Comments on The Ramsar Convention and culture: Draft Strategic Action Plan 2012-2016

The Silene Association submitted comments on The Ramsar Convention and culture: Draft Strategic Action Plan 2012-2016 that address the following points: (i) language, especially the scope of the term culture, as a means of ensuring that it includes religion and spirituality, as per UNESCO criteria; (ii) the involvement of local people in recognition and management, including targets B, C and D, and also development opportunities; and (iii) suggested new actions:  the documentation of the relevant religious and spiritual values of wetlands in order to develop further the preliminary papers on this topic presented at the 2009 Prespa Workshop by Nejib Benessaiah and Josep-Maria Mallarach. This work could be conducted by the Silene Association.