Newsletter 2003-1
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INTERNATIONAL MIRE NEWSLETTER CONSERVATION GROUP issue 2003/1, March 2003 The International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG) is an international network of specialists having a particular interest in mire and peatland conservation. The network encompasses a wide spectrum of expertise and interests, from research scientists to consultants, government agency specialists to peatland site managers. It operates largely through e-mail and newsletters, and holds regular workshops and symposia. For more information: consult the IMCG Website: http://www.imcg.net IMCG has a Main Board of 15 people from various parts of the world that has to take decisions between congresses. Of these 15 an elected 5 constitute the IMCG Executive Committee that handles day-to-day affairs. The Executive Committee consists of a Chairman (Jan Sliva), a Secretary General (Hans Joosten), a Treasurer (Philippe Julve), and 2 additional members (Tatiana Minaeva, Stuart Brooks). Viktor Masing (†), Hugo Sjörs, and Richard Lindsay have been awarded honorary membership of IMCG. Editorial Again the international mire community suffers a severe loss: Jean-Marc Hervio died on January 28th 2003. A major loss for France, where he had been driving forward mire conservation in the last years, and for all mire friends who had the opportunity to enjoy his company during the IMCG Symposium in France in July 2002, of which he was one of the main organizer. Jean-Marc was the director of the "Pole Tourbière", the French national mire information centre, which was officially opened during the Symposium. Jean-Marc was a devoted conservationist, who loved the way he lived and worked. Our editing of the present Newsletter has been as rigorous as always and we take full responsibility for any mistakes we may have made. We plan to publish the next Newsletter around the 16th of June 2003, i.e. before the meeting of the IMCG Executive Committee on 22-23 June. Please send all your contributions, news, publications, etc. to us before June 9th, and with your help we promise to prepare again an interesting newsletter. For information or other things, contact us at the IMCG Secretariat. Address updates should be send to Jan Sliva ([email protected]). In the meantime, keep an eye on the IMCG web-site: http://www.imcg.net John Couwenberg & Hans Joosten, The IMCG Secretariat Botanical Institute, Grimmerstr. 88, D-17487 Greifswald (Germany) fax: +49 3834 864114; e-mail: [email protected] Contents: Word from our chairman............................................................................................................................................ 2 IMCG Corporate Strategy and Action Plan (2002 - 2006).......................................................................................... 3 IMCG Congress 2004 – South African mires and peatlands........................................................................................ 3 Global Peatland Initiative in Southern Africa (1) – IMPESA Project........................................................................... 5 Nature conservation in Russia and the Ramsar Process ............................................................................................... 7 The Constituent Meeting of the Peat Society of the Russian Federation .................................................................... 11 Peatland news from Tasmania.................................................................................................................................. 12 Wetlands and peatlands of Iraq ................................................................................................................................ 13 Energy peat in Sweden............................................................................................................................................. 18 th Cultural Aspects of Peat and Peatlands: the 8 Commission of the IPS ..................................................................... 19 From forgotten bookshelves..................................................................................................................................... 20 th 19 century francophone mire wisdom..................................................................................................................... 20 Photo CDs of the Northern Landscape...................................................................................................................... 22 Regional News ........................................................................................................................................................ 23 New and recent Journals/Newsletters/Books/Reports................................................................................................ 27 IMCG Main Board................................................................................................................................................... 31 UPCOMING EVENTS............................................................................................................................................ 32 _____________________ The IMCG bank acount : IBAN Number : FR76 1670 6050 0750 5170 9901 686; Bic Number (=swift) : AGRIFRPP867; Name : Ass. International Mire Conservation Group; Address : 159 rue Sadi Carnot 59280 Armentières (France) ISSN 1682-1653 2 IMCG NEWSLETTER Word from our chairman It’s typical. When, after my election as chairman, members I can only urge to get actively involved in Hans (Joosten) asked me to write a “Word of the the shaping of IMCG. The IMCG Newsletter and the Chairman” for the next Newsletter, I of course said General Assembly provide a platform for such an yes. In the meantime already two IMCG Newsletters open discussion. I would like to remind you all of the were issued and the promised “Word” had yet to be discussion on the IMCG Constitution, that has been written. And now again it is the night before the opened by Hans Joosten in IMCG Newsletter 2002/3. deadline as I write these lines. And to make the Please bring your desires and demands forward in deadline this time, I am writing in German, hoping time for the next IMCG Congress. that John will find the time to translate and format the In the last four years the focus of my wetland and text and at the last minute put it in the Newsletter. mire research has taken me further south step by step: I must admit, however, that, faced on a daily basis from Bavaria all the way to Southern Africa. This re- with the dilemma whether to solve immediate work orientation was made possible partly due to the related problems or whether to write this column for Global Peatland Initiative and the time I spent the Newsletter, I have always decided against the working in Africa has enabled me to truly appreciate latter – more so because my work is almost entirely the importance of GPI to globally reach the goals set related to peatland conservation or wise use. So much out in the “Wise Use of Peatlands.” It is impressive to for the apology at the start. see the almost untouched landscapes, wetlands, and Although I have already worked in peatland research mires south of the equator in breathtaking dimensions for over two decades, my IMCG career has been and conditions and with their tropical typicality so rather short. It all started for me at a meeting in unusual for the man from the North. Still, also these Surwold in 1997, where IPS and IMCG were still ecosystems are threatened; threatened by divided by clear lines. I had no idea of the turbulent international tourism and other branches of industry and eventful times ahead. Times in which IMCG or by the pressure from the local population. And became more and more important on the international then again it is very impressive to see the extent of floor of environmental politics, in which operating the degradation and destruction occurring at these without status, stamp, and legal Board was slowly sites after they have been discovered by becoming critical; Times in which IMCG constituted “civilisation.” Fires, drainage, and large scale itself officially in the year 2000 and has intensively conversion of peatland landscapes, forest and successfully learned to effectively deal with this monocultures reaching as far as the eye can see, status; Times in which the importance and reach of eutrophication and contamination of vital waters. IMCG is increasingly growing also outside of Europe My work in developing countries has significantly after it was recognised that similar or even larger broadened my horizon. Coming back to Germany peatland related problems exist there (just to mention many a professional problem, theme, and effort of the large peatland forest fires in SE Asia for prospering Europe seem insignificant and hardly example); Times in which it was understood that worth mentioning. Particularly when I think of the cooperation with the International Peat Society gives relationship between the money spent and the result us more strength to more effectively reach our that can be expected. How much more you can get Peatland Wise Use goals (e.g. the successful done for the same amount of money elsewhere in this incorporation of the GGAP in Ramsar and the birth world. of the GPI). With this background I wish to engage myself and I was able to follow it all during these times and IMCG to guarantee that the southern hemisphere where my capacities and knowledge allowed I was gains importance where global conservation and wise even able to actively participate. Most of all this use