Central and West Asia and the Mediterranean have always been a vital bridgebetween Europe and Asia. Today, it is well understood that the importance of this region is global, and includes commerce, energy, culture, and environment.
During the past several years, international efforts to conserve wetlands have received an exceptional boost throughout the region.
To exchange best practices and lessons-learned regarding conservation and management of wetlands between the project managers, the Conservation of Iranian Wetlands project and the Ramsar Regional Center for training and research in West and Central Asia jointly organized the workshop Towards a Community of Practice for Wetlands Project Managers in October 2010.
This resource book which is written based on the mentioned workshop, presents and records the experiences of 11 demonstration projects of wetlands management. It is therefore of relevance to a wide range of situations where wetlands are under some kind of conservation or management regime.
It is my pleasure to invite you to read this book and I hope that you will find that the following pages provide useful insights into new approaches to wetlands management and conservation.
I sincerely hope that what has started will continue to grow into a true cooperation and knowledge exchange between supporting governments and dedicated projects.