Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080630TDY02307.htm
Ramsar plans wetland guidelines to halt bird flu
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A committee of the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty aimed at protecting the world's wetlands, has compiled guidelines to counter the threat of avian influenza by protecting wetlands inhabited by waterfowl, it has been learned.
The central pillars of the guidelines drawn up by a science and technology exploratory committee of the international body are improved monitoring of migratory birds and the segregation of chickens and other domestic poultry.
The guidelines will be proposed at the 10th Ramsar Convention in South Korea, starting in late October.
A deadly strain of avian influenza was detected in whooper swans between April and May at three locations in Japan, including the Notsuke Peninsula in Hokkaido, a place included on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
The Environment Ministry is working on a system to monitor wild birds using transmitters, and is creating a manual for local authorities on how to deal with the threat of the virus.
However, little progress has been made in developing countries, where there is a lack of wild-bird specialists.
It is feared the virus may be carried by migratory birds, and it is hoped that the guidelines will encourage the adoption of countermeasures in developing nations.
The proposed guidelines point out that since a mass outbreak of avian influenza at China's Qinghai Lake in April 2005, the virus has spread quickly through Asia and Europe.
They call for acceptance sampling of wildfowl to examine the infection route and the relationship between migratory birds and the spread of the virus.
They also request that countries party to the convention report species of birds infected.
(Jun. 30, 2008)
Ramsar plans wetland guidelines to halt bird flu
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A committee of the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty aimed at protecting the world's wetlands, has compiled guidelines to counter the threat of avian influenza by protecting wetlands inhabited by waterfowl, it has been learned.
The central pillars of the guidelines drawn up by a science and technology exploratory committee of the international body are improved monitoring of migratory birds and the segregation of chickens and other domestic poultry.
The guidelines will be proposed at the 10th Ramsar Convention in South Korea, starting in late October.
A deadly strain of avian influenza was detected in whooper swans between April and May at three locations in Japan, including the Notsuke Peninsula in Hokkaido, a place included on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
The Environment Ministry is working on a system to monitor wild birds using transmitters, and is creating a manual for local authorities on how to deal with the threat of the virus.
However, little progress has been made in developing countries, where there is a lack of wild-bird specialists.
It is feared the virus may be carried by migratory birds, and it is hoped that the guidelines will encourage the adoption of countermeasures in developing nations.
The proposed guidelines point out that since a mass outbreak of avian influenza at China's Qinghai Lake in April 2005, the virus has spread quickly through Asia and Europe.
They call for acceptance sampling of wildfowl to examine the infection route and the relationship between migratory birds and the spread of the virus.
They also request that countries party to the convention report species of birds infected.
(Jun. 30, 2008)