Since 1970, 22 percent of the world’s wetlands have disappeared. This is the alarming conclusion drawn by the Global Wetland Outlook 2025, the global report on the status of wetlands. Natural wetlands are disappearing at an annual rate of 0.52%, which is currently three times faster than natural forests. Wild animal populations in freshwater ecosystems have also gone down by 85 percent since 1970. The loss of wetlands and their biological diversity is largely driven by drainage and land-use change, extraction of water and other natural resources, infrastructure development, pollution by nutrients and contaminants, the spread of invasive alien species and the impacts of climate change.

The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) is an intergovernmental treaty adopted on 2 February 1971 in the city of Ramsar in Iran. World Wetlands Day has been celebrated every year on that day since 1997. The Ramsar Convention focuses on the conservation and wise use of wetlands. Other important aspects include communication and education on the importance of wetlands and intergovernmental cooperation. Designation of “Wetlands of international importance”, also known as Ramsar sites, is an instrument used by the Convention to recognise particularly important wetlands in its member states. In 2015, the Convention additionally introduced Wetland Cities accreditation for cities and regional authorities that take exceptional steps to protect, restore and sustainably manage their wetlands.

The Federal Republic of Germany became a Contracting Party to the Ramsar Convention in 1976 and, following the designation of the Rosenheim Basin Bogs in 2021, now has a total of 35 Ramsar sites.

BfN has assisted the implementation of the Ramsar Convention at both national and international level for many years. Among other things, BfN serves as the national focal point for the Convention’s Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) and the Ramsar Programme on Communication, Capacity Building, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA).

Since the last Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP 14) in 2022, greater focus has been placed on the involvement of young people in the work of the Convention (Resolution XIV.12). Among other things, this has resulted in the establishment of a Youth Working Group. In addition, all Contracting Parties are called upon to nominate a national Ramsar Youth Focal Point to represent and advocate for the concerns of young people in the context of the Convention. Germany also appointed a Ramsar Youth Focal Point for the first time in 2025. The post is currently being re-advertised for the period 2027–28.

To highlight the importance of protecting wetlands at international, national and local levels, and to recognise the role of the Ramsar Convention, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, in collaboration with BfN, organised a high-level commemorative conference to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention taking effect in Germany. The conference took place in Konstanz on 29 June 2026 and coincided with the most extreme heatwave so far ever recorded in Western Europe. In light of this, Parliamentary State Secretary Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter highlighted in her opening remarks the importance of protecting peatlands, floodplains and other wetlands for the future. Dr. Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention, emphasised among other things the importance of international and cross-border cooperation and of getting the younger generation involved.

Since the last Conference of the Parties to the Convention in 2025 (COP 15), greater focus has been placed on the conservation of urban wetlands. One means developed to this end is Wetland Cities accreditation. There are now 74 Wetland Cities in 27 countries worldwide. The next Global Wetland Outlook report on the state of the world’s wetlands will also focus on cities and wetlands. BfN is supporting the preparation of the report, which will be released in 2028.

The project “Opportunities and prospects for wetlands: Ramsar sites and Wetland Cities in Germany” included the development of a booklet and a nationwide travelling exhibition on Germany’s wetlands and their international significance. The project also identified German cities that are potential applicants for Wetland Cities accreditation.

The Danube WILDisland regional initiative, which was adopted by the Ramsar Convention in 2024, is dedicated to protecting the Danube’s ‘wild islands’ comprising habitats of high ecological value. Over 900 islands along the approximately 3,000 length of the River Danube constitute an important ecological network that the initiative aims to preserve as a connected corridor. The goal is to improve ecological interconnectedness along the Danube, preserve natural wilderness in the heart of Europe and promote the natural dynamic processes so that the river landscape can develop undisturbed as far as possible. In addition, the initiative is intended to serve as an example of successful cross-border and cross-sectoral cooperation for wetland conservation. BfN supports the initiative.

Peatlands cover only about three percent of the Earth’s land area, yet they store almost twice as much carbon as all of the forests combined. Drained peatlands, on the other hand, release huge quantities of greenhouse gases. The Ramsar Convention has emphasised the particular importance of peatlands for natural climate protection, for example with a resolution on peatlands in 2018. In parallel with its work at national level, BfN also supports international peatland conservation activities conducted under the Ramsar Convention, notably by holding exchange and networking events. These included two international workshops in 2019, one on exploring synergies for peatlands and the other on peatland strategies in Europe.

Alongside peatlands, riverine floodplains and coastal wetlands also provide valuable habitats for a wide variety of animal and plant species and make important contributions to natural climate change mitigation and adaptation by storing carbon and retaining and distributing water throughout the landscape, thus alleviating droughts and floods. This is why riverine and coastal wetlands were selected as the focus for the fifth European Conference on Biodiversity and Climate Change hosted as part of the BioClim Wetlands project in Bonn in 2023. The project resulted in several publications, including a 2026 special issue of the Nature Conservation journal entitled “Wetlands in a Changing Climate: Restoring Coasts and Floodplains”. This publication includes fourteen open-access journal articles with over 100 contributors from throughout Europe.

BfN supports capacity building for the application of remote sensing in wetland management in close cooperation with African partners and stakeholders of the Ramsar Convention. For example, local managers can use freely accessible satellite data to classify wetlands, map land-use changes, assess risks and trends, and improve both planning and communication of the measures needed. The BfN-funded project led among other things to the development of an English-language manual. In the follow-up project, EOCap4Africa, a teaching module with lectures and hands-on exercises on the use of remote sensing for nature conservation was developed and tested in collaboration with various African universities. The module has been incorporated into the curricula of the universities involved, and all teaching materials are published online.