- Data Locations Types
Louisiana Situational Data
· What's Happening to Wetlands and Aquatic Habitats?[7]
But wetlands have come under natural and human threats (from subsiding or sinking land to draining or filling for new development). Scientists estimate that the lower 48
· Coastal wetlands especially have been seriously threatened. For example,
· In addition to coastal wetlands, seagrasses in the estuaries along the coast of the
· Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and other federal and state agencies are reporting that
·
- Policy Establishment and Practice
The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA),
enacted in 1990 and also known as the Breaux Act, provides approximately
$50 million a year for coastal protection and restoration in
The Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force
oversees CWPPRA in Louisiana. http://www.lacoast.gov/news/press/2001-12-12a.htm
- Conservation, Protection and Restoration
The restoration of Louisiana's marshes is funded through the Breaux Act, a 10 year old campaign to protect and restore coastal natural resources.
"The goal for the Black Bayou restoration and our other Breaux Act restoration projects is to protect and restore ecologically valuable areas of coastal Louisiana for the benefit of fisheries, marine habitat and other important resources," said Scott Gudes, NOAA deputy administrator. "We expect to apply what we're learning here to future projects." The Calcasieu/Sabine Basin contains about 312,500 acres of wetlands, consisting of 32,800 acres of fresh marsh, 112,000 acres of intermediate marsh, 158,200 of brackish marsh, and 9,500 acres of saline marsh.
A total of 122,000 acres have been lost in the basin since 1932, 28 percent of the marsh that existed then.
The natural processes of waterflow and marsh formation have been altered by the needs of industry. Channels to enhance navigation and mineral extraction activities have been constructed, and navigation channels now dominate the hydrology of the basin. The Calcasieu Ship Channel is maintained at 40 feet deep by 400 feet wide and extends from the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Erosion is a problem along the shores of Calcasieu and Sabine lakes and the banks of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Erosion related breaching of the lakes' shores threatens adjacent marshes because of the vulnerability of their typically weaker soils to increased water exchange and saltwater intrusion.
Along the Gulf of Mexico, shoreline retreat is causing the loss of back-beach marshes and is threatening to alter the hydrology of interior marshes. Flood control projects on the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers, and construction of jetties on the Mermentau River, Calcasieu Ship Channel, and at Sabine Pass, have altered long shore sediment transport and sediment availability, Coastal Wetlands experts say.
Breaux Act projects are implemented through agreements between federal project sponsors and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. Projects are selected and managed by the Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act Task Force. [8]
COAST 2050: A
COAST 2050 is a joint planning initiative among the Louisiana Wetland Conservation and Restoration Authority, the Breaux Act Task Force, and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Authority. This partnership is embarking on the development of a strategic plan to protect and sustain the state's coastal resources for future generations in a manner that is consistent with the welfare of the people.
This intent is reflected in the COAST 2050 Goal Statement:
Develop, within 18 months, a technically sound strategic plan to sustain coastal resources and provide an integrated multiple use approach to ecosystem management.[9]
- Wetlands
Coastal
These wetlands provide wintering habitat for millions of waterfowl and migratory birds as well as home for several endangered and threatened species. Coastal
- Continental Shelf Money Dedication to Wetlands
- Wetland Uses\Benefits Natural Commercial Recreational
- Wetlands are among the most productive habitats on earth providing shelter and nursery areas for commercially and recreationally important animals like fish and shellfish, as well as wintering grounds for migrating birds. Coastal marshes are particularly valuable for preventing loss of life and property by moderating extreme floods and buffering the land from storms; they also form natural reservoirs and help maintain desirable water quality.[11]
- Louisiana wetlands are also natural protection for the oil and gas production facilities and pipelines delivering fuel to heat the homes and power the cars of about a quarter of the United States. Without wetlands as a buffer, storms could devastate the
OVERVIEW
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
- What is the Convention?
What is the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance?
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat—also known as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands from its place of adoption in 1971 in Iran—is an intergovernmental treaty that provides a framework for international cooperation for the conservation of wetland habitats.
The major objectives of the Convention are to stem the loss of wetlands and to ensure their conservation. To meet these objectives, the Convention places general obligations on its member countries, or Contracting Parties, relating to the conservation of wetlands within their boundaries, and special obligations pertaining to those wetlands which have been designated in a “List of Wetlands of International Importance.”
- When Proposed and Ratified
The Convention went into effect in 1975, after the accession of its seventh country, Greece. The United States became a member in 1986, when the U.S. Senate ratified and the President signed the Instruments of Ratification. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of State are responsible for implementation of the Convention in the United States. More than 122 countries, from all regions of the world, are now Contracting Parties to the Convention.
The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty adopted on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. Thus, though nowadays the name of the Convention is usually written “Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)”, it has come to be known popularly as the “Ramsar Convention”. Ramsar is the first of the modern global intergovernmental treaties on the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, but, compared with more recent ones, its provisions are relatively straightforward and general.
The Conference of the Contracting Parties has further developed and interpreted the basic tenets of the treaty text and succeeded in keeping the work of the Convention abreast of changing world perceptions, priorities, and trends in environmental thinking. The official name of the treaty, The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat, reflects the original emphasis upon the conservation and wise use of wetlands primarily as habitat for waterbirds.
Over the years, however, the Convention has broadened its scope to cover all aspects of wetland conservation and wise use, recognizing wetlands as ecosystems that are extremely important for biodiversity conservation and for the well-being of human communities. For this reason, the increasingly common use of the short form of the treaty’s title, the “Convention on Wetlands”, is entirely appropriate. (Changing the name of the treaty requires amending the treaty itself, a cumbersome process that for the time being the Contracting Parties are not willing to undertake.)
The Convention entered into force in 1975 and now (as of February 2004) has 138 Contracting Parties, or member States, in all parts of the world. Though the central Ramsar message is the need for the sustainable use of all wetlands, the “flagship” of the Convention is the List of Wetlands of International Importance (the “Ramsar List”) – presently, the Parties have designated for this List more than 1,370 wetlands for special protection as “Ramsar Sites”, covering 120 million hectares (1.2 million square kilometres), larger than the surface area of France, Germany, and Switzerland combined.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) serves as Depositary1 for the Convention, but the Ramsar Convention is not part of the United Nations and UNESCO system of environment conventions and agreements. The Convention is responsible only to its Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP), and its day to-day administration has been entrusted to a secretariat under the authority of a Standing Committee elected by the COP.
