As global delegates prepare to gather at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe for the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP15), Advocates4Earth calls on all nations to move from intention to implementation. This summit marks a critical opportunity to reinvigorate global ambition for wetland conservation—ecosystems that are not only biodiversity havens, but also crucial to climate adaptation, food security, and water resilience.
Wetlands at the Crossroads of Biodiversity and Climate
We anticipate COP15 will finalize and adopt the Fifth Strategic Plan (2025–2034), an essential roadmap to guide global wetland efforts in alignment with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the Paris Agreement. But ambition must translate into action. Wetlands—especially peatlands, mangroves, and inland deltas—are carbon-rich ecosystems that hold the key to both climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. We call for bold, measurable targets, including the restoration of at least 350 million hectares of inland waters by 2030, and integration of wetlands into national climate and biodiversity action plans.
Driving Wetlands Finance Through Innovation
Advocates4Earth believes that meaningful wetland restoration is impossible without unlocking new financing pathways. Through our research and policy hub, the Institute for Green Finance and Law, we are advancing frameworks that link wetland protection to innovative financial instruments. These include climate resilience bonds, blue carbon credits, and results-based financing models that reward ecosystem restoration. At COP15, we will advocate for the establishment of a Wetland Finance Compact—anchored in equity, transparency, and accountability—to mobilize both public and private capital toward high-impact wetland projects across the Global South.
Our latest research demonstrates that wetlands offer some of the highest climate and biodiversity returns on investment per dollar spent. Yet they remain underfunded. We urge multilateral development banks and climate funds to prioritize wetlands as nature-based infrastructure and develop scalable funding mechanisms with local co-benefits.
Equity, Inclusion, and Knowledge Justice
Sustainable wetland governance must center people, not just policies. At COP15, Advocates4Earth will push for stronger protections for Indigenous peoples and local communities who have stewarded wetlands for generations. Their rights to access, land tenure, and benefit-sharing must be safeguarded, and their knowledge systems formally integrated into national wetland strategies.
We also call for enhanced youth participation in Ramsar processes. The future of wetland conservation depends on empowering young leaders—not just as observers, but as full participants in shaping wetland policy and practice.
Reimagining Urban Wetlands
As cities continue to expand, urban wetlands must be recognized as critical infrastructure. We support the expansion of the Wetland City Accreditation scheme and urge governments to embed wetland conservation into urban planning, climate adaptation, and disaster risk strategies. These ecosystems offer cost-effective buffers against flooding, heatwaves, and pollution.
A Defining Moment
Ramsar COP15 must be a turning point. The stakes—ecological, social, and economic—could not be higher. Advocates4Earth stands ready to work with governments, civil society, Indigenous groups, and youth leaders to ensure COP15 delivers a bold agenda for wetland restoration and resilience. The time for incremental progress is over. Let COP15 be remembered as the moment the world recommitted to wetlands—for people, for nature, and for our collective future.
English
Leave a Reply