In the end of June-beginning of July 2025 global environmental community, including ALFAwetlands team, joint INTECOL 2025, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands delivered a critical presentation outlining its priorities, challenges, and strategies for accelerating wetland restoration and resilience. Set against the backdrop of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties and the 66th Meeting of the Standing Committee (SC66) in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Ramsar’s involvement at INTECOL came at a decisive moment for global wetlands policy, amid mounting climate pressures and lagging implementation.
Ramsar Priorities: A Call to Restore, Protect, and Innovate
The Convention on Wetlands—commonly known as the Ramsar Convention—continues to prioritise five interconnected pathways to strengthen wetland restoration and conservation worldwide. These are:
- Restoration and Protection: Emphasis is placed on reversing wetland loss and degradation, especially through the rehabilitation of ecosystems such as peatlands, mangroves, and marshes.
- Monitoring and Data Integration: Improved data collection and use are essential to inform policy and management decisions.
- Policy, Finance, and Protection Instruments: Innovative financial mechanisms and coherent policy frameworks are needed to enable long-term investment in wetland conservation.
- Governance and Participation: Inclusive governance models, engaging local communities and multiple sectors, are crucial for the success of restoration efforts.
- Nature-Based Solutions and Innovation: The integration of ecosystem-based approaches, such as blue carbon initiatives, underscores the role of wetlands in climate mitigation and adaptation.
Despite these clear priorities, progress has been modest: fewer than 10% of Parties have implemented wetland restoration projects since COP13, highlighting the urgent need for renewed political will, resources, and partnerships.
Zimbabwe’s Role: Hosting the 66th Standing Committee Meeting
The Ramsar SC66 meeting, to be held on 31 July 2025 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, represents a pivotal moment for decision-making and coordination ahead of the next Conference of the Parties (COP16). Key items on the agenda include the election of committee leadership, establishment of subgroups—such as the CEPA Oversight Panel and the COP16 Subgroup—and a review of progress on thematic work areas, including those focused on climate change and wetland management.
This meeting will serve not only as a logistical precursor to COP16 but also as a strategic platform to align member states on Ramsar’s vision for restoration and resilience. Zimbabwe’s hosting of SC66 places Africa at the center of global wetland governance at a time when the continent faces pressing challenges related to land-use conflict, resource scarcity, and climate-driven wetland degradation.
The Outlook at INTECOL: Science Meets Policy
At INTECOL 2025, Ramsar’s Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) presented an integrated scientific outlook under Thematic Work Area 3: Direct and Climate-Change-Related Pressures on Wetlands. This presentation spotlighted three major deliverables:
- Climate Change and Wetlands (Task 3.1): A synthesis of technical insights from the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report (AR6), this work explores the current and projected impacts of climate change on wetlands globally. A forthcoming Briefing Note will provide guidance on adaptation strategies.
- Blue Carbon Ecosystems (Task 3.2): Recognizing the climate-regulating potential of coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrasses, this task involves the development of conservation prioritization tools and analysis of carbon fluxes. These efforts aim to inform future updates to the IPCC Wetlands Supplement and support national climate planning.
- Wetlands and Agriculture (Task 3.3): In collaboration with FAO, Ramsar has developed a technical report and policy brief on managing wetlands within agricultural landscapes. Outputs include guidelines for ecological restoration and a new FAO-hosted e-learning module, reflecting a growing emphasis on knowledge-sharing and capacity building.
Each of these deliverables reinforces the link between wetland ecosystems, sustainable land use, and climate resilience—a key message Ramsar intended to elevate at INTECOL.
The Global Wetland Outlook 2025 is available at: https://www.global-wetland-outlook.ramsar.org/
Conclusion: Turning Commitments into Action
Ramsar’s participation at INTECOL 2025, following SC66 in Zimbabwe, is more than a technical update—it is a rallying cry to close the implementation gap. With only a small fraction of countries actively restoring wetlands, the Convention is doubling down on its role as a global convener, knowledge broker, and policy catalyst.
As the science presented at INTECOL makes clear, wetlands are not just ecosystems—they are essential infrastructure for climate adaptation, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development. The challenge now is to turn knowledge into action, and Ramsar’s roadmap offers a compelling starting point.
Outlook photo source: https://www.ramsar.org/news/global-wetland-outlook-2025-warns-39-trillion-loss-without-urgent-action