Some 70 delegates, representing contracting parties, and intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations, attended the 31st Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands to discuss issues leading up to the Ninth Conference of Parties in late 2005.

Delegates also approved a new budget line to support several regional Ramsar initiatives, including “MedWet again”, ‘WacoWet’ for West African Coastal Zones Network, the new Ramsar regional training centre in Ramsar Iran, the High Andean Strategy, and CREHO, the Ramsar regional training centre in Panama. In addition, finalists for the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Awards were announced. They include: Shuming Cai of the Chinese Academy of Science (science category); SH. A. Nezami Baloochi of the Department of Environment in the Province of Gilan, Iran (management category); and a shared award between the Wetlands Centre Australia in Shortland, Australia and Reiko Nakamura of the Ramsar Center Japan (education category). The winners of the 2005 Ramsar Award will receive their prizes, including US$10,000, at the Ninth Ramsar COP to be held in Kampala, Uganda from 8-15h November 2005. More information.