INTERNATIONAL MIRE NEWSLETTER CONSERVATION GROUP issue 2006/3, December 2006 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 (Jennie Whinam), a Secretary General (Hans Joosten), a Treasurer (Philippe Julve), and 2 additional members (Tatiana Minaeva, Piet-Louis Grundling). Seppo Eurola, Richard Lindsay, Viktor Masing (†), Rauno Ruuhijärvi, Hugo Sjörs, Michael Steiner and Tatiana Yurkovskaya have been awarded honorary membership of IMCG. Editorial This Newsletter contains the outcomes of this year’s IMCG General Assembly in Finland: minutes of the most important meetings, resolutions (that raised a lot of attention!), and of course background information on our four new honorary members. In the coming month December the secretariat will organize the concrete elaboration of the many important tasks identified in the Action Plan 2007 – 2010. So: start thinking how you can contribute and contact the secretariat. And don’t be suprised if the secretariat contacts you for a direct request. The general assembly also installed the new Main Board and the Main Board has since also elected the new Executive Committee, that is not fully new, because it consists of the same people in the same functions as in the last 2 years. The SER Conference on Ecological Restoration, in which IMCG showed strong presence and that had a major focus on peatlands, adopted a “Greifswald Statement on Ecological restoration” that we include in this Newsletter. Furthermore you will find lots of news (please send us everything that is interesting!), short announcements of many relevant books (but we kept a pile in store for the next newsletter) and – as always – announcements on coming venues. We plan to publish a next Newsletter at the end of December 2006. Please send all your discussion contributions, news, publications, etc. to us, and with your help we will again prepare an interesting X-mas Newsletter. Deadline for the next Newsletter is December 17 2006. For information or other things, contact us at the IMCG Secretariat. Address updates should from now on also be sent to us. In the meantime, keep an eye on the continuously refreshed and refreshing IMCG web-site: http://www.imcg.net John Couwenberg & Hans Joosten, The IMCG Secretariat Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Grimmerstr. 88, D-17487 Greifswald (Germany) fax: +49 3834 864114; e-mail: [email protected] Contents: Editorial ........................................................................................................................................................................ 1 A note from the Chair ................................................................................................................................................... 2 IMCG Main Board Meeting.......................................................................................................................................... 2 IMCG Meeting on working with Ramsar ..................................................................................................................... 4 Minutes of the IMCG General Assembly ..................................................................................................................... 6 Discussions on the IMCG Action Plan ......................................................................................................................... 7 IPS-IMCG and CoCo-GAP Meetings in Espoo, Finland.............................................................................................. 8 Four new Honorary Life Members of IMCG.............................................................................................................. 12 IMCG Resolutions ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 IMCG resolution for Ireland 2006 .............................................................................................................................. 21 IMCG resolution for Russia 2006............................................................................................................................... 22 IMCG resolution for Finland 2006 ............................................................................................................................. 23 th Proceedings of the 12 IMCG Symposium – Call for papers..................................................................................... 25 The Greifswald Statement on Ecological Restoration ................................................................................................ 26 Peatlands at the UNFCCC .......................................................................................................................................... 27 Issue Based Modules .................................................................................................................................................. 30 PeatNet........................................................................................................................................................................ 31 Wetlands and poverty reduction project ..................................................................................................................... 31 World Wetlands Day .................................................................................................................................................. 32 Regional News............................................................................................................................................................ 33 New and recent Journals/Newsletters/Books/Reports................................................................................................. 41 IMCG Main Board...................................................................................................................................................... 47 UPCOMING EVENTS............................................................................................................................................... 48 _____________________ 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 A note from the Chair It’s been a big year for IMCG. Following on from the journal, Mires and Peat (Editor Olivia Bragg, Deputy success of the IMCG field symposium in Tierra del Editor Jack Rieley) was launched at the meeting. Fuego in November 2005, there was a successful and The election of Main Board members has been held well attended field symposium and general assembly and I congratulate the successful members, all of in Finland in July. As part of this symposium and whom were re-elected (see Main Board list at end of general assembly, there were discussions about the newsletter). I also congratulate John Couwenberg IMCG Action Plan for 2007-10. General agreement who will now formally assist our hard working was reached on the future direction of IMCG and Secretary-General, Hans Joosten, with many of the building on this, specific actions will be compiled administrative and support tasks required to increase shortly by Hans Joosten and me. Several resolutions the efficacy of IMCG. on peatland conservation were made and several There have been a couple of recent forums where press conferences/interviews were held during the IMCG has attended. Most notably, several of our field symposium. Four new IMCG Honorary members attended the UNFCCC meeting in Nairobi Members were approved – all of whom have made recently to promote mire conservation as part of the outstanding contributions to peatland conservation climate change deliberations. (Finland, Russia and through IMCG) – Seppo Eurola, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Rauno Ruuhijärvi, Steiner and Tatiana Yurkovskaya. IMCG members a peaceful and pleasant time over the Following the IMCG field symposium, there was a Christmas-New Year period. Let’s hope that 2007 is joint IMCG/IPS meeting in Finland. There was much a good year for mire conservation. discussion about issues relating to ‘wise use’ of With best wishes, mires, future directions and possible further joint Jennie meetings or symposia. The new joint IMCG/IPS IMCG Main Board Meeting 22 July 2006, Finland Agenda Bragg, Japie Buckle, Philippe Julve, Rodolfo 1) Opening and Welcome Iturraspe, Hans Joosten 2) IMCG Action Plan 2006 - 2010 3) Secretariat incl. personal support 1) Opening 4) Membership administration and membership fee 2) IMCG Action Plan 2007 – 2010. 5) Balance sheet and the statement of profit and Michael T. proposed to make a regional organisation loss of the actions, because different regions will have 6) Main Board