The Ramsar Secretariat is hosted by IUCN–The World Conservation Union in Gland, Switzerland. The mission of the Ramsar Convention, as adopted by the Parties in 1999 and refined in 2002, is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local, regional and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.[13]
- What effects or results
How We Benefit from Ramsar:
Wetlands provide many environmental services, including clean water, flood abatement, wildlife habitat, recreation, tourism, fishing, groundwater recharge.
A "wetland of international importance" designation can bring economic benefits to surrounding areas due to increased tourism, fishing and recreation.
The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) is the oldest of the global MEAs. It owes its origins to the urgent need to combat widespread drainage and destruction of wetlands and the habitats they provide for migratory species, notably waterbirds.
Since its inception, the Convention has progressively developed its scope and approach to address the sustainable utilization of wetlands (considered to be synonymous with the Convention's concept of "wise use") in the context of integrated territorial and water resource planning and management. The Convention stresses that it is essential to integrate the conservation of wetlands and sustainable use as a contribution to the health and well-being of people through sustainable development everywhere.
Significant achievements of the Ramsar Convention during the period of implementation of the Strategic Plan 1997-2002 include:
a) 134 States as Contracting Parties to the Convention (as of 26 November 2002);
b) a major contribution to increasing the recognition and understanding of the crucial role of wetland functions and services in the daily lives of people;
c) the production of an increasingly comprehensive range of policy and technical guidelines to assist Contracting Parties with implementing the Convention;
d) the adoption by over 55 Contracting Parties of National Wetland Policies or similar instruments and the establishment by 82 Contracting Parties of national Ramsar or wetland committees to ensure that cross-sectoral approaches are taken;
e) by the close of COP8, the designation by Contracting Parties of 1230 wetlands covering 105.9 million hectares for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar List), and the establishment of management plans for 35% of these sites;
f) the lead taken by the Convention in establishing synergies with the conventions that emerged from the Rio 92 process and with other conventions and institutions, so that experiences and achievements may be shared for the benefit of wetland wise use;
g) the help through the Convention to generate more financial resources and technical assistance for wetland projects in developing countries and countries in transition, and since 1990 the operation of the Ramsar Small Grants Fund for Wetland Conservation and Wise Use. The Fund, although as yet modest in scale, has funded 156 projects in 86 countries;
h) the management by the Ramsar Bureau for the past eight years, with funding from the U.S. Government, of the Wetlands for the Future Initiative, providing support to training and education projects in Latin America and the Caribbean; and
i) the establishment of the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative (MedWet), under the guidance of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee, as a firm regional expression of the Convention, involving all countries in the Mediterranean basin and the Palestinian Authority, relevant international institutions, and non-governmental organizations.
- Who Participating
- Member States
- Countries Listing and standing
- Influence and Action in member states
The designation of Ramsar sites does not require ratification by any one country's government or parliment. Nomination and listing are "administrative decisions taken by the appropriate government agency according to existing procedures in each country. Such designation(s) should include:
"It is important to note that sites designated for the Ramsar List do not have already to be established as legally protected areas before designation.
Human uses of wetlands are compatible with listing under Ramsar, provided that they are in line with the Ramsar concept of "wise use" (sustainable use) and do not lead to a negative change in ecological character.
Member States do not surrender sovereignty ov
- U.S. Participation
U.S. Listing Procedures--http://international.fws.gov/fedregister/ramsarfr.html
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service policy, guidelines and procedures for nominating sites to the List of Wetlands of International Importance-- supplemental guidance to the Convention for determining site eligibility.
II. Authority The authority for establishment of these guidelines flows from the the United States Senate ratification of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat, which is deemed to be self implementing.
III. Scope This policy is limited to evaluation of proposed sites for nomination to the List of Wetlands of International Importance. It is not intended for any other use.
IV. Policy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wetlands of International Importance The Service's commitment to wetlands conservation is addressed in a number of documents, most recently the National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan. The Fish and Wildlife Service Policy and Guidelines on Wetlands of International Importance was developed to ensure compliance with the Protocol and articles of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat. In review sites eligible for inclusion to the List, it will be the policy of the Service to consider for nomination only those sites where:
- The ownership rights are free from encumbrances or dispute and the lands are in public or private management that is conductive to the conservation of wetland:
- Maintenance of the ecological and hydrological characteristics of the site(s) should be reasonable assured such that future actions would not result in delisting by the Conference of Parties; and
- Proposed sites will only be considered if there is concurrence from both the State, Commonwealth or territory where the site(s) is (are) located and a Congressional Representative.
V. Description of Guidelines for Site Nomination In order to solicit appropriate nominations to the List of Wetlands of International Importance, the Service will publish an annual Action Notice in the Federal Register . The Action Notice will specify the time frame for submissions and where materials may be sent. Nominations can be made only by the appropriate administrative authority for a site. For the purpose of nominations can be made only by the appropriate administrative authority for a site. For the purpose of nominating sites, the appropriate administrative authority is defined as the party holding title to the land area. Nominations must have the endorsement/concurrence from both the State(s), Commonwealth or territory in which the site is located and a Congressional Representative.
Supporting information for site nominations should include the following:
- Nominating authority. Include name, address and other pertness information on the administrative authority submitting the site nomination.
- Geographical location. Details such as latitude and longitude coordinates, and nearby features, settlements, and other identifying characteristics should be provided. In addition, include detailed maps of both the site as well as the surrounding areas if they are available.
- Site description. This section comprises both a physical and a biological description of the site. The physical description includes details of geomorphology, hydrology and climate, which the biological description includes a brief review of habitat types, with lists of both typical and noteworthy fauna and flora
- Criteria for inclusion. Specify the criterion (a) as listed by the Convention of Parties, that qualifies the site as a Wetland of International Importance. Highlight those factors for which the site has been generally considered to be of particular importance. Area. Identify the total area (in hectares) of the proposed site including information on terrestrial and aquatic components.
- Management practices. Note management practices and traditional activities that take place.
- Changes in ecological character. Give a brief synopsis of the natural history of the area and note any land use changes impacts to the ecological functions or character of the area.
- Degree of protection. Note any State, local, national or international recognition or designation afforded to the site. Indicate if any activities are controlled or prohibited.
- Scientific research and facilities. Highlight research underway or facilities provided (if any) for research interests.
- Reference material. Note any key publications, reports, or documents used to compile the information presented. This is not intended to be a complete reference list.
