INBO represented at Ramsar COP15 in Victoria Falls
At the end of July, with financial support from the Department of Environment, INBO participated in the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention (COP15) in Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). The Belgian delegation consisted of representatives from the Agency for Nature and Forests, INBO, the Department of Environment, and the Service Public de Wallonie.
Participation in this triennial meeting is part of our mission as Ramsar National Focal Point to provide scientific support for the implementation of the Wetlands Convention. Until COP15, INBO also held a seat on the Ramsar Standing Committee on behalf of the EU. This is the governing body that monitors and prepares the implementation of the convention between COP meetings.
There were 25 resolutions on the agenda, with INBO providing scientific input on topics including:
- the criteria for new and existing Wetlands of International Importance
- the implementation of the scientific and technical agenda 2025-2028
- the status of Ramsar sites
- the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2025-2034, which gives concrete form to the global biodiversity targets
- the updating of Ramsar Information Sheets
During the conference, the city of Mechelen was officially honoured as a “Ramsar Wetland City”, a candidacy that we supervised and for which INBO accepted the award on behalf of the city.
Hilde Eggermont, Merlijn Jocqué
Image above: Hilde Eggermont receives the ‘Ramsar Wetland City’ award for Mechelen. (photo IISD/ENB)