Delegates at the Second Meeting of the Regional Initiative for the Conservation and Wise Use of Mangroves and Coral Reefs in the Americas, which was co-organized by the Ecuadorian and Mexican Governments in coordination with the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention, worked on the Initiatives' strategic framework, reaching a consensus on the mission, vision, and the general and specific objectives of the strategy.
21 June 2011: The Second Meeting of the Regional Initiative for the Conservation and Wise Use of Mangroves and Coral Reefs in the Americas was co-organized by the Ecuadorian and Mexican Governments in coordination with the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention). Opening the meeting, Marcela Aguiñaga, Minister of Environment of Ecuador, highlighted the importance of mangrove and coral reefs ecosystems in the region, emphasizing the need to include mitigation and adaptation strategies in the context of climate change.
The event took place from 14-16 June 2011, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and brought together representatives from Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Ecuador, Honduras and the Dominican Republic, as well as Birdlife International, Wetlands International, institutional organizations and NGOs from the region. During the meeting, delegates worked on the Initiatives’ strategic framework, reaching a consensus on the mission, vision, and the general and specific objectives of the strategy. They also identified mangrove and coral reef areas in their countries of regional importance and agreed on activities to increase the visibility to the Initiative during the Panamerican Meeting that will take place in Jamaica in December 2011, and at the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention (COP 11) in Romania in June 2012. [Ramsar Press Release]