~ Article and photo from Mr. Nigel Dique, Chairman, Port Stephens Sister Cities Committee~
Kushiro mayor Hiroya Ebina, Port Stephens Mayor Bruce MacKenzie and Newcastle Deputy Lord Mayor Michael Osborne at the reaffirmation of the 21-year-old Sister Wetland Agreement at Newcastle Council.
Hiroya Ebina, the mayor of Kushiro in northern Japan, Bruce MacKenzie, mayor of Port Stephens and Michael Osborne, deputy lord mayor of Newcastle met on Friday (6 Nov) to sign an historic wetlands agreement.
The agreement, signed in Newcastle, renews the Sister Wetland Relationship, begun 21 years ago, in which the three Councils agree to work towards the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
Preservation of wetlands is vital to the continuation of an extraordinary natural phenomenon – annual bird migrations between wetlands of Hokkaido and the Hunter estuary, a non-stop journey of 8,500km.
Cr Osborne and Cr MacKenzie signed on behalf of the wetlands of the Hunter Estuary, while Mr Ebina signed on behalf of Kushiro Marsh, Kiritappu Marsh, Lake Akkeshiand Bekanbeushi Marsh.
The wetlands include areas designated under the Ramsar Convention as Wetlands of International Importance. The municipalities share the shorebird species Latham’s Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii), with about 30,000 travelling between Japan and Australia each year.
“The biggest threat to migratory birds like the Latham’s Snipe is loss of habitat,” Cr Osborne and Cr MacKenzie said in a joint statement.
“Thanks to the tireless efforts of volunteers and all levels of government, remarkable progress has been made in recent years in rehabilitating precious wetlands located within the Newcastle and Port Stephens municipalities.
“The Sister Wetlands Relationship will continue to provide a conduit for exchanging experiences, knowledge and skills for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.”
Peggy Svoboda, spokesperson for Hunter Local Land Services at the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project said wetlands were valued globally because of their biological diversity and high productivity.
“With wetlands under continuing pressure from human activity, it’s important that governments at all levels recognise that wetlands are delicate and fragile environments, and support their maintenance for future generations.
“The Sister Wetlands Relationship helps to increase local awareness of the international significance of the Hunter estuary and encourages community involvement in the exchange of survey results and research activities, and information on the wetlands.”
The Sister Wetlands Relationship was first signed in Newcastle 1994 following the fifth meeting of the Ramsar Conference in Kushiro in 1993, and renewed in Newcastle in 2004.
Mayor Ebina, President of the Kushiro International Wetlands Centre was accompanied by three delegates from Kushiro City Hall’s environment department.