A new international appointment for Charles Sturt University (CSU) Professor Max Finlayson has highlighted the high standing of CSU in international environmental research and policy development. Through collaboration between the Ramsar Secretariat, UNESCO's Institute for Water Education (IHE) and CSU, Professor Finlayson, the Director of the University's Institute for Land, Water and Society, was recently appointed as Ramsar Chair for Wise Use of Wetlands. In the new role, he will develop initiatives to further understanding how wetlands function and develop the link between wetlands and the communities that depend on them. He will collaborate with national and international organisations and experts to contribute to UNESCO-IHE's work and the Ramsar Convention's mission of promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands, while also maintaining his ongoing research program at CSU. "The Ramsar Chair will help us conduct robust research into better understanding of the ecology and management of wetlands. This develops further the history of collaboration between the Ramsar Secretariat, the Institute for Water Education and Charles Sturt University," said Mr Ken Irvine, Professor of Aquatic Ecosystems at UNESCO-IHE.