The challenge of integrating wetland inventory, assessment and monitoring.

Wetland inventory, assessment and monitoring have been increasingly addressed in international and national fora (Finlayson et al.,2001). This has reflected concern expressed through the Ramsar Wetland Convention that the extent and quality of wetland information were, on the whole, insufficient to support effective management of a dwindling resource (Finlayson and Davidson, 2001). In fact, at a global scale, the information base for wetland management was often outdated, inaccurate and contained many gaps (Finlayson et al., 1999). Steps to overcome such problems culminated with the adoption by the Ramsar Wetlands Convention in 2002 of a resolution that supported the development of an integrated framework for wetland inventory, assessment and monitoring. A basis for this framework is presented below.