July 2011: The Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) has reported on the Fourth Wetland Managers Training Programme for North East and South East Asia, which took place from 20-24 June 2011, in the Republic of Korea.

The programme was organized by the Ramsar Regional Center-East Asia (RRC-EA), hosted by the Korean Ministry of the Environment, and sponsored by Gyeongnam Province, Changwon City, and the Gyeongnam Ramsar Environmental Foundation. The event brought together 28 participants from 15 countries throughout East and Southeast Asia.

During the workshop, participants heard presentations on: wetland culture; a Bangladesh case study; wetland policy in Korea; coastal wetlands protection policy in the Republic of Korea; and wetland management in East and Southeast Asia. Attendees also went on a field trip to the Ramsar site Upo Wetland and the Ramsar Cultural Center at Junam Reservoir.

During the training phase of the programme, participants heard a lecture on “General Wetland Management,” which focused on general wetland management principles and was followed by group work and discussion on the generation of information. On the last day of the Programme, participants heard a presentation on the communication aspect of the CEPA programme (Ramsar Programme on Communications, Education, Participation, and Awareness), and engaged in discussion of communication’s role in the spread of information. [Ramsar Press Release]