The Service coordinates review of proposed site(s) for inclusion to the list with the appropriate State, Federal and non-governmental organizations. It is not the intention of the Service to maintain a standing backlog of sites for nomination, but rather to solicit prospective sites from the Federal and State agencies, private organizations and the scientific community via the Action Notice procedures described above. Once reviewed, those nominations that adhere to the criteria and policies set forth above will be formally presented to the Convention Secretarial by the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Action taken by the Secretariat will be announced in the annual Action Notice described previously in section V. Management authorities for nominated sites will be forwarded information on actions taken by the Secretariat immediately.[14]
- Wetlands Day and Site Designation
- References and Citations in law and regulations
Why
- Need for International Participation in Wetland Management
- Should Louisiana Participate
Listing under the Ramsar Convention
- elevates the sites to a higher status (recognized as places of "international importance"),
- focuses more attention upon them, and
- should contribute to their long-term conservation and wise use.
Ramsar Brief guide to the Convention
- Mission of the Convention
The Convention on Wetlands came into force for the USA on 18 April 1987. The USA presently has 22 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 1,259,165 hectares.
- Management of Convention
Member countries meet every three years to discuss progress in wetlands conservation, to review the status of sites on the List, to hear reports from international organizations and to make decisions on the functioning of the Convention. The Convention has a financial management system, a Standing Committee and a Bureau or Secretariat. Member countries contribute annually to support the Convention. The Standing Committee—made up of representatives from nine member countries—carries out the interim activities between conferences. (The United States served as Chair of the Standing Committee from 1990-93.) The independent Ramsar Bureau, located in Gland, Switzerland, also works in cooperation with four partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs): BirdLife International, The World Conservation Union (IUCN), Wetlands International, and World Wide Fund for Nature International (WWF). Other NGOs may become partners to the Convention. The Bureau provides a permanent structure for administrative, scientific and technical support.
The Ramsar Convention defines wise use of wetlands as “their sustainable utilization for the benefit of humankind in a way compatible with the maintenance of the natural properties of the ecosystem.” Sustainable utilization is the human use of a wetland so that it may yield the greatest continuous benefit to present generations while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations.
- Selection Process for nominees
Just about any local government, group, community, or private organization in the United States can nominate a site for inclusion on the Ramsar List. This is provided the area in question meets the Ramsar criteria for inclusion and that the site’s landowners and various stakeholders agree to its inclusion. In addition, state and federal agencies can make nominations.
The procedure for nomination involves submitting a letter and a map to the Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, describing how the proposed site meets the criteria and indicating its location (using longitude and latitude). The nomination must also have a completed Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands and letters of concurrence from the wildlife or natural resources agency and member of Congress for the State in which the site is located. Organizations wishing to petition for listing a site under the Convention are invited to contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of International Conservation at 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 730, Arlington, VA 22203-1622.
Ramsar Classification System for Wetlands
- Definitions and Characteristics
The Ramsar Convention definition of "wetland" and classification system for wetland type, Definition under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) "wetlands" are defined by Articles 1.1 and 2.1 as shown below:
Article 1.1:
"For the purpose of this Convention wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres."
Article 2.1 provides that wetlands:
"may incorporate riparian and coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands, and islands or bodies of marine water deeper than six metres at low tide lying within the wetlands".
Wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and animal life. They occur where the water table is at or near the surface of the land, or where the land is covered by shallow water.
The Ramsar Convention takes a broad approach in determining the wetlands which come under its aegis. Under the text of the Convention (Article 1.1), wetlands are defined as: “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres”. In addition, for the purpose of protecting coherent sites, the Article 2.1 provides that wetlands to be included in the Ramsar List of internationally important wetlands
- Classes and Examples
Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Type
The codes are based upon the Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Type as approved by Recommendation 4.7 and amended by Resolution VI.5 of the Conference of the Contracting Parties. The categories listed herein are intended to provide only a very broad framework to aid rapid identification of the main wetland habitats represented at each site.
Marine/Coastal Wetlands
A -- Permanent shallow marine waters in most cases less than six metres deep at low tide; includes sea bays and straits.
B -- Marine subtidal aquatic beds; includes kelp beds, sea-grass beds, tropical marine meadows.
C -- Coral reefs.
D -- Rocky marine shores; includes rocky offshore islands, sea cliffs.
E -- Sand, shingle or pebble shores; includes sand bars, spits and sandy islets; includes dune systems and humid dune slacks.
F -- Estuarine waters; permanent water of estuaries and estuarine systems of deltas.
G -- Intertidal mud, sand or salt flats.
H -- Intertidal marshes; includes salt marshes, salt meadows, saltings, raised salt marshes; includes tidal brackish and freshwater marshes.
I -- Intertidal forested wetlands; includes mangrove swamps, nipah swamps and tidal freshwater swamp forests.
J -- Coastal brackish/saline lagoons; brackish to saline lagoons with at least one relatively narrow connection to the sea.
K -- Coastal freshwater lagoons; includes freshwater delta lagoons.
Zk(a) – Karst and other subterranean hydrological systems, marine/coastal
Inland Wetlands
L -- Permanent inland deltas.
M -- Permanent rivers/streams/creeks; includes waterfalls.
N -- Seasonal/intermittent/irregular rivers/streams/creeks.
O -- Permanent freshwater lakes (over 8 ha); includes large oxbow lakes.
P -- Seasonal/intermittent freshwater lakes (over 8 ha); includes floodplain lakes.
Q -- Permanent saline/brackish/alkaline lakes.
R -- Seasonal/intermittent saline/brackish/alkaline lakes and flats.
Sp -- Permanent saline/brackish/alkaline marshes/pools.
Ss -- Seasonal/intermittent saline/brackish/alkaline marshes/pools.
Tp -- Permanent freshwater marshes/pools; ponds (below 8 ha), marshes and swamps on inorganic soils; with emergent vegetation water-logged for at least most of the growing season.
Ts -- Seasonal/intermittent freshwater marshes/pools on inorganic soils; includes sloughs, potholes, seasonally flooded meadows, sedge marshes.
U -- Non-forested peatlands; includes shrub or open bogs, swamps, fens.
Va -- Alpine wetlands; includes alpine meadows, temporary waters from snowmelt.
Vt -- Tundra wetlands; includes tundra pools, temporary waters from snowmelt.
W -- Shrub-dominated wetlands; shrub swamps, shrub-dominated freshwater marshes, shrub carr, alder thicket on inorganic soils.
Xf -- Freshwater, tree-dominated wetlands; includes freshwater swamp forests, seasonally flooded forests, wooded swamps on inorganic soils.
Xp -- Forested peatlands; peatswamp forests.
Y -- Freshwater springs; oases.
