July 15, 2025 marks the launch of the Global Wetland Outlook 2025: Valuing, Conserving, Restoring, and Financing Wetlands in Nairobi, Kenya. The report, published by the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, represents a data-driven synthesis of the current state of the world’s wetlands. The GWO 2025 presents the latest global data on wetland extent, loss, and degradation; the costs to society of losing wetland benefits; the targets required to conserve and restore wetlands; and the actions and financing solutions that can turn the tide for wetlands worldwide. It is intended as a resource for policymakers, investors, and practitioners working to align wetland action with climate, biodiversity, and development goals. It is perhaps the most candid and data-rich assessment yet of the crisis we face—and the opportunities still before us. For policymakers, conservation scientists and practitioners, it provides not only a stark assessment of ongoing degradation but also an evidence-based rationale for urgent, scaled-up action to conserve, restore, and finance wetlands as integral components of sustainable development and climate resilience.

As someone who has spent nearly four decades working in wetland conservation, I have witnessed both the gradual erosion of wetlands and the transformative impact of local and global efforts to mitigate it. It provides the best synthesis yet of the evidence for wetland values, the urgency of their loss, and the economic and policy case for saving them. It is also a reminder that despite all the data and all the policy frameworks, real change will depend on sustained advocacy, coordinated planning, and the political courage to prioritize long-term ecosystem health over short-term gains.

Wetlands are some of Earth’s most productive and life-supporting ecosystems. Wetlands currently cover between 1,425 and 1,800 million hectares globally across many types, including lakes, rivers, peatlands, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs, but better data is needed to evaluate less-studied wetland types. They are globally significant ecosystems delivering disproportionate benefits relative to their area. They filter our water, regulate floods, store carbon, sustain fisheries, groundwater recharge, and habitat for biodiversity, as well as sustaining livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people. They provide essential annual ecosystem services valued at between $7.98 trillion and $39.01 trillion. The net present value (NPV) of maintaining and managing existing wetlands wisely until 2050 is estimated to exceed $205 trillion (median). This highlights the long-term value of proactive conservation, particularly when compared to the cost of reversing degradation. At the same time, the cumulative loss of wetland ecosystem services between 1975 and 2025 is conservatively estimated at $5.1 trillion, with inland wetlands contributing most to this loss.

Despite this, the Outlook confirms that since 1700, over 35% of natural wetlands have been lost worldwide, and the trend shows no sign of slowing. Since 1970, an estimated 411 million hectares of wetlands have been lost worldwide, representing a 22% decline in the global extent of wetlands have been lost globally since 1970, the equivalent of more than half a billion-football pitch, with inland marshes, peatlands and lakes alike under pressure and have experienced the most significant historical declines. This equates to an ongoing loss rate of about 0.5% per year—an astonishing figure given the ecological and economic value these systems provide.

Currently, approximately 25% of the remaining wetlands are classified as being in a poor ecological state, and this proportion is increasing. National reports submitted under the Convention on Wetlands and global citizen science data (e.g., the 2024 World Wetlands Survey) confirm that the ecological condition of wetlands is deteriorating in most regions, particularly in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and is also increasingly worsening in Europe and North America.

Such statistics undermine the notion that formal protection alone is sufficient without effective management, funding, and enforcement. Even within designated Ramsar Sites, widely viewed as the gold standard of wetland conservation commitments, approximately 12% are reported to be in declining ecological condition. This underscores the gap between formal designation and effective management and monitoring, with significant implications for meeting international commitments under the Ramsar Convention itself, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The biodiversity consequences are even more sobering. The report draws on the Living Planet Index, which shows an 83% average decline in monitored populations of freshwater-dependent species since 1970. Furthermore, the IUCN Red List indicates that over 25% of wetland-dependent species assessed are threatened with extinction, with freshwater fish particularly imperiled (approximately one-third of species threatened). These declines are not simply ecological tragedies—they represent the collapse of food security, cultural heritage, and ecosystem stability for communities that depend on wetlands.

The climate implications of wetland loss are equally significant. The cost of inaction is not hypothetical. The report highlights that wetland loss directly amplifies the severity and cost of disasters, such as flooding, that incur billions in damages each year. Peatlands, though covering only 3% of the Earth’s land surface, store approximately 550 gigatonnes of carbon, twice as much as all the world’s forests combined. Degraded peatlands, drained for agriculture or burned, emit large quantities of carbon dioxide, contributing around 5% of all human-induced CO₂ emissions. The Outlook reinforces the urgency of protecting intact peatlands and restoring degraded ones as among the most cost-effective climate mitigation strategies. Avoiding peatland degradation and rewetting could reduce global emissions by up to 500 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, highlighting peatland conservation as an essential component of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

“Wetlands bankroll the planet, yet we are still investing more in their destruction than in their recovery. The world is sitting on a $10 trillion opportunity—restoring wetlands could unlock these benefits, but we’re running out of time,” said Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands.

Encouragingly, the Outlook makes a strong case that investing in wetlands conservation and restoration is not merely about avoiding losses but generating immense returns, it is not only an ecological imperative but an economically rational strategy. Every dollar invested in wetland restoration is estimated to yield USD 5 to 35 in ecosystem service benefits. Coastal wetland restoration, including mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses, is a particularly important blue carbon strategy, with the potential to sequester significant volumes of CO₂ while protecting vulnerable coastlines and sustaining fisheries. For example, restoring 1.5 million hectares of mangroves by 2030 could sequester over 150 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, contributing meaningfully to global mitigation targets.

