NSW BEGINS CATCH UP IN INTERNATIONAL WETLANDS PROTECTION

The National Parks Association today welcomed the news from Costa Rica that the NSW and Australian Governments had listed three NSW wetlands under the Ramsar Convention as Wetlands of International Importance. The nominations for parts of the Narran Lakes and Gwydir Wetlands in western NSW and Myall Lakes on the NSW central coast. have been put to the 7^th international Ramsar Conference being held in Costa Rica.

"NPA is particularly pleased to see the western NSW listings for their strategic and political importance as well as their natural values," said Noel Plumb, NPA Executive Officer.

"Both Narran Lakes and Gwydir listings represent the turning of the tide against the cotton industry's destruction of our inland rivers and wetlands. These listings will bring increased pressure on the industry and governments to control the impacts of the cotton and other intensive irrigation industries."

"The NSW Environment Minister Bob Debus is congratulated for the speed with which he acted to include the Narran Lakes nomination at Costa Rica after his appointment as Minister in only April this year. NPA had advocated this listing, based on the Narran Lakes Nature Reserve, for some years but had seen it blocked by bureaucratic inertia and political apathy. The Minister has cut through the inertia and the red tape which would normally have prevented such a last minute nomination."

"The Gwydir listing follows groundbreaking work by the NPA jointly with The World Wildlife Fund to bring private landholders in the Gwydir Valley together with the NSW and Federal Governments to enter an agreement for the Ramsar listing of their properties, concluded in February this year."

We look forward to the future expansion of the listed areas but most importantly, to real protection by both the NSW and Federal Governments. NSW now has seven Ramsar listed sites and is beginning, thanks to the water reform commitments of the Carr government, to redress the long neglect of our precious western rivers and wetlands.

For further comment or interviews with NPA/WWF western wetlands project officer Ms Cath Webb in Costa Rica please contact : Noel Plumb 02 9233 4660 or 0412 975 575

A background Briefing Note is attached and Information Sheets on Narran Lakes, the Gwydir Wetlands and the Ramsar Convention are available on request

NPA/WWF/AWA BRIEFING NOTE - 7^TH RAMSAR CONFERENCE

14 May 1999, San Jose, Costa Rica.

The Australian Government has informed more than 2,000 international delegates that four new Australian wetlands will be listed to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance. The 7th Ramsar conference is at San Jose, Costa Rica following the 6th Conference held at Brisbane in March, 1996.

The recognition of the Gwydir Wetlands, Myall Lakes and Narran Lakes in New South Wales, and the Great Sandy Straits, the coastal channel separating Fraser Island and Hervey Bay in Queensland represents years of discussion and negotiations..

Gwydir wetlands in particular stand out as a promising direction of conservation in Australia. Near Moree in north-western NSW, the 1000 hectares of wetlands listed is entirely owned by four farming families. The properties are used for grazing, and these activities will continue, with a formalised land management plan being developed to ensure that inappropriate movements of stock do not disturb the nesting of wetland birds and some of the special wetland plants.

An international meeting in Ramsar, Iran in 1971 signalled the development of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, now referred to as Ramsar. The original focus of the Convention was the conservation of habitats for the many species of migratory birds. There has been a widening of focus over the last few years with fish habitat, ecosystems and special wetland types being included in criteria for nomination to a List of Wetlands of International Importance, with the Convention also calling for the "wise use" of all wetlands.

Australia was the first signatory to the Ramsar Convention: With 49 sites on the Ramsar List Australia is one of the more active countries in nominating wetland sites. However this enthusiasm for nominating sites has not been matched by a commitment to developing and implementing management plans.

Jamie Pittock , Head of the WWF - International delegation, was highly critical of the performance of the Australian Government including:-

• Australia has been extremely slow in developing the plans required to manage each site
• A poor response by Australia to the Brisbane Conference recommendations for the listing of karst, peatlands and coral reef wetlands"
• Support for large scale developments which will jeopardise important wetlands including the Jabiluka mine at Kakadu, the Ord Stage Two irrigation development, and lack of action to oppose plans by the Queensland Government to build more than 50 dams and weirs on major rivers
• This last point is particularly important as the newly nominated Narran Lakes in western NSW receives a significant amount of its water from across the border in Queensland. By comparison, the NSW Government was praised for its efforts to develop watersharing strategies that incorporate environmental flows that help protect the health of the river systems.
• The State and Territory governments also received embarrassing attention from the observers in the conference. Angela Brady speaking for the Australian Wetlands Alliance, a network of 45 conservation groups throughout Australia, including NPA and WWF, presented to the delegates and observers from 120 countries a paper examining Australia's performance on the conservation of wetlands. Angela noted that "only 12 of Australia's 49 Ramsar sites have a current management plan that covers the entire site".

Further comment Noel Plumb 9233 4660 or 0412 975 575.

14 May 1999

National Parks Association