Zg -- Geothermal wetlands
Zk(b) – Karst and other subterranean hydrological systems, inland
Note : "floodplain" is a broad term used to refer to one or more wetland types, which may include examples from the R, Ss, Ts, W, Xf, Xp, or other wetland types. Some examples of floodplain wetlands are seasonally inundated grassland (including natural wet meadows), shrublands, woodlands and forests. Floodplain wetlands are not listed as a specific wetland type herein.
Human-made wetlands
1 -- Aquaculture (e.g., fish/shrimp) ponds
2 -- Ponds; includes farm ponds, stock ponds, small tanks; (generally below 8 ha).
3 -- Irrigated land; includes irrigation channels and rice fields.
4 -- Seasonally flooded agricultural land (including intensively managed or grazed wet meadow or pasture).
5 -- Salt exploitation sites; salt pans, salines, etc.
6 -- Water storage areas; reservoirs/barrages/dams/impoundments (generally over 8 ha).
7 -- Excavations; gravel/brick/clay pits; borrow pits, mining pools.
8 -- Wastewater treatment areas; sewage farms, settling ponds, oxidation basins, etc.
9 -- Canals and drainage channels, ditches.
Zk(c) – Karst and other subterranean hydrological systems, human-made
- Criteria
The Convention provides criteria for member countries to use in making their nominations for the Ramsar List. A wetland is suitable for inclusion in the List if it meets any one of these:
1. Criteria for representative or unique wetlands. A wetland should be considered internationally important if: a) it is a particularly good representative example of a natural or near-natural wetland, characteristic of the appropriate biogeographical region; or b) it is a particularly good representative example of a natural or near-natural wetland, common to more than one biogeographical region; or c) it is a particularly good representative example of a wetland which plays a substantial hydrological, biological or ecological role in the natural functioning of a major river basin or coastal system, especially where it is located in a transborder position; or d) it is an example of a specific type of wetland, rare or unusual in the appropriate biogeographical region.
2. General criteria based on plants or animals. A wetland should be considered internationally important if: a) it supports an appreciable assemblage of rare, vulnerable or endangered species or subspecies of plant or animal, or an appreciable number of individuals of any one or more of these species; or b) it is of special value for maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of a region because of the quality and peculiarities of its flora and fauna; or c) it is of special value as the habitat of plants or animals at a critical stage of their biological cycle; or d) it is of special value for one or more endemic plant or animal species or communities.
3. Criteria based on waterfowl. A wetland should be considered internationally important if: a) it regularly supports 20,000 waterfowl; or
b) it regularly supports substantial numbers of individuals from particular groups of waterfowl, indicative of wetland values, productivity or diversity; or c) where data on populations are available, it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterfowl.
(NB: The use of the term waterfowl refers to all water birds, including ducks, geese, shorebirds, wading birds, and sea birds).
4. Criteria based on fish. A wetland should be considered internationally important if: a) it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contributes to global biological diversity; or b) it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend.
Ramsar sites Wetlands of International Importance
- Ramsar Sites in the U.S.
- 19 sites have been designated in the United States. Some notable sites include:
- The Cheyenne Bottoms in Kansas provides a migratory habitat for thousands of ducks and geese that stop here each year on their way from their wintering grounds in Latin America and the Caribbean to breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska.
- Florida's Everglades serve as a vast filter and reservoir of clean water, which supplies Florida's expanding human population.
- The Catahoula Lake in Louisiana supports large numbers of waterfowl and maintains the ecological diversity of Louisiana lowlands.
- Caddo Lake in East Texas is a critical habitat for migratory species as well as a center for community-based education and recreation such as bird-watching.
- Ramsar Sites Worldwide:
More than135 nations have signed on to the Ramsar Convention Treaty.
More than 1,360 sites have been designated to date, covering a surface area of nearly 300 million acres.
Louisiana Wetlands
Louisiana is losing between 25 and 35 square miles of coastal wetlands
every year, which accounts for 80 percent of the coastal wetland loss in
the lower 48 states. Louisiana has already lost 600,000 acres this
century and, if nothing is done, is expected to lose another 600,000
acres. The acreage expected to be lost is equal to the size of Rhode
Island.
The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (Public Law 101646, Title III--CWPPRA) was enacted and signed into law by President Bush in 1990. The Act directed that a Task Force consisting of representatives of five federal agencies and the State of Louisiana develop a comprehensive approach to restore and prevent the loss of coastal wetlands in Louisiana. This legislation provided the first national mandate for a restorative action of this magnitude. Even more importantly, the Act began the prudent process of reinvesting in restoration a tiny fraction of the billions of dollars that these coastal wetlands provide every year in renewable (fish and wildlife) and non-renewable (oil and gas) resources.
The Louisiana coastal plain remains the largest expanse of coastal wetlands in the contiguous United States. It comprises 25 and 69 percent of the fresh and salt marshes, respectively, found on the gulf coast. This translates to 15 and 40 percent of those ecotypes remaining in the contiguous United States. The future of Louisiana's coastal marshes is therefore vitally important to the ecological future of the Nation.
The deterioration of these wetlands is now understood to have been greatly accelerated by human activities which have been critical to the economic growth of the Nation. The unforeseen loss of these coastal wetlands now threatens the future of this region and is a national tragedy in the making. Arresting and reversing the loss of the Mississippi River's deltaic wetlands has become a new national priority, as witnessed by the statement made by the Honorable Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior, at the April 17, 1993, signing ceremony for the first CWPPRA projects:
The coastal wetland issue I would characterize as simply the single most important environmental issue of our times. The wetlands are, without any question, the richest and most threatened ecosystem in this country. And in turn the coastal wetlands, where fresh water meets salt water, where land meets sea, are truly the most fragile, delicate, and important link of all.
The State of Louisiana's recognition of this problem can be traced through the success of its Coastal Zone Management program, established in 1980. Since its inception, the program has helped reduce wetlands loss due to development from 3,000 to 800 acres per year. The concern of private citizens and landowners was made clear in 1989 when an amendment to the Louisiana constitution establishing a dedicated trust fund for coastal wetlands restoration was adopted by a three to one margin. Congress, recognizing the environmental and economic threat posed by the continued loss of these coastal wetlands, was quick to act on this declaration of public support through the passage of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act.
The Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Restoration Plan presented here is a product of communication, coordination, and cooperation not only among the designated participants from the state and federal agencies, but also through the formal, and more often informal, involvement of numerous local government agencies, the academic community, private environmental and business groups, and countless motivated individuals with good ideas. This process has from the beginning involved difficult choices; it is far from perfect today and evolving still. All involved agree, however, on two important findings that form the core of the entire Restoration Plan.
