From 8-10 March, the members of the Mediterranean Alliance for Wetlands met in the city of Samsun (Turkey) on the occasion of its yearly General Assembly. The event, hosted by the Ornithological Research Center of Ondokuz Mayıs University, saw the onsite participation of 17 members and the virtual attendance of another 7 organisations. A rich exchange between the members of the Alliance helped to identify new opportunities for synergies, as well as shared challenges to conserve wetlands throughout the Mediterranean region.
Wetlands are facing similar threats in Mediterranean countries
During the first day, the MAW members had the opportunity to network and exchange with others during a field trip to the Kizilirmak Delta, the biggest wetland in the Black Sea Region and a Ramsar site, currently included on the World Heritage tentative list for natural heritage. Participants learned about the main threats affecting this site – particularly pollution due to agricultural activity – and about the evolution of its protection status.
Aiming to mobilize the Mediterranean community of organizations that are working towards wetland preservation, this meeting was scheduled for the same week as an event of the “Wetlands and Civil Society” project, coordinated by Tour du Valat and funded by the French Development Agency (AfD). During the same week, the MAVA Foundation, one of the major foundations to support environmental conservation in the Mediterranean (including the work of most the participating organizations) celebrated its Farewell Party.
High level of attendance to General Assembly
The MAW General Assembly brought together a total of 24 organizations who actively participated in a range of sessions to encourage interaction. These sessions aimed to collect feedback and inputs from the members on strategic priorities such as policy & advocacy, communications, fundraising and capacity building. Increasing legal and effective protection of wetlands appeared to be a common challenge across the different countries.
During the core session, the presentation of the Secretariat structure and action plan for 2023-25 was followed by technical explanations of the Red Alert and the Green Light protocols. Several members expressed their interest in applying for the Green Light, which offers key support during the early stages of restoration projects. Moreover, this assembly allowed to validate the communications plan for the Alliance.
Virtual participants also had the chance to present their organizations and ongoing projects in an introductory round which returned a comprehensive view of actions throughout the Mediterranean.
In addition, Tour du Valat was invited to present the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory’s work and its geoportal, which raised the interest of all participants with extensive information on the existing wetlands in each country and their level of protection.
Overall, we can say the General Assembly was a success in terms of attendance and exchange, particularly in the emergency context in Turkey due to recent earthquakes.
For further details, please consult the minutes of the General Assembly:
https://www.medallianceforwetlands.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MAW_GA_Minutes.pdf
