Wetlands on the Brink: $39 Trillion at Risk
By Blue Economy Insights | July 2025
Wetlands, the lifeblood of ecosystems across the planet, are disappearing faster than any other natural environment, and the cost of inaction is staggering. According to the newly released Global Wetland Outlook 2025: Valuing, Conserving, Restoring and Financing Wetlands (GWO 2025), up to 20 percent of the world’s remaining wetlands could vanish by 2050 without swift intervention. The estimated economic toll is as high as 39 trillion US dollars in lost benefits that currently sustain people, economies, and the natural world.
Published by the Convention on Wetlands, this report offers the most comprehensive global assessment of wetland health to date. It arrives ahead of the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (COP15), taking place from July 23 to 31, 2025, in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Despite covering just 6 percent of Earth’s surface, wetlands generate over 7.5 percent of global GDP through ecosystem services such as clean water, flood protection, food production, and carbon storage. They also underpin key industries, particularly in agriculture, aquaculture, and tourism. Yet they are disappearing at a rate of 0.52 percent annually, severely weakening global efforts to combat climate change and biodiversity loss.
“From rivers to reefs, marshes to mangroves, healthy wetlands are central to tackling the greatest challenges of our era. But we continue to drain, dredge, dam, and degrade them, sacrificing irreplaceable benefits to people, nature, and climate,” said Coenraad Krijger, CEO of Wetlands International.
A Global Wake-Up Call
The GWO 2025 is more than a warning. It is a call to action. It provides updated data on the extent, condition, and degradation of wetlands worldwide, economic valuations of their loss, and concrete steps governments and institutions can take to reverse the decline. Since 1970, 22 percent of global wetlands have been lost, an area equivalent to more than 500 million football fields. Nearly one in four of the remaining wetlands are already in poor ecological health, with Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa experiencing the sharpest declines.
“Wetlands are not a peripheral issue. They are central to the global water cycle and climate resilience. We have the tools to reverse the damage. What we need now is sustained investment and coordinated action,” said Dr. Hugh Robertson, Chair of the Convention’s Scientific and Technical Review Panel and lead author of the report.
Hope in Action: Case Studies from Around the World
Encouragingly, the report highlights a number of successful restoration efforts:
- Kafue Flats, Zambia: A 300,000 dollar restoration initiative restored seasonal flooding and tackled invasive species. Today, over 1 million dollars annually is invested in sustaining biodiversity and livelihoods for 1.3 million people, including fisheries valued at 30 million dollars per year.
- Ziway-Shalla Sub-Basin, Ethiopia: Over 3,300 hectares of degraded land have been restored using nature-based solutions led by women and youth, combining soil and water conservation with alternative livelihoods like poultry farming.
- Lamu, Kenya: More than 100,000 mangroves have been restored through youth-led projects that also generate income via eco-enterprises such as crab farming, beekeeping, and smart agriculture.
- East and Southeast Asia: The Regional Flyway Initiative is working to protect 140 priority wetlands along the East Asian and Australasian Flyway, benefiting 50 million migratory birds and 200 million people. The program aims to mobilize 3 billion dollars in blended finance over a decade, with early projects already underway in Cambodia and China.
“The Global Wetland Outlook is a flashing red alarm, especially for Africa. But it also highlights the power of locally led action. Communities across the continent are showing how we can protect wetlands and enhance resilience,” said Julie Mulonga, Director of Wetlands International East Africa.
Four Pathways for Global Action
The GWO 2025 lays out a practical roadmap for reversing wetland loss and attracting nature-positive investment:
- Integrate Wetlands into Decision-Making
Recognize wetlands as critical infrastructure in land-use, water, and economic planning. - Recognize Their Role in the Water Cycle
Highlight wetlands as essential to water storage, filtration, and regulation. - Innovate Financial Mechanisms
Embed wetlands in climate finance tools such as carbon markets, resilience bonds, and blended finance. - Mobilize Resources for Restoration
Establish partnerships that fund ground-level restoration and support local communities.