First, by phasing in an adequate investment now, it is technically feasible to significantly slow or reverse coastal wetlands loss and thereby protect, sustain, and enhance the most valuable environmental and economic assets of the region.
Second, the no-action alternative condemns the Nation to a far more expensive course of uncoordinated and increasingly futile emergency efforts to protect existing investments in the economic infrastructure without hope of achieving sustainability.
During the preparation of this plan the Task Force has actively pursued its mission, fulfilling a second CWPPRA directive of submitting a series of annual Priority Project Lists. To date three of these lists have been submitted, authorizing 48 projects for construction to hold the line against wetland loss. With the State of Louisiana providing a 25 percent share of the cost, over $120 million has already been directed to this effort. This Restoration Plan, however, is the first major step in responding to the direction of the Congress to restore and prevent the loss of coastal wetlands in Louisiana. The plan proposes specific projects to restore on a regional scale the natural processes which were responsible for the great productivity of the coastal ecosystem and which will, in the long term, maintain the value of this resource to the Nation.
WHAT&'S AT STAKE
When Louisiana became a state in 1812 over 16 million acres of wetlands were incorporated into the resources of the United States. Approximately 4.5 million acres of this total were what would now be considered coastal wetlands. Approximately 74 percent, or 3.3 million acres, of Louisiana's coastal wetlands were still inventoried as such in 1989. However, more than a million acres of coastal wetlands have been lost just within the last 60 years. Current estimates of the loss rate range between 25 and 35 square miles annually (16,000 to 22,000 acres), or about an acre every 25 minutes. This accounts for nearly 80 percent of all coastal wetlands loss in the United States today.
The Mississippi River built the coastal wetlands of Louisiana by depositing enormous volumes of sediment and nutrients, eroded from the vast interior of North America, on the continental shelf at its mouth (Figure 1 illustrates the various delta lobes created as the river changed its course over time). For the last several thousand years, dominance of the building process resulted in a net increase of more than four million acres of coastal wetlands, as well as the creation of an extensive skeleton of higher natural levee ridges along past and present channels in the deltaic plain and the beaches of the chenier plain. The landscape this produced gave rise to one of the most productive ecosystems on earth. Only the most intensively managed agricultural systems, artificially subsidized by large inputs of energy and fertilizer, can rival the ability of these estuarine wetlands to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into food.
Figure 1 Historic Delta Lobes. Back of Figure 1.
The most visible result of this productivity is the fact that Louisiana's coastal wetlands support a commercial harvest of fish and shellfish comparable in volume to that of the entire Atlantic Seaboard. The market value of the fisheries harvest supported by the state's wetlands averages almost $1 billion annually. Recreational activities, tourism, and other uses of the resource add several hundred million more to the economy each year, and these values do not count the intangible worth of an incredibly diverse wildlife habitat--home to 70 bald eagle nesting pairs, hundreds of thousands of nesting wading birds and seabirds, and five million wintering waterfowl whose summer homes extend over much of North America.
By themselves, these economic and habitat values, which depend on the biological productivity of
THE PROBLEM
The natural processes that produced the
Today flood control projects (such as levees) ensure that most fresh water and sediment now bypass the area where they would naturally build and nourish wetlands; these valuable resources are directed to the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The wetlands continue to sink or subside as they have always done. Deprived of their natural sustenance, the plants that define the surface of the land die off, unable to maintain themselves within the intermittently flooded zone in which they are adapted to live. Once denuded, the fragile substrate is left exposed to the erosive tidal environment.
This problem is compounded in many locales where artificial channels dredged for navigation and oil and gas development provide efficient conduits for seawater to penetrate far inland, and for the limited amount of fresh water provided by local rainfall to drain rapidly seaward. The banks of dredged material piled along these channels, as well as embankments constructed for roads and railroads, further disrupt natural cycles of flooding and draining and isolate large areas of estuaries from the remaining non-riverine sources of sediments and nutrients.
The cumulative effect of human activities has been to tilt the balance between land building and land loss drastically in the direction of loss. As recently as the 1970ís the loss rate for Louisiana's coastal wetlands was as high as 40 square miles per year. The current rate of loss is about 25 square miles per year, much of which is due to the residual effects of past human activity.
Today Louisiana, which contains about 40 percent of the estuarine wetlands in the lower forty-eight states, is suffering 80 percent of all coastal wetlands losses. Currently, land building has virtually stopped in the deltaic plain and amounts to only a few hundreds of acres each year in the
These losses will have impacts well beyond the borders of Louisiana. The impact on commercial fisheries alone will be enormous: by the year 2041, the harvest will decline by 30 percent. Loss of this resource will aggravate our Nation's trade deficit and place at risk the nearly 50,000 jobs directly related to fishing, processing, and wholesaling activities. In addition, populations of migratory birds and other animals directly dependent on the marsh and swamp will decrease dramatically, an impact which will be felt in much of North America, where these species spend part of their life cycle.
A number of other food staples or basic minerals, such as sugar, rice, salt, sulphur, and lime, are also produced in coastal Louisiana. Lost production of these basic items will impact national markets.
The coastal marshes help protect southern Louisiana from flooding and are integral to the design of the $12 billion worth of flood control works which protect the regional infrastructure. Continued loss of these wetlands will lead to loss or increased maintenance and replacement costs for highways, ports, waterways, railroads, pipelines, oil and gas facilities, and other features. As the coast deteriorates, billions of dollars of infrastructure will be surrendered to the Gulf of Mexico, and billions more will be spent protecting the remainder. Ultimately American consumers and taxpayers will pay these costs.[15]
The
The coastal wetlands protect an internationally significant commercial-industrial complex from the destructive forces of storm-driven waves and tides. This complex includes deep-draft ports that handle the Nation’s waterborne commerce and the most active segment of the Nation’s
Today, most of the
Coastal
In 1990, passage of the Coastal Wetland Planning, Protection Restoration Act, (PL-101-646, Title 111, CWPPRA), locally referred to as the Breaux Act provided authorization and funding for a multi-agency task force to begin actions to curtail wetland losses. In 1998, after extensive studies and construction of a number of coastal restoration projects accomplished under CWPPRA, the State of
- Wetland Major points of information regarding our wetlands overall
- Habitat
- Wildlife Birds
After the hunting season began in Louisiana, large
numbers of waterfowl concentrated on limited areas closed to hunting
(i.e., 400,000 ducks on the Lacassine NWR pool [Y. M. Yakupzack,
unpubl. data])[17]
- Endangered Species Estuaries
- Geology\Geomorphology Development
- Flooding and Water quality, Miss. River Watershed
- Barrier Natural Disasters
- Value
- Commercial Fish\Oysters Oil\Gas\LOOP
- Recreational Fish Fowl Parks
- Cultural Fish\Shrimp\Trap Early Settlement Historical Louisiana
Purchase
- Bird Migration Flyway Monarch Butterfly Migration Flyway
SCOPE
- Wetlands Ramsar Convention
- Cluster nomination of Diverse Wetlands
- Inclusion into Coastal zone management
- Migratory Birds\Waterfowl Protection Tool
- Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)
Wetland Cluster Proposal - Cameron Prairie NWR Habitat Stats Site Management Principles Relevance to Ramsar
Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge
1428 Highway 27
Bell City, Louisiana 70630
Telephone: 318-598-2216
[18]Although established in 1988 and in existence only 6 years as a national wildlife refuge, Cameron Prairie NWR is a rapidly growing attraction for local residents and visitors alike. In fact, the Gulf Coast Bird Club has already adopted Cameron Prairie NWR as one of its favorite birding sites and committed itself to compiling the refuge bird list.
