Bonn, 29 January 2025 - On World Wetlands Day (2 February 2025), we celebrate the vital importance of wetlands under the theme "Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future." This year's theme highlights how protecting the world’s wetlands is in our common interest, acknowledging their importance for humanity and for life on our planet.

Wetlands are the lifelines of our planet. They purify water, act as natural flood barriers, help sequester carbon and sustain millions of livelihoods. Wetlands help to sustain life and foster biodiversity. For migratory waterbirds, wetlands are not just habitats but essential links in their life cycles, providing breeding, feeding, and resting grounds for billions of waterbirds throughout their long journeys. From northern peatlands where waders breed, to coastal mudflats that offer refuge during winter, wetlands form a global network that migratory waterbirds and many other species need to survive.

Migratory waterbirds are also essential for wetlands. As messengers of connectivity, migratory waterbirds are knitting together wetlands that may be thousands of kilometres apart. In doing so, they contribute to the dispersal of seeds and nutrients, helping to maintain the health and diversity of these important ecosystems. In other words, migratory waterbirds are essential components of this global wetland network, reminding us of the interconnectedness of nature and the shared responsibility to protect it.

This shared responsibility is evident in projects such as the FAO-led RESSOURCE Project, which AEWA proudly supports. In Senegal, the restoration of wetlands for water lily cultivation has demonstrated how ecological health can harmonize with human development. Revitalized wetlands not only provide vital habitat for waterbirds but also improve the livelihoods of local communities, showcasing a model of sustainable development.

As Executive Secretary of AEWA, I would like to use the occasion of World Wetlands Day to once again encourage our Parties to take good care of their wetlands and to prioritize the restoration of degraded wetlands as well as the creation of new ones. Protecting and restoring wetlands will not only benefit migratory waterbirds. By safeguarding these vital ecosystems, countries are investing in a future with nature, securing the ecological, economic and cultural benefits these ecosystems provide for generations to come.  

The success of such efforts will depend on collaborative action among governments, local communities, and conservation organizations. Thankfully, all countries committed to implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework have in fact recognized wetlands as key ecosystems for achieving global biodiversity goals. So now it is time to take bold action to ensure that wetlands will thrive as beacons of biodiversity and life—for the sake of waterbirds and humanity alike.

As we celebrate World Wetlands Day let me end by reflecting on our evolving understanding of wetlands. In the 18th century, Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, famously described wetlands as wastelands in need of transformation. Today, we know better. Wetlands are treasures to be preserved, not drained, for the benefit of all life on Earth. They are indispensable to our shared, common future.

Happy World Wetlands Day!