The Evian Water Protection Institutes
The agreement to create the Ecoles de protection de l’eau (the Water Protection Institutes) was signed in 2008 in order to further Ramsar and Danone/Evian collaboration in aid of concrete projects on the ground that serve to implement the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
The initiative is planned over three years, until July 2011, and € 680,000 have been committed to develop a project-based international programme focusing on the wise use of water resources. The Convention Secretariat’s role is to evaluate and nominate project proposals and to monitor the progress of the projects.
> Annual report - 2010 (PDF)
Objectives
The main objectives of the initiative are:
To work with the local players to protect and restore the wetlands resource (including by developing site management plans);
To reduce poverty and improve communities’ living conditions (through alternative activities, ecotourism, promotion of the local economy)
To work in communication, education and public awareness (through videos, posters, school programmes, etc.)
To promote local communities’ participation in water management (creating conditions for discussions, ensuring access to information, strengthening decision-making processes)
To share experience and knowledge amongst the actors.
Key documents of the Danone-Evian Fund and Ramsar partnership
News archives of the Danone-Evian Fund and Ramsar partnership
Activities
The programme is presently supporting a first round three field projects. They have in common the fact that they involve Ramsar sites that are exposed to water management problems and that provide important livelihoods for local communities. They are based on a 2-3 year cycle that began in July 2008.
On the occasion of World Wetlands Day 2010, the Ecoles de l'Eau field projects organized a series of events such as national radio broadcasting and essay competitions for school students to help raising awareness on wetlands services and importance.
Read more on the Essay competition organized for school students living around the Jagdishpur Reservoir Ramsar site.
The three projects currently under way are:
1. Argentina -- Wetland sustainable management, especially for fishing, with community participation, in the Ramsar sites of Jaaukanigas and Humedales Chaco (La Plata river basin), implemented by the NGO, the Fundación PROTEGER.
The communities living in the Paraguay-Parana river system are suffering from the loss of access to living resources, especially fish, and these commuities are already amongst the poorest of Argentina. The lack of a global management plan for fishing and the uses of the wetlands in general are leading to overfishing, and the artisanal fishermen are missing other opportunities for developing activities to diminish the pressure on fishing and support livelihoods by alternative means. Proteger has been working since 2003 on building capacities with the local fishing communities, involving mostly women and vulnerable groups.
The objective of this 3-year project is to promote the conservation and wise use of wetlands by empowering the fishing communities and local government, in order to reduce poverty. It will: -develop and implement a fishing management plan in the Ramsar sites through a participative process; - build capacities to add value to fish products to reach fair productive activities helping the fishing communities to improve their living standard; and raise awareness about wetlands’ services and their social and cultural importance.
After one year, the management plan is on its way and various stakeholders have participated in meetings and capacity building classes in order to collect data in wetlands that will help to elaborate the management plan. The capacity building centre for added value products is finished and a new centre was built in Puerto Reconquista. The fish products production has been certified. About 30 families, especially women, have been trained to develop sustainable production of added value products, and a business plan has been developed in order to progress the sale of these products.
Communications report
Final project report for the first year, June 2009
Detailed project proposal, December 2008
"Proteger nuestros humedales", colorful 12-page brochure
"Manjares del Litoral", sustainable wetland products
Project advisory visit by Nathalie Rizzotti, Ramsar, September 2009
2. Nepal – Jagadishpur Reservoir wetland conservation through awareness, by improving livelihoods, being implemented by Bird Conservation Nepal, the BirdLife affiliate there.
This Ramsar site is an important staging point for thousands of waterbirds on their north-south migration, but unfortunately neither the birds nor the Reservoir are protected here. There is a clear need to work with the local communities for conservation of birds, and this will involve education and awareness activities in the field to various groups of people, including farmers who are most dependent on reservoir, encouraging them to use organic waste rather than chemicals as fertilizer, reduce their use of pesticides and other related activities.
The objective of this 2-year project is to promote the wise use of the wetland in order to maintain and enhance its biodiversity and provide alternative income generation activities for the local people.
After one year, important results have already been achieved. Communication materials have been developed and distributed in the whole area and amongst various organizations, and visits with officials and journalists have been organized in the field in order to raise awareness of the situation of the communities and wetlands. In the area’s schools, a communication awareness programme is being led by the NGO. A cooperative has been set up by the villagers and will help about 10 families as a start to developing small businesses, especially alternative activities in agriculture. Groups of women have been trained to weave baskets and creative objects that they will sell on the markets and in Kathmandu. A visitors’ centre is being readied in the village next to the lake in order to explain the issues, and it will be managed by the community and should attract people to this site to visit.
On the occasion of World Wetlands Day 2010, BCN with support from Danone Evian through the Ecoles de l'Eau project organized an essay competition for school students living around the Jagdishpur Reservoir Ramsar site. Here is a brief illustrated report.
Communications report
Final project report for the first year, June 2009
Detailed project proposal, December 2008
Jagdishpur Lake brochure
Jagdishpur Lake information board
Project advisory visit by Cécile Chenu, Danone, September-December 2008
3. Thailand – Raising awareness for improved management of the Ramsar site, Beung Kong Long Wetlands, implemented by WWF Thailand.
This Ramsar site is under threat from the use of unsustainable practices, such as the destructive harvesting and/or over-harvesting of wetland resources. A lack of coordination amongst the stakeholders and a lack of management plan for the wetland that is recognized and agreed by all local stakeholders have been exacerbating the problem.
The project aims to empower the local communities through wise use and wetland management on a long-term plan, particularly in implementing the Convention’s recommendations on management, awareness-raising, and wise use principles.
After one year, real results can already be seen. Concrete field actions have been undertaken, such as clear demarcation of the wetlands, water quality studies and collaborative researches to identify the species in the wetlands. A management structure, through the creation for example of a provincial wetland committee or district working group, will help to create a management plan and implement the sustainable use of the wetland. Important communication activities have been developed, like a visitors’ centre, a nature trail, school activities and educational material, and community activities have been organized for World Wetlands Day. A small grants programme has been created to reduce wetland use through alternative economic activities, targeting especially fishermen and women, and some training were given to farmers to develop organic methods and reduce the pollution of the wetlands.
Communications report
Final project report for the first year, June 2009
Detailed project proposal, January 2009
Wetland Education Programme (in Thai)
Project advisory visit by Marion Cardon, Danone, September-December 2008
Project visit by Nathalie Rizzotti, Ramsar, November-December 2009
Next steps for the Water Protection Institutes
Over the next two years, these projects will continue to work to support the local communities thanks to the Danone-Evian-Ramsar support. This should help to achieve a sustainable management of the very important Ramsar sites and help to reduce poverty in these three areas of the world. A participative management plan involving all stakeholders taking part in water management, and using it for their livelihoods, will be developed for each of the three Ramsar sites.
Danone-Evian support and exchanges
In 2008, three Danone-Evian employees were sent to the three respective projects of the Water Protection Institutes. They helped to develop a relationship between the local NGOs and the external international stakeholders. Back in Europe, they continued to work to increase awareness of the problems that are facing the communities and of wetland protection generally amongst their work environment and inside the Danone groupe.
In the field, during three months, they supported the NGO partner in various activities, like raising awareness, helping to develop alternative livelihoods, and giving their time and competences to general support to the NGO. This rich experience should be renewed in the near future.
Danone employee M. Cardon working with raising awareness in the Thai project