“I have walked almost the entire refuge, and I love it,” says Winston Caillouet, a past officer of the club and frequent birder at Cameron Prairie NWR. Caillouet says the refuge is a great birding place because of the variety of habitats. He reports that the refuge bird list he is helping to compile has 199 species so far.
Refuge Lands Were Formerly Rice Fields
Consisting of 9,621 acres of fresh-water marsh and coastal prairie, the refuge was previously owned by companies that constructed levees and dikes for controlling water levels in their rice fields. When rice farming became uneconomical, they sold their properties for a refuge, which had in the meantime been identified as being crucial to meeting goals set by the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, an international agreement to restore lost wetland habitats.
Cameron Prairie NWR was established under the auspices of this plan and acquired with $5.1 million from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. The 15,000-acre East Cove Unit was transferred from Sabine NWR in 1992. It is accessible only by boat.
Bird Wonderland, Says Manager
Considered a"waterbird wonderland" by manager Paul Yakupzack, Cameron Prairie NWR can boast new nesting colonies of egrets, herons, cormorants, ibis, and anhingas. Roseate spoonbills are seen feeding from late summer to early winter. Wintering ducks and geese arrive in November; common snipe and woodcock also arrive in the fall and spend the winter. Numerous shore birds congregate and feed in the managed moist-soil area along the
Only
Management Maintains Optimum Habitat
The water-control system installed by early rice farmers is now used for wildlife management. Other management techniques include prescribed burning on higher marsh (prairie) sections and moist soil management. The so called "feathered-edge" zone between higher ground and the marshes is premier waterfowl habitat.
Keeping the area in early vegetative stages stops the invasion of Chinese tallow and wax myrtle, of no benefit to wildlife, and attracts geese and ducks.
New Facilities Are Increasing Visitation
The number of visitors to Cameron Prairie NWR has been low so far—only 500 to 600 per year—but that is expected to change. A modern new visitor center opened in the end of 1994 (see below), and the Pintail Wildlife Drive has been completed. Manager Yakupzack expects that the easily accessible new facilities will generate many new visitors, but will also create new logistical needs such as weekend staffing of the visitor center.
The fast track development of Cameron Prairie NWR is due in large measure to a supportive member of congress. Former Senator J. Bennett Johnston was instrumental in successfully pursuing a $2.9-million appropriation for the planning, design, and construction of a new maintenance building and one of the few visitor centers recently constructed on a national wildlife refuge.
Only 60 miles on LA-27 from Sabine NWR, Cameron Prairie NWR makes a drive around the Creole Nature Trail loop a must for a one-day view of outstanding wildlife habitat. In Cameron, the drive includes a crossing by ferry on which both trailers and recreational vehicles are permitted.
Enjoying Your Visit
Cameron Prairie NWR offers a wide variety of wildlife-oriented recreation opportunities. These activities are permitted during daylight hours only. To learn more about what to do and see during your visit, stop by the Refuge Visitor Center located south of Lake Charles on Louisiana Highway 27, 11 miles south of Holmwood, Louisiana. The Visitor Center is opened Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and on Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Wildlife Observation -- Bird watching, photography and sight-seeing are encouraged year round. Fall and winter months offer the best opportunities to observe flocks of migrating geese and ducks. Spring and summer are the best times to see wading and shore birds. Songbirds can be observed passing through the area on their spring and fall migrations. A bird checklist is available at the visitor center.
Wildlife Drive -- Excellent wildlife observation opportunities are available approximately 2 miles south of the visitor center along the Pintail Wildlife Drive. During the fall and winter, flocks of ducks and geese can be seen feeding in the fields along the road. In addition to the seasonal waterfowl, wading birds and alligators can also be observed. Remember, alligators can be dangerous so stay a safe distance away from them and keep all pets in the car.
Hiking -- The dikes and levees on the refuge are opened to hiking unless otherwise indicated and the more adventuresome are welcomed. However, be cautious of poisonous snakes such as cottonmouths. Insect repellent is a must to guard against mosquitos and biting flies during the warm months of late spring to early fall. All public use of the East Cove Unit is restricted to boats only.
Boating -- Gibbstown Unit -- Motorized boats are only allowed in the outfall canal from March 15 through October 15. Motors over 25hp are prohibited in the canal. Non-motorized boats are permitted in the bankfishing area. See Refuge Fishing brochure for more information.
East Cove Unit -- The refuge is closed to all public use during the Louisiana Waterfowl Hunting season and when the Grand Bayou Boat Bay is closed. Motorized boats may be operated in refuge canals, bayous and lakes. Only electric trolling motors may be used in refuge marshes. Boat motor horsepower is not restricted.
Fishing -- Gibbstown Unit -- Fishing is permitted from March 15 through October 15 in accordance with State laws in designated areas. See Refuge Fishing brochure for more information.
East Cove Unit -- Fishing is permitted year round except during the Louisiana Waterfowl Hunting season and when the Grand Bayou Boat Bay is closed. See the East Cove Fishing brochure for more information.
Hunting -- Gibbstown Unit -- The refuge does have a bow hunting season for white-tailed deer. Please see the Refuge Hunting brochure for more information.
Firearms -- All firearms are prohibited. Cased and unloaded weapons may be transported through the refuge on through routes of travel.
Cajun Woman Debuts in New Visitor Center
The new Cameron Prairie NWR visitor center opened its doors to the public in 1994. Included among its interpretive exhibits are the sequel to the highly popular Cajun Man at Sabine NWR—animated Cajun Woman sitting in a pirogue (a canoe-like boat) talking about the refuge. The 4 marsh types found in Louisiana are explained in an adjoining diorama exhibit.
