Wetlands International

Wetlands are our life support systems. They are climate champions, biodiversity hotspots, and underpin our societies and economies. Yet we are losing them at an alarming rate. Wetlands International is committed to conserving and restoring the world's freshwater and coastal wetlands for people, nature and climate.

Over the last 30 years, we have delivered impact for wetlands in over 100 countries, working with communities, civil society partners, companies and governments to co-create and implement solutions to enhance the health of rivers, lakes, peatlands, mangroves and other wetlands.

Wetlands International plays a unique role in driving wetland action as a locally-led global organization that bridges science, policy and practice. Through our global network of 18 offices in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, we combine on-the-ground solutions enriched by traditional and local knowledge with scientific leadership, practical guidance, policy advocacy and strategic partnerships at the regional and global level.

Our Vision
A world where wetlands are treasured and nurtured for their beauty, the life they support and the resources they provide.

Our Mission
To inspire and mobilise society to safeguard and restore wetlands for people and nature.

Our ambitious strategy for the next decade
Launched in 2026, Wetlands for Life is a new approach that will deliver solutions and drive transformative change in wetlands for the benefit of people, nature and climate. While we will continue to co-create solutions and deliver significant wetland impact with communities and partners at site level, our primary added value is not as an implementing agency but as a driver of systemic change at national, landscape and global levels. From now on, everything we do must help trigger transformative change.

By 2035, Wetlands International, we will have directly contributed with partners to:

• Conserving 4 million hectares of wetlands; 
• Ensuring 1 million hectares of degraded wetlands are under restoration; 
• Ensuring 2000km of rivers are maintained or under restoration; 
• 8 million people benefit from conserved and restored wetlands through reduction in risks and hazards and/or improved standard of living; and 
• Conserving 40 key wetland species.  

While substantial, these direct impacts only represent a fraction of the global goals for wetlands. Yet, they will be critical to achieving them because they will showcase solutions that help trigger the systemic change in policies, business, and finance necessary to accelerate and scale up wetland action worldwide. 

Collaborating with a wide array of partners from communities to cities, companies and countries, we will work to change the policies and business and finance systems that continue to degrade wetlands. By 2035, our systemic contribution to together with partners, will include:

• 50 countries have enhanced the implementation of key national and international policies in support of wetlands; 
• 100 companies with material impact on wetlands deliver measurable contributions to wetland conservation/restoration; and 
• €6 billion is mobilised in investments and funding supporting wetland conservation and restoration. 

To achieve these ambitious goals, we will focus on four key pillars – demonstrating impact through our site and landscape level interventions, leading through knowledge, creating a movement, and leveraging systemic change in policy, business and finance. 

While continuing to work across the globe on rivers, lakes, peatlands and coastal wetlands, we will deepen our existing work in 12 flagship landscapes across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. By 2035, our goal is to ensure that all these landscapes are under holistic management, including innovative finance and regenerative land-use practices – demonstrating that it is possible to create sustainable and prosperous wetland-based societies and economies by combining site level action in wetlands with collective efforts to transform government, business and investment policies and practices to drive systemic change. 

Critically, we will also continue to play our central role in three global umbrella initiatives: the Freshwater Challenge, Mangrove Breakthrough and Peatland Breakthroughs, which bring together governments, businesses and civil society to share solutions, leverage funds and accelerate action.