t" (Article 3.1). Further, each Contracting Party "shall arrange to be informed at the earliest possible time if the ecological character of any wetland in its territory and included in the List has changed, is changing, or is likely to change, as the result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference. Information on such changes shall be passed without delay to the organisation or government responsible for continuing Bureau duties" (Article 3.2).
At the Third Conference of the Contracting Parties held in Regina, Canada, in 1987, the Conference approved a recommendation (C.3.9) on the importance of avoiding changes in the ecological character of sites listed under the Convention. The recommendation (Annex I) urges Contracting Parties "to take swift and effective action to prevent any further degradation of sites and to restore, as far as possible, the value of damaged sites". The recommendation further requests Contracting Parties in whose territory are located sites whose ecological character has been degraded or are threatened, "to report to the Convention Bureau the actions undertaken to safeguard these sites".
At the Fourth Meeting of the Ramsar Conventions Standing Committee, the members and observers considered the best way of promoting the implementation of Recommendation C.3.9. A "monitoring procedure" (Annex II) was adopted by the Standing Committee as a procedure to monitor Ramsar sites, and has been used since February 1988 by the Convention Secretariat. The present report is the fifth prepared under this procedure.
In addition to the obligation to maintain wetlands listed under the Convention, the Contracting Parties also undertake to promote the wise use of wetlands throughout their territory. In other words, the Parties specifically recognise that, in view of the range of environmental functions and services provided by natural wetland systems, these should be managed in order that such benefits can contribute most effectively to present and future needs of human society. In reviewing the problems of the Bañados del Este, the present report therefore also considers how Uruguay might address this requirement of the Convention.
Uruguay and the Ramsar Convention
In adhering to the Ramsar Convention on 22 May 1984, Uruguay listed as its first Ramsar site the " Bañados del Este and Franja Costera". This area covers a total of 325,000 hectares in the Departments of Rocha, Treinta y Tres, and Cerro Largo (Fig. 1).
The Bañados del Este
The area designated as the Ramsar site includes two lakes (Castillos and Negra) and part of an international lake (Merin); part of the rivers Yaguarón, Tacuarií, Olimar, Cebollatí and San Luis; various streams; low plains that are permanently, periodically or occasionally flooded and which adjoin the major water masses; and the section of coast that extends from the Uruguay/Brazil border to Cabo Polonio. It also extends to the Atlantic coastal islands close to Coronilla and Cabo Polonio (Vas-Ferreira, 1987).
Within this area, a wide range of wetland habitats occur which support a great diversity of fauna and flora. The wetlands are particularly important for waterbirds, of which at least 120 species live for part or all of the year in the Ramsar site (Vaz-Ferreira, 1987). The Bañados also support an important mammal fauna, including Capybara Hidrochoerus hidrochaeris, Coypu Myocastor coypus and a residual population of "venado de campo" Ozotocerus bezoarcticus. More than 30 species of amphibians and 5 reptiles are found in the site. Among the latter is the "yacaré" Caiman latirostris. 80 species of fish occur, of which some 30 are important in commercial fishing or in sport fishing.
In the Uruguayan national report to the Third Conference of Contracting Parties (Vaz-Ferreira, 1987), it was noted that listing of the zone has not brought about any effective additional protection of the Bañados. These are still controlled by national shooting laws and decrees rather than by any specific legislation directed at the Bañados. This is in part a consequence of the f