According to refuge manager Yakupzack, the combined office and visitor center is the most unique in the Southeast. Visitors exiting their vehicles walk to the center across a pond on an elevated boardwalk, which has several arbor-covered observation areas. An elevated boardwalk from the rear of the center leads to an observation deck overlooking a moist-soil area that will attract wildlife. The single level boardwalks and visitor center floor make the entire facility fully accessible for disabled persons.
From Sabine NWR, south to Holly Beach, east on LA-82 through Cameron, and north on LA-27 to visitor center on left approximately 15 miles north of Creole. From I-10, exit 36 east of Lake Charles, south on LA-397, east on LA-14, and south on LA-27 to visitor center on right approximately 10 miles south of Holmwood. For further information, contact Cameron Prairie NWR, 1428 Highway 27, Bell City, LA 70630, 318-598-2216.
- Lacasseine NWR Habitat Stats Management Relevance
Sabine NWR
Habitat Stats Management Sabine National Wildlife Refuge
Authorizing Legislation:Executive Order 7764, signed
Site Description:
Located south of the town of Hackberry in Cameron Parish, Sabine NWR covers approximately 124,511 acres. Approximately 39,844 acres are open water and approximately 84,667 acres are grassland/herbaceous/ marsh. The refuge lies in the marshes between Calcasieu Lake and Sabine Lake. Among the species of wildlife that can be found in Sabine NWR are duck, goose, alligator, muskrat, nutria, various wading birds and shorebirds, blue crabs, and shrimp. Other bird species present in the refuge are Olivaceous cormorant and snowy egret, and common egret rookeries are also located in the refuge. Some management tools utilized at Sabine NWR are water management to control salinity levels and preserve marsh and aquatic habitats, open water terracing for waterfowl and fishery habitat enhancement, impoundments for preserving marsh and freshwater fisheries, and prescribed burning for marsh and coastal prairie restoration and maintenance.
Regulation:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the primary agency that regulates Sabine NWR. The Refuge Recreation Act, 16 U.S.C. 460k-460k-4, restricts public recreation use of fish and wildlife conservation areas, including National Wildlife Refuges. Section 460k lays out public uses that are allowed in the refuge, such as wildlife observation, sport fishing, commercial fishing and crabbing, nature photography, motorized and non-motorized boating, and waterfowl hunting. Per 50 C.F.R. 27.11-17.97, ATVs, camping, littering, fires, collecting, horses, and firearms/weapons (except during refuge hunting seasons) are prohibited. However, motorized vehicles are allowed on designated roads. Pursuant to 50 C.F.R. 32.7, Sabine NWR is open to hunting and fishing. 50 CFR 32.37 allows hunting of ducks, geese, and coots in designated areas with a permit and subject to compliance with all terms and conditions in the hunting permit. 50 CFR 32.37 also allows fishing, crabbing, and shrimp cast netting in designated areas subject to compliance with all terms and conditions set forth in the refuge fishing brochure.[19]
Primary Information Source:Sabine NWR website - http://sabine.fws.gov/
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge -- http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=43640
Sabine NWR,about 8 miles south of Hackberry, on State Highway 27, was established in 1937 to provide habitat for migratory waterfowl and other birds. The refuge consists of a basin of wetlands located between the Gulf's beach cheniers (oak ridges) and the coastal prairie, which is one of the most productive and fertile areas of
Over 280,000 people visit the refuge annually. The exhibits in the refuge visitor center and the Wetland Walkway are considered two of the principal tourist attractions in southwest Louisiana. The refuge is an integral part of the Creole Nature Trail All American Road.
Sabine NWR is located about 22 miles south of Sulphur, Louisiana. Take Exit 20 off of Interstate 10 in Sulphur. Turn south on Highway 27 and proceed south through Hackberry. The Refuge Headquarters/Visitor Center is located approximately 8 miles south of Hackberry on the East side of Highway 27.
The refuge is located where the river's fresh water and the Gulf's saline waters mix; where the abundance of all wildlife is dependent on the proportion of vegetation to water, with the amount of vegetation being the important ingredient. This area could be called an estuary, a marsh,or a wetland; its name is Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. Sabine encompasses 33,000 acres of impounded fresh marsh and 91,511 acres of brackish to intermediate marsh. Management of this 124,511 acre refuge is not as intensive as that found on smaller refuges. Because of many man-made and natural factors, habitat losses have occurred on an estimated 40,000 acres of the refuge. Major efforts are being taken to correct or prevent further loss.
The primary management objective is to maintain and perpetuate Gulf Coast wetlands for wintering waterfowl from the Mississippi and Central Flyways. The refuge is one of the largest estuarine-dependent marine species nurseries in southwest Louisiana. Wetlands are maintained using prescribed burning, and water level and water quality manipulation. There are over 115 miles of canals, 61 miles of levees, and 8 water control structures that are part of the complex water management operation. Major issues involve restoration of 40,000 acres of marsh habitat for migrating birds, maintaining aquatic conditions for saltwater and freshwater fisheries, and regulation of gas and oil exploration activities to benefit wetlands.
The basin contains about 312,500 acres of wetlands, consisting of 32,800 acres of fresh marsh, 112,000 acres of intermediate marsh, 158,200 of brackish marsh, and 9,500 acres of saline marsh. A total of 122,000 acres have been lost since 1932, 28 percent of the marsh that existed in 1932.
Marshes within the
The progradation process served to establish an undulating land form along the gulf coast. The areas between the cheniers were collecting points for water and, over time, built up by decomposition and regeneration of plant materials to form low salinity marshes. These interior marsh areas would occasionally receive pulses of mineral sediment input due to storm tides.
The hydrology of the marshes between Sabine and
The water circulation patterns allow for higher salinity water to enter the interior marshes (saltwater intrusion). The basin soils, which are 87 percent organic and support lower salinity marsh vegetation, are infiltrated by the more saline waters. This leads to increased stress and loss of the plant communities, and eventually erosion and sediment transport out of the inner marsh areas.
