Integrated Management of wetlands (follow-up)
Wetlands, such as lakes, lagoons, deltas, river plains and coastal areas, belong to the most sensitive and most important ecosystems. The transition zones of land and water serve as cradles of biodiversity and are the natural habitat of thousands of rare species. From the socio-political and managerial point of view, wetlands have been controversially discussed natural spaces regarding matters of safeguarding and development. Since the end of the 19th century the extension of wetlands in Europe has been reduced by more than 50%. In the past, land owners, farmers, water and forest management bodies and local communities often had an interest in draining wetlands for agricultural use or in embanking former natural rivers for reasons of flood protection. For the WETLANDS II project these stakeholders as well as wetland management bodies and local residents have been taken on board to achieve a balanced and sustainable development and to reach a coexistence of man and wetlands. WETLANDS II is the follow-up project of the WETLANDS project that was implemented between 1998 and 2001. This first project laid down the principles and showed best practices for an integrated management of wetlands, starting with a state-of-the-art analysis. The main purpose of the new project is the improvement of the operative management of wetlands through capacity buildings and pilot projects in the partners' regions. Here the establishment of the Transnational Working Group of Wetland Managers plays an important role in exchanging experiences gathered in Integrated Wetland Management in different European regions.