Zimbabwe is poised to take centre stage in the global conservation arena as it prepares to host the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP) of the Convention on Wetlands from 23 to 31 July 2025. This marks the second time that the COP will take place in Africa, after Uganda hosted COP9 in 2005.

Confirming their shared commitment to COP15, Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands Dr Musonda Mumba and Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife Hon Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndhlovu signed a Host Country Agreement on 5 March 2024 in Harare formalizing arrangements for Zimbabwe to host COP15 in Victoria Falls.

On International Women's Day 2024, themed “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”, the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands proudly presented the inaugural cohort of twelve “Women Changemakers in the World of Wetlands”. Their achievements underscore the pivotal roles that women worldwide play in preserving, managing and safeguarding wetlands. 

The Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands, Dr Musonda Mumba, attended the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP14) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). The Meeting, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, brought together leaders and experts from around the world to address critical issues related to the conservation of migratory species.

A standout moment at the conference was the launch of the first-ever State of the World’s Migratory Species report, which highlights the urgent need for global collaboration to safeguard key areas crucial for migratory species. 

In celebrating World Wetlands Day, the vibrant city of Indore hosted the Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands, Dr. Musonda Mumba. Indore has two Wetlands of International Importance, Yashwant Sagar and Sirpur Wetland. Yashwant Sagar was built in the Gambhir river basin in the 1930s to provide irrigation and drinking water to the Indore region. In more recent years, it has been also used for commercial aquaculture. 

France has added a new “Ramsar Site” in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to the List of Wetland of International Importance, and has extended another in the same region.“Marais et tourbières des montagnes du Bugey” (the marshes and peatlands of the Bugey mountains, Site no. 2542) covers 1,1050 hectares and consists of a total of 41 wetlands, with the crests of the southern Jura range running between them from north to south. 

Uzbekistan has added Lake Julturbas to the List of Wetlands of International Importance. This “Ramsar Site” (Site no. 2541 on the “Ramsar List”) was once part of a bay of the Aral Sea, the fourth-largest lake in the world until around 1960, along with the nearby Sudochye Lake System, which is also a Wetland of International Importance (Site no. 2522). 

Myanmar has added Pyu Lake to the List of Wetlands of International Importance. The country’s seventh “Ramsar Site” (no. 2533 on the “Ramsar List”) was built in the 11th century as a reservoir for irrigation in the south-west part of the city of Mandalay. It is now found in a semi-urban area of Tada-U Township. 

The Republic of Korea has added Mungyeong Doline Wetland to the List of Wetlands of International Importance. The Republic’s 25th “Ramsar Site” (no. 2540 on the “Ramsar List”) is a small wetland complex of permanent freshwater marshes, karst landscape, small reservoirs and seasonally flooded farmland. It lies near the peak of Mount Gulbong in a “doline” topography, a natural enclosed depression created by weathering of the limestone-rich landscape. 

The Islamic Republic of Iran has named Barm Alvan as its 26th Wetland of International Importance. This “Ramsar Site” (no. 2539 on the List of Wetlands of International Importance) lies near the Tang-e Soulak Conservation Area and Forest Reserve, surrounded by the Zagros Mountain Range. It is a permanent brackish lake fed by natural water holes and gypsum pits; these features make the Site unique in the Zagros Mountains forest steppe ecoregion. 

De Berg Nature Reserve, South Africa’s 30th Wetland of International Importance (“Ramsar Site” no.2532), is a high-altitude wetland complex located in Mpumalanga Province, about 20 kilometres north of Dullstroom along the headwaters of the Dwars River in the Olifants River Basin. The Reserve is made up of different ecosystems types including over 70 wetlands that account for approximately 185 hectares of its surface area. 

The Global Mangrove Alliance, which includes IUCN, WWF and Wetlands International, has launched new best practice guidelines for mangrove restoration. This tool supports effective project design, funding, and implementation, centred around well-established community-based ecological restoration approaches, which have been shown to enhance mangrove restoration success and long-term sustainability.

A blue carbon module shows how to align mangrove restoration with national climate mitigation targets, and how to produce carbon credits to fund long-term maintenance, monitoring, and community benefits. The guidelines are available here and a webinar co-hosted by Society for Ecological Restoration can be viewed here.

Geoffrey Oloo joined the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands from the United Nations where he had almost a decade of experience in providing support to the Executive Office consisting of an Under secretary General and Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations. Previously he also worked with Non-Governmental agencies in East Africa.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Social Administration from Uganda Christian University and a Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Nairobi.

Alexis “Lex” Munier is an accomplished writer and editor with two decades of experience in public health and sustainability communications. A former journalist, Lex has spent time in complex organizations like the WEF and UNOPS, where she headed departments that strove to bring catastrophic risk, climate and non-communicable diseases to forefront of the global agenda. 

She holds a B.M. from Boston University’s College of Fine Arts with a double major in Vocal Performance and Russian Studies, as well as a postgraduate degree in Media, Communications and PR from the University of Leicester, UK.

Ericka holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Paul Sabatier University and a Master’s degree in Marine Sciences from Sorbonne University, focusing on biodiversity and marine conservation. She has a passion for languages and speaks Spanish, English, French, and Italian. After completing her Master’s degree, Ericka worked on the OBSCAMe project led by the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), aimed at studying marine mammal bycatch in France.

Additionally, she worked as an independent consultant in Costa Rica, collaborating with Conservation International on the analysis of strategies for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems in Costa Rica.