The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands’ Standing Committee (SC67) concluded its pivotal meeting in Switzerland, marking a significant step forward in implementing the Convention’s 5th Strategic Plan (2025-2034) and accelerating global efforts for wetland conservation and restoration. The gathering, held on the shores of Lake Geneva, a designated Wetland of International Importance, served as a crucial intersessional forum following COP15 in Zimbabwe, a landmark event that underscored the irreplaceable value of wetland ecosystems for people, nature, and climate.
Key Decisions and Framework Adoption
A major achievement of SC67 was the adoption of the Indicator Framework for the 5th Strategic Plan. This framework is critical for monitoring progress towards the ambitious goals set at COP15 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, which aimed to drive transformative change in wetland protection, restoration, and wise use. The swift development and adoption of this framework by the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) and its subsequent approval at SC67 highlight the commitment of Ramsar Parties to robust implementation and accountability. This indicator framework will guide reporting and evaluation, ensuring that efforts to conserve and restore wetlands are data-driven and effective through 2034.
International Organizations Partner for Global Wetland Action
The meeting saw significant engagement from the six International Organisation Partners (IOPs) of the Ramsar Convention: Birdlife International, International Wetlands Management Institute (IMWI), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Wetlands International, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT). These organizations provided a crucial update on their collective support for delivering the 5th Strategic Plan.
A key focus of the IOPs’ update was their work with three voluntary global initiatives: the Freshwater Challenge, the Mangrove Breakthrough, and the Peatland Breakthrough. These initiatives are designed to galvanize action and foster collaboration among governments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and financial institutions to accelerate the conservation and restoration of vital wetland ecosystems. The IOPs emphasized that these initiatives are instrumental in mainstreaming wetland action into national targets and plans, thereby contributing to the achievement of global climate, biodiversity, water security, and sustainable development goals.
Addressing Root Causes and Reconfiguring Human-Wetland Relationships
During the Opening Plenary, Laura MacKenzie, Senior Advocacy Officer for Wetlands International, delivered a powerful statement on behalf of all six IOPs. The statement articulated three paramount priorities for immediate action:
- Addressing the Root Causes of Wetland Loss: This includes fundamentally re-evaluating financial and economic decision-making processes that currently incentivize wetland destruction rather than conservation.
- Reconfiguring Human-Wetland Relationships: This calls for a shift in how humanity perceives and interacts with wetlands, advocating for concepts such as the Rights of Wetlands, recognizing their intrinsic value and ecological functions.
- Elevating Wetlands in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs): The statement stressed the need to position wetlands as central to the delivery of other international agreements, particularly highlighting their crucial role as "watery connectors" across the COPs of the three Rio Conventions (on climate change, biodiversity, and desertification) and the UN Water Conference.
The IOPs’ statement underscores a growing recognition that effective wetland conservation requires systemic changes that address the underlying economic drivers of degradation and foster a more harmonious relationship between humans and nature.
Advancing Technical and Scientific Initiatives
SC67 also featured crucial discussions on several technical and scientific initiatives vital for wetland management and monitoring. Wetlands International, in particular, made significant interventions on the GeoWetlands initiative and the Global Waterbirds Estimates Partnership (GWEP).
GeoWetlands: Enhancing Wetland Monitoring through Earth Observation
Wetlands International reiterated its commitment to the GeoWetlands initiative, recognizing it as an exceptionally valuable tool tailored to the needs of Ramsar Contracting Parties. The organization expressed its honor in continuing to contribute to this initiative, including coordinating the GeoWetlands partnership. The finalization of the 2026-2028 workplan and partnership agreement for GeoWetlands was deemed highly positive, providing a clear framework for coordinated progress in the remote sensing of wetlands and the advancement of National Wetland Inventories. This collaborative approach, leveraging earth observation data, is essential for accurate mapping, monitoring, and assessment of wetland extent and condition, which are critical for effective conservation planning.
Global Waterbird Estimates Partnership (GWEP): Critical Data for Conservation
The Global Waterbird Estimates Partnership (GWEP) received a comprehensive update on its progress. Wetlands International acknowledged the essential contributions of governments (Australia, Switzerland, United Kingdom), Birdlife International, Manomet, and Wetlands International itself to the GWEP’s objective of delivering updated Waterbird Population Estimates by 2027. The organization highlighted the urgent need to address funding gaps for this vital work. Wetlands International, serving as part of the interim coordination committee and the G-WEP secretariat, expressed pleasure in working constructively with contracting parties, the STRP, and other partners since the adoption of the relevant resolution at COP15. The continued success of GWEP is paramount, as accurate waterbird population data are crucial indicators of wetland health and the effectiveness of conservation measures.
Financial and Economic Policy: Integrating Wetland Values
A significant point of emphasis for Wetlands International at SC67 was the imperative to integrate the values of wetlands into finance and economic policy. Citing reports from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which highlight the vast sums spent destroying nature compared to protecting it, the organization spotlighted the urgent need for greater progress in this area.
Examples of concerning trends were presented, including the recent weakening of laws protecting glacier areas in the High Andes, which poses exacerbated threats from lithium mining to wetlands and water security. Similarly, the proposed dilution of the EU Water Framework Directive was identified as a serious cause for concern. These instances illustrate a persistent challenge where wetland safeguards are often undermined in the name of development. The organization advocates for a paradigm shift where the economic benefits derived from healthy wetlands—such as water purification, flood control, and carbon sequestration—are fully recognized and accounted for in national and international economic planning.
Building Momentum for Transformative Solutions
Wetlands International is actively working to build momentum behind "big ideas" for transformative wetland action. This includes exploring support for a potential new draft resolution on the Rights of Wetlands, building on the precedent set by the IUCN resolution on the rights of rivers. This conceptual shift aims to grant legal standing to natural ecosystems, fostering a more rights-based approach to environmental protection.
Furthermore, the organization is sharing success stories from the Freshwater Challenge, Mangrove Breakthrough, and Peatland Breakthrough. These collaborative platforms are demonstrating how diverse stakeholders can unite to accelerate wetland conservation and restoration. By encouraging more governments to join these voluntary global initiatives, Wetlands International aims to enhance the mainstreaming of wetland action into national development agendas, thereby bolstering efforts to meet climate, biodiversity, water security, and sustainable development goals.
Supporting Multilateralism for Water and Wetland Action
The year 2026 has begun on a positive note for wetlands and multilateralism. The Convention on Migratory Species COP15, hosted by Brazil, adopted crucial decisions on flyways, connectivity, and migratory wetland species, alongside the Pantanal Declaration, which champions the central role of wetlands beyond biodiversity conservation to include climate regulation, water security, and community livelihoods.
SC67 provided a valuable opportunity to reinforce this momentum. Wetlands International is advocating for wetlands to be consistently prioritized as critical watery interconnectors across all three upcoming Rio Convention COPs and the UN Water Conference. This integrated approach recognizes that wetland health is intrinsically linked to progress on climate action, biodiversity conservation, and water management.
Looking Ahead: Panama and COP16
A particularly inspirational agenda item at SC67 was the update from Panama on their preparations to host the Convention on Wetlands COP16 in Panama City in June 2028. Following the successful COP15 in Zimbabwe, which saw strong leadership from the host nation, Panama faces the challenge of building on that momentum. However, Panama’s established global leadership in nature conservation, particularly concerning wetlands, bodes well for the upcoming conference. With a Wetlands International office already present in the country, the organization is committed to supporting Panama in its efforts to ensure that COP16 further accelerates wetland action worldwide. The successful outcomes of SC67 provide a strong foundation for the continued collaborative efforts needed to safeguard these vital ecosystems for future generations.
