Ramsar COP15: Saving the World’s Wetlands
Wetlands are lifelines for birds, people and the planet we share. As the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands COP15 opens in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, we are championing the places and communities working to protect what matters most: clean water, flourishing biodiversity and a climate-resilient future.
Wetlands clean our water, feed our families, shield us from floods, store carbon and give millions of birds and other species a place to rest, feed and raise their young.
But these critical landscapes are disappearing at an alarming rate. Wetlands are being drained, polluted and paved over, with 22% lost since 1970. The quiet disappearance of wetlands isn’t just about vanishing landscapes, it’s also about the loss of biodiversity and livelihoods of local communities.
As the world prepares for Ramsar COP15 taking place in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from 23rd to 31st July, we are turning the spotlight on three Wetlands of International Importance safeguarded by the BirdLife Partnership: Lake Natron in Tanzania, Yala Swamp in Kenya, and Toondah Harbour in Australia.
Header image: Lesser and Greater Flamingos at Lake Natron. © Akshita Rabdiya
Lake Natron, Tanzania: Home of the Lesser Flamingo
In northern Tanzania, Lake Natron is a rare and magical place. It’s the world’s most important breeding site for Lesser Flamingos, with more than 75% of the global population born on its salty shores.
When soda ash mining was proposed in 2006, it triggered global alarm. The ‘Think Pink’ campaign, led by BirdLife with our local Partner Nature Tanzania, to protect the lake, succeeded in halting the plan. Since then, the work has focused on sustainable ecotourism, with women, youth and tour guides finding new livelihoods, supported by a growing Community Revolving Fund (CRF).
But the threat returned in May this year when new plans for a soda ash mining plant were revived. BirdLife and Nature Tanzania have responded with urgent advocacy, media outreach, and local engagement, working with the community to foster a unified voice among surrounding villages against this project. Our message is clear: Lake Natron is not just a Tanzanian treasure, it’s a lifeline for the Lesser Flamingo and its future must be one of conservation, not destruction.
Yala Swamp, Kenya: Community advocacy for wetland conservation
In Kenya, Yala Swamp stretches across 20,000 hectares on the shores of Lake Victoria. It’s not only a sanctuary for rare species like the Papyrus Gonolek and Sitatunga Antelope, but also provides ecosystem services for over 250,000 people.
Yet, despite years of conservation progress led by our Partner Nature Kenya, Yala Swamp faces a crisis. In 2022, two massive land deals allocated over 10,000 hectares for sugarcane plantations, which has put over half the swamp at risk of ecological collapse.
With support from BirdLife and Nature Kenya, community advocacy groups are stepping up to protect their landscapes. They’re hosting awareness meetings, broadcasting informative radio programmes, taking legal action in court, and advocating for the adoption of a land use plan that safeguards both people and nature.
Toondah Harbour: A bay saved
On the other side of the world, another wetland has been saved. Toondah Harbour, part of the Moreton Bay Ramsar site in Queensland, Australia, is a critical feeding ground for migratory shorebirds like the Endangered Far Eastern Curlew. Despite its international protected status under the Ramsar Convention, a real estate project threatened to destroy over 40 hectares of this vital habitat.
Thanks to a decade of grassroots campaigning led by our Partner BirdLife Australia and the Save Toondah Alliance, the developer withdrew the proposal in April 2024 in response to public pressure. It’s a huge win for birds and wetlands, and also a reminder of the power of civil society acting to defend nature.
But Toondah is more than a single win, it’s a rallying cry. The near-approval of the real estate project exposed weaknesses in Australia’s environmental laws, which are now under review. As BirdLife Australia emphasises, lasting protection for wetlands requires stronger policies and persistent public advocacy.
A turning point for wetlands
At Ramsar COP15, we stand alongside more than 20 BirdLife Partners to amplify the voices of those living and working on the frontlines of wetland conservation. The message is urgent: we need lasting legal protections, targeted investment in the protection, restoration and effective management of wetlands as well as innovative financing solutions from both public and private sources to fund the work needed.
BirdLife is building these solutions and we stand ready to support governments in delivering on their commitments to safeguard their national wetlands. Join us in being part of the solution for wetlands!
Want to know more about Ramsar COP15? Listen to this radio interview with our CEO Martin Harper: