Experts from Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, the Europarc Federation and the Ramsar Secretariat discussed: the achievements of and future challenges for the Ramsar Convention; how to put the “green” into green wetland economy; the state of wetlands in Finland; and the ecosystem services that Europe's wetland infrastructure provides to societies.
6 December 2011: An international conference on “The Future of Wetlands” brought together experts from several European countries, the Europarc Federation and the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) to: reflect on the current state of wetlands and the failure to reach the 2010 biodiversity target; explore why wetlands are relevant; identify more efficient and sustainable solutions; and increase political commitment for the future.
The conference, held on 25 October 2011, in Helsinki, Finland, was organized by the Government of Finland with support from the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Ministry of the Environment and the Metsähallitus Natural Heritage Service.
According to the Ramsar Secretariat, the countries represented were Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, the Russian Federation, and Sweden. Participants heard presentations on: the achievements of and future challenges for the Ramsar Convention; how to put the “green” into green wetland economy; and the state of wetlands in Finland. The ensuing discussion focused on the ecosystem services that Europe’s wetland infrastructure provides to societies. [Ramsar Press Release]