By Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary-General of the Convention on Wetlands.
The leaders , experts and stakeholders currently meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for COP16 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), must confront a simple truth: without wetlands, there can be no healthy land or water.
In the urgent effort to protect land, combat desertification, and address drought, one ecosystem makes all these possible—wetlands. Wetlands are the foundation of land health and water security, and protecting them is the only way to secure a sustainable future.
Covering only about 6% of Earth’s surface, wetlands are among the planet’s most productive ecosystems.
They regulate water cycles, support biodiversity, and are the world’s most effective carbon stores. Protecting wetlands is not just about preserving nature—it’s a critical strategy in the fight against climate change.
Yet wetlands are disappearing due to land conversion, pollution, and unsustainable practices.
Each hectare of degraded land is one less hectare of natural resilience lost.
When we lose wetlands, we lose an essential piece of the sustainability puzzle.
To restore land and ensure water security, the conversation around wetlands must be front and center.
Land degradation is often framed through images of barren soils and dust storms.
But land isn’t an isolated entity. Wetlands, through their natural hydrological cycles, replenish soils, maintain groundwater reserves, and filter pollutants, preserving the quality of both land and water.
Without these ecosystems, we see a cascade of degradation—from soil erosion to dwindling water sources. The impacts are profound, not only for nature but for the millions of people who rely on healthy land and water for their livelihoods.
Our goals are lofty: restore 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030 to meet the targets of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
It’s a bold vision, but it cannot succeed without prioritizing wetland restoration. Losing wetlands means weakening the resilience of entire landscapes, undermining efforts to secure water resources and protect land.
To pursue land restoration without addressing wetlands is like treating symptoms of disease without addressing the root cause.
Water scarcity is among the greatest challenges of our time, with three out of four people projected to face water shortages by 2050.
Climate change and unsustainable land practices compound this crisis.
Yet wetlands offer a powerful solution.
They absorb and store excess rainfall, gradually releasing it during dry periods, which benefits both communities and wildlife.
Acting as natural reservoirs, wetlands help us adapt to unpredictable weather and growing water demands.
At COP16, discussions on water security—most prominently at the One Water Summit organized by President of France Emmanuel Macron, President of Kazakhstan Kassym- Jomart Tokayev, and President of the World Bank Ajay Banga—must recognize wetlands as irreplaceable.
Degrading these ecosystems depletes water reserves and intensifies drought cycles, while protecting and restoring wetlands strengthens our resilience to water crises and provides a sustainable approach to managing this precious resource.
Ignoring wetlands compounds the risks, exacerbating drought impacts that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, especially women and children.
Land restoration, rights, and resilience But the goal of COP16 is about more than numbers—it’s about empowering communities, upholding rights, and building resilience.
Wetlands provide livelihoods, food, and freshwater to over a billion people, often in rural and Indigenous communities.
While securing land rights is critical, safeguarding wetlands is equally essential, as they are deeply intertwined with local traditions and cultures.
Women, in particular, play a central role in managing natural resources, yet they often lack land and water rights.
Wetland conservation is a pathway to involve women in restoration and resilience-building efforts.
When communities have secure rights to wetlands and access to decision-making, they become stewards of sustainable practices that benefit people and the planet.
Youth engagement is another priority of COP16, and wetlands are a critical resource here as well.
Young people see few prospects from degraded land.
Wetland restoration offers pathways for jobs, skill-building, and innovation, enabling youth to shape a future where nature-based solutions support economic growth and social stability.
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) envision a world free from hunger, poverty, and environmental crises, where biodiversity thrives.
Wetlands directly contribute to these goals.
Coming at the end of the other two Rio Conventions – Biodiversity and Climate Change – COP16 discussions on land demonstrate the centrality of wetlands.
By storing carbon, they fight climate change.
By sustaining diverse species, they support biodiversity.
By supporting food and water security, they address hunger and poverty. Wetlands are crucial to meeting so many of our global targets.
We need to redefine and reshape how we value and protect our natural world.
Wetlands represent nature’s way of managing land and water together, showing us the interconnections that sustain life.
Commitments to restore these ecosystems will secure land health, water security, and climate resilience.
The stakes are high, and the actions we take today will determine the lives of many generations to come.
Our future depends on healthy, functioning wetlands.
At COP16, we can come together to confirm that wetlands are not just a footnote in the story of land conservation—they are its very foundation.
