|
Education
Natural
Sciences Social
Sciences Culture Communication
& Information Site
map |
![]() |
|
‘Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis’: a new assessment of the state of knowledge on climate changeClimate change is having a significant impact on weather patterns, precipitation and the hydrological cycle, affecting surface water availability, as well as soil moisture and groundwater recharge. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is meeting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France from 29 January to 1 February 2007, to finalize the 1st volume of the report: ‘Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis’. This volume will assess the current scientific knowledge of the natural and human drivers of climate change, observed changes in climate, the ability of science to attribute changes to different causes, and projections for future climate change. During the session, government delegates will approve the Summary for Policymakers of the report line by line, and then accept the underlying report. The Summary for Policymakers of the first volume will be launched at UNESCO Headquarters on 2 February 2007 during a press conference that will be webcast live.
Report of the symposium on 'Arsenic in Groundwater - A World Problem'Arsenic contamination of groundwater has occurred in various parts of the world, most notably the Ganges Delta of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, causing serious arsenic poisoning among large numbers of people. The Netherlands Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) and the Netherlands Hydrological Society (NHV) organized a one-day symposium with UNESCO’s support on 29 November 2006 in Utrecht, The Netherlands, on the global dimension of arsenic in groundwater and drinking water. The Dutch National Committee of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) just published a report of the symposium and IHP will contribute to the publication of the full proceedings. Symposium report [PDF format – 487 KB] EVENTS
DID YOU KNOW...? FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT WETLANDSInformation from the Ramsar Convention Manual and from the 2nd UN World Water Development Report: 'Water, a shared responsibility' (2006) PUBLICATIONS RELATED TO WETLANDS
The Ramsar Manual was first prepared in 1994 and has been revised several times to account for subsequent developments. This 4th edition provides an overview of the Ramsar Convention and describes its history and present structures, the services it provides, the workings of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP), the Standing Committee, the Scientific and Technical Review Panel, the Secretariat, and relations with other environmental institutions. The Manual also includes: brief descriptions to the guidance documents adopted by the Parties through COP-9 in 2005; a list of all the COP’s Resolutions and Recommendations; and the text of the Convention.
This series of Handbooks has been prepared by the Secretariat following the 7th and 8th Meetings of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP7 and COP8) held in Costa Rica, in May 1999 and Spain, in November 2002. The guidelines are being published as a series of handbooks to assist those with an interest in, or directly involved with, implementation of the Convention at the international, regional, national, subnational and local levels. The handbooks incorporate, in addition to the guidelines adopted by the Parties, relevant material from other sources and from case studies designed to illustrate key aspects of the guidelines. The Ramsar Convention promotes an integrated package of actions to ensure the conservation and wise use of wetlands. In recognition of these integrated approaches, the reader will find that within each handbook there are numerous signposts or cross-references to others in the series. LINKS ABOUT WETLANDS
The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. This website contains information about the wetlands, the Convention, the Ramsar List and access to links, web archives and a photo gallery.
MedWet is a forum where 25 Mediterranean countries, specialized wetland centres and international environmental organizations meet to discuss, identify key issues and take positive action to protect wetlands, for man and for biodiversity. This website contains news, links, publications and information about projects, events and vacancies. Wetlands International is a global non-profit organization dedicated to wetland conservation and sustainable management. This website contains information about wetlands and its relation with livelihoods, biodiversity and climate change; news, events, and a photo gallery, among other things.
The Wetlands and Water Resources Programme of IUCN aims to improve the conservation and sustainable use of freshwater and tidal wetlands, so that these ecosystems meet the needs of human society and make a greater contribution to the conservation of biological diversity. The website has information about wetlands problems, publications, projects and links.
The Society of Wetland Scientists is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 to promote wetland science and the exchange of information related to wetlands.This website contains links, events, publications and awards.
The goal of this centre is to provide sound scientific knowledge that will lead to sustainable wetland functions and values for the United States and the world. This website contains links, news and projects.
The main objectives of this Centre are to derive nature protection goals including anthropogenic influences (e.g., extensive agriculture) and their impact on water management (in wetlands and in the catchments) and define terms of sustainability for wetland areas. This website contains information about projects, workshops, short courses and conferences. WetKit is a web-based tool kit designed to streamline access to practical tools that can help Canadians and kids around the world better understand and manage wetlands. WetKit showcases a wealth of wetland tools and explains how each one can help conserve wetlands. This website contains answer to questions like: What are wetlands? Why are wetlands important? What is happening to wetlands? How can my actions affect wetlands? How can wetlands benefit me? How can I help to sustain wetlands? It also offers news, publications, links and different education tools. ARCHIVES
SUBSCRIBE & UNSUBSCRIBETotal number of subscribers: 15,659
For contributions or comments, contact the editor at waterportal@unesco.org |
| Contact : waterportal@unesco.org - UNESCO Natural Sciences | Disclaimer - Privacy policy |