“Wetlands are not a marginal issue. They are fundamental to the water cycle our planet depends on, for our global response to climate change, and are essential for the well-being of billions of people and protecting species under imminent threat of extinction. The scale of loss and degradation is beyond what we can afford to ignore. We have the knowledge and the tools to reverse these trends—what we need now is sustained investment and coordinated action,” said Dr Hugh Robertson, Chair of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) of the Convention on Wetlands and lead author.

The policy context for these recommendations is shaped by a range of recent international commitments. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at CBD COP15 in December 2022, commits Parties to ensuring that at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland water, coastal, and marine ecosystems are under effective restoration by 2030 (CBD, 2022). To meet the 30% restoration and conservation targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), an estimated 123 million hectares of lost wetlands must be restored to address wetland loss since 1970. This is likely a gross underestimate, as it excludes the efforts needed to restore degraded wetlands, potentially bringing the target to over 350 million hectares (GWO Briefing Paper), as referenced in the Freshwater Challenge. An additional 428 million hectares must be effectively managed in protected areas and OECMs to meet these targets. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) similarly prioritizes wetlands as one of the critical ecosystem types for global restoration efforts. In addition, many countries are now recognizing the role of wetland protection and restoration in their climate change mitigation and adaptation plans, as reflected in updated NDCs.

Restoration costs are significantly higher than conservation costs. Based on data from 49 studies across 185 sites, the annual cost of restoration ranges from $1,000 per ha to over $70,000 per ha, depending on wetland type and condition. Conservation costs, by contrast, are a fraction of these figures. This underlines the economic efficiency of prioritising the protection of intact wetlands before they are lost or degraded.

The estimated global financing required to achieve wetland conservation and restoration targets is $275-550 billion per year — a figure that significantly exceeds current investment levels. Currently, biodiversity conservation across all ecosystems accounts for only 0.25% of global GDP, indicating substantial underinvestment in wetlands despite their strategic importance to biodiversity, climate, water and disaster resilience agendas.

Nevertheless, the Outlook highlights a severe and persistent financing gap. UNEP’s State of Finance for Nature (UNEP, 2023) estimates that the global funding shortfall for nature-based solutions stands at USD 700 billion annually, with wetlands receiving only a fraction of existing nature-based finance flows. Current climate finance allocates approximately 3% to nature-based solutions in total, underscoring the critical need to mobilize significantly greater resources specifically for wetlands. The Outlook advocates for deploying a range of innovative financing mechanisms—including green bonds, blended finance, and payments for ecosystem services—to internalize wetland values within markets and investment decisions. It also stresses the importance of integrating wetland values into national accounting systems, planning frameworks, and cross-sectoral policy domains such as agriculture, water, infrastructure, and energy.

Yet the report is clear-eyed about the fact that current trajectories are far from sufficient. Policies are fragmented, monitoring remains inadequate in many regions, and there is often a lack of political will to make hard decisions about land and water use. This includes not only protecting remaining wetlands, but restoring degraded systems at scale; financing them at levels that reflect their true value; and supporting the rights, knowledge, and leadership of local communities who are often the most effective stewards of these ecosystems. The GWO 2025 report concludes that the current rate of wetland loss and level of underinvestment are economically and ecologically unsustainable. Data confirms that wetlands are among the most valuable and threatened ecosystems globally. However, their full contribution is not reflected in policy, planning or finance.

The Outlook sets out four strategic pathways to addressing the wetland crisis and achieving global goals: 1) Improve natural capital valuation and integration in decision-making; 2). Recognise wetlands as an integral component of the global water cycle for all people. Wetlands are not isolated features, they play a critical role in global hydrological flows and should be recognised as shared infrastructure to ensure water security climate resilience, and reduce disaster risk; 3) Embedding and prioritising wetlands in innovative financial solutions for nature and people. Wetlands must be incorporated into biodiversity and climate finance instruments; and 4) Unlocking a private and public financial mix for investment in wetlands as nature-based solutions. Conservation is more cost-effective than restoration. Public finance should incentivise wetland-friendly private investment and remove subsidies for harmful land use.

“We have been presented with important data and information on the current state of wetlands globally, as well as directions on where we should go to restore lost wetlands while conserving wetlands that are still functioning well. Our biggest challenge is how to then translate this data and information into real action, through the joint efforts of the private and public sectors and the full involvement of local communities,” said Yus Rusila Noor, Director of Wetlands International Indonesia.

The GWO 2025 argues that reversing these trends will require transformative change rather than incremental improvements. This includes not only strengthening legal protection and management of existing wetlands but restoring degraded wetlands at scale; mobilizing adequate and sustained financing; valuing wetlands properly in national economic accounts; and recognizing the rights, knowledge, and leadership of local communities whose stewardship has historically maintained wetland integrity. It moves beyond diagnosis to propose an actionable agenda grounded in empirical evidence and global policy commitments. In doing so, it makes the case that conserving, restoring, and financing wetlands is not an optional add-on to sustainable development and climate action, but an essential, cost-effective, and urgent priority. Ultimately, this report is not simply another warning. It is a blueprint for action. It offers a chance to turn decades of rhetorical support for wetlands into genuine commitment and investment. If we fail to act, the costs will be measured not only in lost species and livelihoods but in the deepening instability of the natural systems on which all of us depend. But if we succeed, wetlands can be a cornerstone of a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future.

Link to Global Wetland Outlook 2025: Valuing, Conserving, Restoring, and Financing Wetlands: https://www.global-wetland-outlook.ramsar.org/