Subsidence and sea level rise are natural processes that contribute to wetland deterioration and loss. Under pristine conditions, natural marsh building and maintenance processes are effective in maintaining coastal marshes despite subsidence and sea level rise; however, human alterations have disrupted the hydrologic processes which contributed to wetland building and maintenance, while subsidence and sea level rise continues. In the
Erosion is a problem along the shores of
In summary, wetland loss within the basin is largely the result of extensive hydrologic alterations to wetland building and maintenance processes. Recent observations regarding marsh recovery indicate that in some areas, reducing salinities may protect and restore wetlands.[20]
- Ramsar Citations Diversity of Proposed Sites Habitat Corridor
- U.S. Policy Support Requires Public Land
- Southwest NWR Complex Exists
- Set Example for remainder of LCZ
- TQM\BMP approach to wetland planning and management for Future Cluster Designation suggested sites
- Enhance Preservation\Conservation\Restoration Efforts
- Louisiana Hosts only one Inland Wetland Ramsar Site
Case Studies\Comparative Plans
- Catahoula NWR
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- Everglades
METHODOLOGY
- Criteria for identifying Ramsar sites
Eight Criteria for "Wetlands of International Importance" Designation:
A wetland should be considered internationally important if it:
1. Contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region; or
2. Supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities; or
3. Supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region; or
4. Supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions; or
5. Regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds; or
6. Regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird; or
7. Supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contributes to global biological diversity; or
8. Is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend.
- Ramsar Explanation of Guidelines
- RIS Form
- Wetland Types\Categories Locations
- Supporting Agencies (Possible Questionnaire Opportunity?)
- Criteria & Justification
- Louisiana RIS Submission
- Habitat Numbers Endangered Species
- Value National Shipping Oil\Gas\LOOP Local Economies Aqua culture Tourism
- Threats Hurricanes\Natural Disaster Coastal Erosion Sea level rise Subsidence
Man-Made
Findings
- Relevance of Wetland Conservation and Protection
- Louisiana Wetlands Qualifications
CONCLUSION
- Benefits of Designation
- Int`l Environmental Law Local Application in Wetland Planning & Management
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Complete the RIS Application
- Submit Application for Inclusion
- Lobby Locally and Nationally for Designation
APPENDIX
- Completed RIS
- Maps
- Associated Docs (Formal Letters of Support)
- RIS Examples
REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY
LIST OF FIGURES
VITA
What "Ramsar" Is:
- In 1971, an international convention was held in Ramsar, Iran and participants signed a treaty entitled, "The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Especially as Waterfowl Habitat."
- The Ramsar Convention provides a framework for voluntary international cooperation for wetland conservation.
- The U.S. signed onto the Ramsar Convention in 1987.
What Ramsar Does:
- Recognizes wetlands' importance to communities, cultures, governments, and businesses and encourages wetland conservation and wise use of wetlands.
- Defines "wetlands" and "waterfowl."
- Establishes criteria for designating rivers, marshes, coral reefs and other areas as a "wetland of international importance."
- Encourages nations to identify "wetlands of international importance" and list them under auspices of the Convention as Ramsar sites.
- Asks that nations promote conservation of wetlands.
- The Ramsar Secretariat facilitates implementation of wetlands conservation decisions made by nations, by preparing wise use guidelines, creating training opportunities, and providing access to financial resources.
What Ramsar Does Not Do:
- Ramsar does not impose restrictions on nations and landowners. Ramsar is not a regulating entity, nor is it a United Nations Convention.
- Ramsar does not affect landowner sovereignty rights for wetlands management. Designation of property as a "wetland of international importance" is voluntary.
Designating "Wetlands of International Importance" within the U.S.:
- Almost any local government, organization, or community can nominate a site for Ramsar designation. Any one of eight criteria must be met.
- A written agreement is required from all landowners and a Member of Congress representing the geographic area. A final decision is made by trained staff at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Ramsar Sites in the United States of America:
50. Site clusters. Clusters of small sites, or individual small "satellite" sites associated with larger areas, should be considered for listing where these are:
i. component parts of a hydrologically linked system (e.g., a complex of valley mires, or system of groundwater-fed wetlands along a spring line, or karst and subterranean wetland systems); and/or
ii. linked in their use by a common population of animal (e.g., a group of alternative roost or feeding areas used by one population of waterbirds); and/or
iii. formerly geographically continuous before being separated by human activity; and/or
iv. otherwise ecologically interdependent (e.g., sites forming part of a distinct wetland district/landscape with a common developmental history and/or supporting discrete species populations); and/or
v. found in arid or semi-arid zones, where complexes of dispersed wetlands (sometimes of a non-permanent nature) can both individually and collectively be of very great importance both for biological diversity and human populations (e.g., essential links in incompletely known chains).
51. Where a cluster of sites is designated, the Ramsar Information Sheet should state clearly the rationale for treating the component parts collectively as one listed site.
[1] “Wetlands in
2 Protecting Wetland Functions – An Overview August 2004
[2] “About Wetlands”, National Wetlands Research Center URL - http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wetlands.htm.,
[3] International environmental governance, 2003. World Resources 2002-2004: Decisions for the Earth: Balance, voice, and power. United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, World Resources Institute.
[4] "Enhancing Conservation of the Critical Network of Wetlands Required by Migratory Waterbirds on the African/Eurasian Flyways", Chris Baker, Wetlands.org, (African/Eurasian Waterbirds Flyway project)
[5] "Wetlands: water, life, and culture"
8th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties
to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)
Valencia, Spain, 18-26 November 2002
[6] Marine Protected Areas in the Gulf of Mexico: A Survey
[7] “About Wetlands”, National Wetlands Research Center URL - http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wetlands.htm.,
[8] Coastal Wetlands of
[9] Coast 2050 Feasability Study, http://www.lacoast.gov/programs/2050/index.htm
[10] http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/releases/pr03_004.htm
[11] “About Wetlands”, National Wetlands Research Center URL - http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wetlands.htm.,
[12] http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/releases/pr03_004.htm
[13] "People and Wetlands: The Vital Link" 7th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), San José, Costa Rica, 10-18 May 1999 Strategic Framework and guidelines for the future development of the List of Wetlands of International Importance of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), adopted by Ramsar Resolution VII.11
[14] SOURCE: Federal Register Vol.55(71):13856-13857, Dated:
[15] LACoast Executive Summary 1993 http://www.lacoast.gov/reports/cwcrp/1993/execsumm.htm
[16] Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)
[18] Refuge Reporter, GORP, Cameron Prairie Refuge http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_nwr/la_camer.htm
[19] Marine Protected Areas in the
[20] http://www.lacoast.gov/geography/cs/index.asp Sabine Calcasieu Basin Facts
[21] The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, The Annotated Ramsar List:
[22] Ramsar Wetlands Data Gateway is provided by Columbia University and the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) (NASA-contract #NAS5-98162) For more information about SEDAC and CIESIN, contact CIESIN User Services: E-mail: ciesin.info@ciesin.org . Tel.:+1 (845) 365 8988
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