Dear all

Members of the Kenya Wetlands Forum have already received this message 
- At last everyone can now exhale!
Also, i think KENWEB deserves a little credit in all this so 
congratulations everyone who gave selflessly their time, information, 
maps, connections, writing skills and editing for the RIS. Whereas for 
some this is an end and a cause for celebration, i think its just a 
beginning for the Tana Delta, here comes the daunting task of a 
management plan. Lets not leave it to the hounds!

Wanja


From: Judith Nyunja [mailto:JNyunja@kws.go.ke]
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 10:56 AM
To: Catherine Yaa
Cc: Serah Munguti
Subject: Tana River Delta added to the Ramsar List

Dear Catherine,
I wish to take this opportunity to thank members of the Kenya Wetlands 
Forum for the support they have provided in the process of designating 
Tana Delta Ramsar Site.
The long journey is finally over as we celebrate Kenyaâ??s 6th Ramsar site.
We look forward to continue working together with our conservation 
partners, develop and implement management structures for the Tana 
delta as we embrace the principle of â??wise useâ?? of wetlands for 
sustainable development.

Please circulate this to the KWF members.
Kind regards.
_______________________
Judith Nyunja,  Ph D
Senior Scientist & Wetlands Programme Coordinator
Kenya Wildlife Service
P.O Box 40241-00100
Nairobi
Email: jnyunja@kws.go.ke

From: KWS
Sent: Friday, October 12, 2012 1:21 PM
To: Samuel Kasiki; Judith Nyunja
Subject: FW: Tana River Delta added to the Ramsar List



From: ramsar-exchange-bounces@lists.ramsar.org 
[mailto:ramsar-exchange-bounces@lists.ramsar.org] On Behalf Of PECK 
Dwight
Sent: Friday, October 12, 2012 1:03 PM
To: ramsar-exchange@lists.ramsar.org
Subject: [Ramsar-Exchange] Tana River Delta added to the Ramsar List

The Secretariat is very pleased to announce that Kenya has designated 
the Tana River Delta as a Wetland of International Importance. As 
summarized by Ramsarâ??s MS Ako Charlotte Eyong, from the accompanying 
RIS, the Tana River Delta Ramsar Site (163,600 hectares, 02°27â??S 
040°17â??E), an Important Bird Area (IBA) in Coast Province, is the 
second most important estuarine and deltaic ecosystem in Eastern 
Africa, comprising a variety of freshwater, floodplain, estuarine and 
coastal habitats with extensive and diverse mangrove systems, marine 
brackish and freshwater intertidal areas, pristine beaches and shallow 
marine areas, forming productive and functionally interconnected 
ecosystems.

This diversity in habitats permits diverse hydrological functions and 
a rich biodiversity including coastal and marine prawns, shrimps, 
bivalves and fish, five species of threatened marine turtles and IUCN 
red-listed African elephant (Loxodonta africana), Tana Mangabey 
(Cercocebus galeritus), Tana River Red Colobus (Procolobus 
rufomitratus rufomitratus) and White-collared Monkey (Cercopithecus 
mitis albotorquatus). Over 600 plant species have been identified, 
including the endangered Cynometra lukei and Gonatopus marattioides.

As one of the only estuarine staging posts on the West Asia - Eastern 
Africa coastal flyway, it is a critical feeding and wintering ground 
for several migratory waterbirds such as waders, gulls and terns. The 
main human activities include fishing, small-scale family-oriented 
agriculture, mangrove wood exploitation, grazing, water supply, 
tourism and research (ongoing research on the protection and 
monitoring of breeding turtles and the conservation of dugongs).

Kenya presently has six Ramsar Sites, covering an area of 265,449 hectares.

Best regards, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.

***********
Dwight Peck
Documentation Officer
Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)
Rue Mauverney 28
1196 Gland, Switzerland
www.ramsar.org


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