GEF IW:LEARN e-bulletin #15, Feb/March 2009

The GEF IW:LEARN e-bulletin is a regular circular of information including upcoming meetings, project specific news, interesting tools and applications of relevance to the GEF International Waters community (and projects in particular).

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In This Issue

Lead Stories	Visitor statistics from previous E-Bulletin #14 (Jan 2009). View full-size image
Project News
Most popular documents on IW:LEARN (Jan/Feb 2009)
Calendar of Events from April to June 2009
Vacancies and Requests for Proposals

Lead Stories

	Outcomes of State vs. Community-Based Mangrove Management in Southern Thailand This study (Sudtongkong, C., and E. L. Webb, 2008) is the first to quantitatively demonstrate that mangrove forests of Thailand can be managed and conserved by local communities. Moreover, the condition of community-managed mangrove forests was superior to that managed by the state.
	Groundwater Resources Use and Management in the Amu Darya River Basin (Central Asia) This paper analyses groundwater resources use and management in the socio-economic context of the Amu Darya River Basin which covers part of the following landlocked Central Asian countries: Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
	From Ridge to Reef: Water, Environment, and Community Security, GEF action on transboundary water resources This publication highlights nearly two decades of achievements by the GEF International Waters programme, in securing a wide range of economic, political, and environmental benefits from shared surface water, groundwater, and marine systems.
	Fair deals for watershed services in South Africa This report (King N. et al., 2008) reviews the potential of developing a payments for catchment services scheme in the upper Ga-Selati sub-catchment and the Sabie Sand catchment in South Africa.
	Online Africa map from Harvard University AfricaMap is based on the Harvard University Geospatial Infrastructure (HUG) platform, and was developed by the Center for Geographic Analysis to make spatial data on Africa easier for researchers to discover and explore.

Project News

Terminal Report of the UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project released
This report provides inter alia a detailed account of the project's operation; outputs and outcomes; achievements, failures, and lessons learned; management and scientific innovations; and the proposed mechanisms for the implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea.

On the beautiful, blue, cleaner Danube 
The Danube shows signs of improving water quality and still contains significant natural populations of flora and fauna which are typical for such a large river.

Most Popular Documents on IW:LEARN.NET (Jan/Feb 2009)

The top five documents in January/February 2009:

Capabilities and Limitations of Decision Support Systems in Facilitating Access to Information [123 unique pageviews]

Sample Medium-Sized Project Concept Paper - "Makys" [64 unique pageviews]

Sample Medium-Sized Project Brief - "Forestland" [32 unique pageviews]

Training course on the TDA/SAP approach in the GEF International Waters Programme. 2005. [28 unique pageview]

Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe - TDA. 2005 [27 unique pageviews]

Calendar of Events from April to June 2009

Events in April 2009 :
Africa / Asia / Americas / Europe / Oceania / All regions

Events in May:

WaterTech 2009   Abu Dhabi, UAE  3-6 May 2009

International Seminar - Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Coastal Management in Developing Countries   Manado, Indonesia  4-6 May 2009

5th Congress of Balkan Geophysical Society: Geophysics at the Crossroads   Belgrade, Serbia  10-16 May 2009

World Ocean Conference   Manado, Indonesia  11-15 May 2009

Fourth International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning   Cyprus  13-15 May 2009

6th International Multi-Purpose Reef Conference (IMPR)   Eastern Cape, South Africa  18-21 May 2009

34th Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) International Conference   Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  18-22 May 2009

International Conference on Water Resources (ICWR 2009)   Langkawi, Malaysia  26-27 May 2009

International Conference on Marine Ecosystem: "Transboundary Approach in Sustainable and Integrated Marine Resource Management"   Langkawi, Malaysia  26-28 May 2009

STRIVER Final Conference: Integrated Water Resource Management in Theory and Practice   Brussels, Belgium  28-29 May 2009

Freshwater Conservation Manager (WWF-Cambodia)   Closing date: 08 April 2009
The Freshwater Conservation Manager leads coordination, development, planning, management, reporting, and monitoring of WWF efforts to conserve key freshwater habitats, aquatic species, and ecological functions of the Mekong River Ecoregion in Cambodia, working closely with the Country Director, Programme Manager, Ecoregion Coordinators, and project managers.

Senior Project Manager (BCLME Programme)   Closing date: 17 April 2009
Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Executive Secretary (ES) of the BCC, and the UNDP CO, the Senior Project Manager (SPM), will be in-charge of co-ordinating the day-to-day management and operations of the BCLME SAP IMP project, ensuring high quality, efficient and effective project delivery. The SPM shall report directly to ES. He/she shall liaise directly with designated officials of the Executing Agency (the UNOPS), UNDP Country Office, the GEF Operational Focal Point, the existing and potential additional project co- financiers and others as deemed appropriate and necessary by the BCC.