FGCU professor wins international award for career in wetland research and education

Dr. William Mitsch, director of Everglades Wetland Research Park, has received one of three 2015 Ramsar Convention Awards of Merit.

Professor Mitsch is the author of the innovative textbook Wetlands, which has been described as the “wetland bible”. The book has essentially defined the field of wetland science since its first edition in 1986.

Professor Mitsch designed, built and managed from 1992-2012 one of the most productive riverine wetland research laboratories in the world. In 2008 the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park became the 24th Ramsar site in the USA. In 2012 he became a professor and Eminent Scholar at Florida Gulf Coast University and Director of Everglades Wetland Research Park in Florida. The laboratory has already established a reputation as a major destination for visiting wetland scientists from around the world and a place to address large-scale ecosystem restoration in areas such as the Florida Everglades.

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.

The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states, from all the world’s geographic regions, have acceded to become “Contracting Parties”.

Photo source: FGCU