Side event details
Securing critical freshwater ecosystems requires working across spatial and institutional scales. This is especially the case with transboundary river systems such as the Okavango, Cuando and Zambezi River Basins that transverse across several national boundaries. All these river basins constitute large wetland systems including peatlands and floodplains – as life supporting systems- essential for ecological resilience against shocks and threats such as climate variability. In addition, local, national and regional economies and cooperation are sustained by these freshwater systems through ecosystem goods and services. Over the last decade, degradation of these ecosystems through habitat conversion, degradation and unsustainable infrastructure projects has resulted in significant reduction in the extent and distribution thereby affecting their overall integrity and functionality.
The dynamic nature of these transboundary river basins requires a combination of various protection measures such as legal designations, community-based management measures and basin compacts among others. This side event aims to highlight some of the lessons and opportunities in working across through community led protection and initiatives at local level and through transboundary governance entities such as KAZA and OKACOM at transboundary level.
This side event (including partners, WWF Zambia, IUCN and Slovenia) aims to promote local-to-transboundary cooperation in wetland habitats. It further aims to make the case for synergy across the UN Water Convention and the Ramsar Convention and creation of joint bodies of work and collaboration among existing transboundary regional platforms. This reinforces ongoing global discussion on the road to the 2026 Water Conference on the need of conserving and restoring transboundary freshwater ecosystems and reinforcing synergies – as described in COP 15 DR 14 “Enhancing the Convention’s visibility and synergies with multilateral environmental agreements and other international institutions”
1. Setting the Scene - Welcome, Framing, and Panellist introductions
Dr Nyambe Nyambe, Executive Director for the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) Secretariat.
2. Panel Discussion moderated by Ms. Flavia Rocha Loures
Panelists
- Sekgowa Motsumi, The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
- Julien Favier, UN Water Convention -
- Flore Lafaye de Micheaux, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
- Government Focal Points for Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and UN Water Convention for Zambia or Zimbabwe
Discussions Questions
- How can Ramsar and the UN Water Convention be more integrated?
- What role does transboundary conservation of wetlands have to play in achieving the GBF (30x30) target?
- How do you ensure a local to transboundary scale approach?
- How can national and regional policy frameworks be adapted to formally recognise and support wetland conservation as a nature-based solution for climate resilience and water security?
- Follow-up for question 4 above: What role can wetland co-management or community-led governance play in this adaptation?
- In one sentence, what is the most important shift we need to see in Wetland policy or governance by 2030?
3. Open Discussion with the audience
4. Closing Remarks - Final thoughts and key takeaways
Mr. Florent MERLE, European and international relations deputy director, French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), France