The San Francisco Bay estuary and many associated
wetlands in Marin have been added to a list of protected areas under a 1971
international treaty among 163 countries meant to limit damaging development
along ecologically important waterways.
Ramsar Convention officials on Friday announced
the U.S. government had added the bay as the nation's 35th "wetland of
importance" under the treaty. The designation takes effect Saturday, World
Wetlands Day.
While the designation will not result in new
legally-binding protections for wildlife and habitat in the bay, it does focus
international pressure on agencies to step up conservation efforts and may lead
to additional funding for wetland restoration. The designation also means the
country is committed to not promoting projects that alter designated ecosystems.
"This designation should be a point of pride
for anyone living in the larger San Francisco Bay Area," said Beth Huning,
coordinator of the Marin-based San Francisco Bay Joint Venture. "Despite
intense urban pressures, San Francisco Bay nonetheless endures as one of our
country's great natural treasures."
There are a number of waterways and wetlands in
Marin that are part of the designation: Richardson Bay, Corte Madera Marsh
Ecological Reserve, Marin Islands, Petaluma Marsh (which includes Bahia), Angel
Island, China Camp, parts of Olampali, Bel Marin Keys, Simmons Slough,
Tiscornia Marsh, Triangle Marsh, San Rafael tidelands, Beach
Park, Gallinas Marsh, Pickleweed Park and a
number of other smaller sites. San Francisco Bay is the largest estuary — about
400,000 acres — on the Pacific Coast and it is widely recognized as one of
North America's most ecologically important estuaries. It accounts for 77
percent of California's remaining wetlands, providing key habitat for a broad
suite of flora and fauna — over 1,000 species of animals, including native and
conservation status species, including wintering shorebirds.It also provides a range of ecological services
such as flood protection, water quality maintenance, nutrient filtration and
cycling, and carbon sequestration. Melissa Pitkin, spokeswoman for PRBO Conservation
Science — the former Point Reyes Bird Observatory — said decades of research
led to this designation.
In 1998 the Bolinas Lagoon was given a similar
designation. That body of water is home to 23 rare, threatened and endangered
species and 50,000 migratory birds that come though every year.
"It is a great day for the bay and a gesture
of promise for its future protection," Hunning said of the designation of
San Francisco Bay. "We have entered an era of restoration, a renaissance
of the bay."
The San Francisco Bay estuary and many associated
wetlands in Marin have been added to a list of protected areas under a 1971
international treaty among 163 countries meant to limit damaging development
along ecologically important waterways.
Ramsar Convention officials on Friday announced
the U.S. government had added the bay as the nation's 35th "wetland of
importance" under the treaty. The designation takes effect Saturday, World
Wetlands Day.
While the designation will not result in new
legally-binding protections for wildlife and habitat in the bay, it does focus
international pressure on agencies to step up conservation efforts and may lead
to additional funding for wetland restoration. The designation also means the
country is committed to not promoting projects that alter designated
ecosystems.
"This designation should be a point of pride
for anyone living in the larger San Francisco Bay Area," said Beth Huning,
coordinator of the Marin-based San Francisco Bay Joint Venture. "Despite
intense urban pressures, San Francisco Bay nonetheless endures as one of our
country's great natural treasures."
There are a number of waterways and wetlands in
Marin that are part of the designation: Richardson Bay, Corte Madera Marsh
Ecological Reserve, Marin Islands, Petaluma Marsh (which includes Bahia), Angel
Island, China Camp, parts of Olampali, Bel Marin Keys, Simmons Slough,
Tiscornia Marsh, Triangle Marsh, San Rafael tidelands, Beach
Park, Gallinas Marsh, Pickleweed Park and a
number of other smaller sites. San Francisco Bay is the largest estuary — about
400,000 acres — on the Pacific Coast and it is widely recognized as one of
North America's most ecologically important estuaries. It accounts for 77 percent
of California's remaining wetlands, providing key habitat for a broad suite of
flora and fauna — over 1,000 species of animals, including native and
conservation status species, including wintering shorebirds. It also provides a range of ecological services
such as flood protection, water quality maintenance, nutrient filtration and
cycling, and carbon sequestration. Melissa Pitkin, spokeswoman for PRBO Conservation
Science — the former Point Reyes Bird Observatory — said decades of research
led to this designation.
In 1998 the Bolinas Lagoon was given a similar
designation. That body of water is home to 23 rare, threatened and endangered
species and 50,000 migratory birds that come though every year.
"It is a great day for the bay and a gesture
of promise for its future protection," Hunning said of the designation of
San Francisco Bay. "We have entered an era of restoration, a renaissance
of the bay."
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