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Ramsar COP15
July 31 , 2025
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- The 15th Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP15) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
- A total of 172 countries participated in the conference.
- The conference theme was “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future”.
- Zimbabwe officially took over the three-year rotating presidency of the Ramsar Convention from China.
- The Victoria Falls Declaration was launched to boost global wetland restoration efforts.
- Wetlands cover only 6 per cent of Earth's surface but provide services valued at over 7.5 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
- A special edition of the Global Wetland Outlook 2025 warned that one-fifth of the world’s remaining wetlands could disappear by 2050.
- This loss could result in ecosystem service losses estimated at 39 trillion United States dollars (USD).
- India currently hosts 91 Ramsar Sites spread across 1.36 million hectares.
- This forms Asia’s very largest and the world’s third-largest network of protected wetlands.
- Additionally, Indore and Udaipur have been newly recognised as Wetland Cities.
- India’s citizen-led initiatives like Mission Sahbhagita and the Save Wetlands Campaign have mobilised over two million people for wetland awareness and conservation.
- COP15 called for the creation of a Global Wetland Restoration Fund and stronger integration of wetland policies into national climate and development agendas.
- The Strategic Plan 2025–2034 was discussed, with input from regional groups including Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, Oceania, and the Caribbean to guide long-term conservation goals.
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