Under the theme “Protecting Wetlands for our Common Future” the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP15) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from 23 to 31 July 2025. The event brought together delegations from over 170 countries, including government officials, environmental experts, representatives of civil society organizations and Indigenous communities.

Although wetlands cover just 6% of the Earth’s surface, they are home to more than 40% of plant and animal species and provide livelihoods for over one billion people. Conference participants emphasized the critical role of wetlands in ensuring water and food security, as well as preserving biodiversity.

Wetlands also serve as a first line of defense against the impacts of climate change due to their significant carbon sequestration capacity and ability to mitigate flooding. However, despite their importance, wetlands are being degraded at a rate three times faster than forests because of unsustainable human activities and accelerating climate change.

The conference’s final declaration outlined several outcomes considered a cornerstone of global efforts to protect one of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems. These include the adoption of a new 2025–2030 Wetland Action Framework, which sets out priorities for conservation, sustainable use, and ecosystem restoration. The framework also calls for integrating wetland concerns into climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction plans.

Among the key outcomes of COP15 was the recognition of the crucial role of local communities in wetland management and the acknowledgment of traditional knowledge as a core component of protection strategies. The conference also called for enhanced coordination between the Ramsar Convention and other major environmental agreements, particularly the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Participants at COP15 emphasized that wetland protection is not a luxury but a necessity, especially in the face of growing climate and biodiversity crises. The conference called for urgent actions, including restoring degraded wetlands, halting the depletion of natural resources, investing in sustainable, nature-based infrastructure and raising public awareness of the vital role wetlands play in daily life.

Signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is one of the oldest international environmental treaties, encompassing over 2,500 sites worldwide, covering approximately 250 million hectares.
COP15 represented a pivotal moment in the journey to protect global ecosystems, a final opportunity to change course toward safer and more sustainable wetlands.