Ramsar Convention Secretary General Visit

The Ramsar Convention is the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat. Its 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”.  

Musonda was a recipient of the Ted Hollis Scholarship in Wetland Hydrology and Conservation, a scheme designed to enable overseas students to undertake PhD research within the Department.  

During her time with us, she focused her PhD on the Kafue Flats, a large floodplain in her native Zambia. Her work, supervised by Julian R. Thompson and Anson Mackay, included an assessment of the hydro-ecological impacts of dams on this internationally important wetland, itself a Ramsar site.  

After graduating from UCL, Musonda went on to work for a number of international conservation and development organisations (including the United Nations Development Programme and the UN Environment Programme) before joining Ramsar in 2022. 

Musonda was joined on her visit to UCL Geography, hosted by Professor Thompson, by Dr Flore Lafaye De Micheaux, Senior Advisor for Europe at the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands.  A series of informal meetings were held involving academic staff within the Department who are undertaking wetland-related research and teaching.  

They held wide-ranging discussions on, among other things, approaches for assessing the potential hydrological impacts of climate change on wetlands, hydro-ecological methods that can translate the hydrological changes to ecological responses, the restoration of a range of different wetland environments including floodplains, riverine wetlands, lakes and ponds, and wetland ecosystem services.  

Discussions also included future opportunities for research and teaching collaboration between UCL Geography, Musonda and the Convention on Wetlands. 

Musonda continues her collaboration with UCL as an Honorary Senior Research Associate at UCL. 

More Information

• Find out more about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
• Visit Professor Julian R. Thompson's Staff Profile
• Visit Emeritus Professor Anson Mackay's Staff Profile