In order to facilitate implementation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Ramsar Secretariat encourages the preparation and implementation of regional and subregional strategies. During the Second Pan-American Ramsar Convention Meeting (in 2002) a Contact Group was established to promote actions that benefit conservation and sustainable management of the distinctive wetlands of the High Andean mountains. The Contact Group comprised the Ramsar focal points of seven Andean States — Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela — as well as Costa Rica, which was included for its Páramo ecosystems. In addition, international organisations working on wetlands issues (including IUCN, WWF, Wetlands International, and Birdlife International) became part of this initiative, as did the Ramsar regional training centre (CREHO) and two technical networks (the International Working Group on Páramos (Grupo Páramo) and the High Andean Flamingos Conservation Group (GCFA)).
The Contact Group prepared a draft Resolution on High Andean wetlands, which was approved at the Ramsar COP 8 in 2002 (Resolution VIII.39). This Resolution is related to and complements other Resolutions (e.g., VIII.5, VIII.11, VIII.12, and VIII.17) approved at the same COP.
In order to enhance and coordinate such efforts and to promote the implementation of Resolution VIII.39, a workshop was organised in 2004 by the Contact Group, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, and the IUCN Regional Office for South America. This workshop sought to develop agreement on guidelines and elements to compose a joint strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of the High Andean wetlands, design the basis for an action plan, and create a regional platform for cooperation, information, and exchange of best practices. Following the workshop, a discussion by e-mail refined the draft strategy, which was then presented and modified during working sessions at the Third Pan-American Ramsar Convention Meeting (in 2004). In 2005, the Contact Group finalised the strategy at a workshop, and the strategy was adopted by the COP 9 in 2005.
The basic structure of the strategy includes a situational analysis, a conceptual framework (mission, vision, principles, scope, and objectives), and several action proposals that represent the work plan that will guide the strategy implementation.
The full text of the strategy can be obtained from http://www.ramsar.org/cop9/
cop9_doc26_e.htm?bcsi_scan_EC783A0C3C997
A81=l5XUKZNL3qLQCP2ljuwJIAYAAAB4Njc
A&bcsi_scan_filename=cop9_doc26_e.htm
Additional information about the strategy can be obtained from Ramsar’s Senior Advisor for the Americas, Ms. Margarita Astrálaga astralaga@ramsar.org