Global Wetland Outlook 2025 warns of $39 trillion loss without urgent action

A new report released today by the Convention on Wetlands warns that wetlands—ecosystems that provide water, food, livelihoods, and climate protection—are disappearing at an alarming rate. If current trends continue, up to 20% of the world’s remaining wetlands could vanish by 2050, putting an estimated $39 trillion in global benefits at risk.

The Global Wetland Outlook 2025: Valuing, conserving, restoring and financing wetlands (GWO 2025) presents the most comprehensive global assessment of wetlands to date. It builds on the 2018 and 2021 editions and offers the latest scientific and economic data on wetland loss, degradation, and the urgent actions needed to reverse these trends. The report is being launched in the lead-up to the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (COP15), which will take place in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from 23 to 31 July 2025.

Wetlands currently cover about 6% of the Earth’s surface but contribute more than 7.5% of global GDP through services such as clean water, flood protection, food security, and carbon storage. Despite their importance, wetlands are vanishing faster than any other ecosystem—an average of 0.52% per year. Since 1970, 22% of wetlands have been lost, equivalent to more than half a billion football pitches.

“Wetlands bankroll the planet, yet we are still investing more in their destruction than in their recovery,” said Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands. “The world is sitting on a $10 trillion opportunity—restoring wetlands could unlock these benefits, but we’re running out of time.”

The report also finds that one in four of the world’s remaining wetlands is in poor ecological condition. The steepest declines are in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. The GWO 2025 includes a range of case studies that demonstrate the cost of inaction, as well as promising examples of recovery. In Zambia’s Kafue Flats, a $300,000 restoration effort triggered further investment in biodiversity, water systems, and livelihoods, supporting 1.3 million people. In Asia, the Regional Flyway Initiative is protecting over 140 key wetlands used by 50 million migratory birds and nearly 200 million people.

“Wetlands are not a marginal issue,” said Dr Hugh Robertson, Chair of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel of the Convention on Wetlands and lead author. “They are fundamental to the water cycle our planet depends on, for our global response to climate change, and are essential for the well-being of billions of people and protecting species under imminent threat of extinction.”

The report outlines four pathways to reverse wetland loss: integrating wetland value into decision-making, recognizing their role in the water cycle, embedding them in financing mechanisms, and mobilizing partnerships for on-the-ground restoration.

The GWO 2025 is available at: https://www.global-wetland-outlook.ramsar.org/