19/7/2025–|Last update: 17:53 (Mecca time)
A new report stated that Africa is one of the regions that witness the greatest degradation in wetland globally in recent years, despite the dependence of millions of people on the continent on ecosystems to obtain food and water and protect them from natural disasters and the effects of climate change.
While the “environmental nature of wetlands” is witnessing a widespread deterioration in most regions and globally, the extent of deterioration is high, especially in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. It also recorded a similar increase in Europe, North America and Oceania.
According to the 2025 global lands expectations report, issued by the Secretariat of the Wet Land Agreement-the Ramsar Convention, the situation of wetlands in the African continent in 2024 was also in a bad condition, when compared to those in other parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania,
The report pointed out that the wetlands in South Africa (the most advanced economy on the continent) “deteriorate more quickly than they can be restored,” stressing that in light of the increasing pressure, the wetlands in South Africa continue to deteriorate at a faster rate of investment in its rehabilitation.
The report identified urban expansion, industrial development and infrastructure, as the three most important factors for the deterioration and loss of wetlands throughout Africa, a trend that was also defined in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This comes in contrast to the situation in North America and Oceania, where the invasive species constituted a greater source of concern, and in Europe, where it highlighted the concerns related to drought as the main cause.
The study showed that the state of the remaining wetlands in the world is closely related to the economic situation of countries, noting that environmental systems are at their worst cases currently in the least developed countries, as it has been reported that the number of wetlands is in a much more bad condition than those in good condition.
The study indicated that “the number of wetlands that amount to poor condition in countries is low or medium income increases.
In general, the total medium value of environmental services provided by African wetlands by 2023 was estimated at 825.7 billion dollars, while in Asia, approximately $ 10.6 trillion, compared to a total global value of $ 39 trillion.
Evelyn Nadlofo, Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife in Zimbabwe, said the data in the report will help define legislative policies and interventions to stop more draining wetlands.
She added: “We need to make efforts to enhance the initiatives to maintain wetlands across the border, exchange knowledge, innovative financing, and enhance the participation of society.”
According to Moscow Mumba, Secretary -General of the Ramsar Convention, the restoration of the deteriorating wet lands can achieve huge social and economic benefits for rural societies and accelerate the green transformation throughout Africa.
“We must appreciate wetlands and increase investments towards their recovery, because its loss comes at a high cost of the welfare of the planet and livelihoods,” said Mumba during the 20th regular session of the African Ministerial Conference of the Environment, which was held in Nairobi on July 15, 2025.
Mumba notes that the world loses approximately 0.52% of wetlands annually, and this loss greatly undermines global efforts to combat the climate crisis, loss of biological diversity, hunger and poverty, especially in poor countries.
An economic and environmental loss
On the partial economic level, wetlands are vital economic engines for local communities, said Anthony Neyong, director of climate change and green growth at the African Development Bank.
Nyong set an example of this in the wet “Cavoy Flases” area in Zambia, where he revealed that a restoration project of 300 thousand dollars reactivated natural floods, improved biological diversity, and supported more than a million people, which led to the unleash of craft fisheries with 30 million dollars annually.
Neyong stressed that the deterioration of wetlands “increases our affected trauma, reduces productivity, and public spending increases the response to disasters. But investing in wetlands creates job opportunities, builds the ability to withstand, and enhances food and water security.”
Most African economies depend in some way on nature, as more than 60% of GDP of some countries of agriculture, forests and tourism come.
The global land report 2025 indicates that wetlands, although they cover only 6% of the surface of the Earth, but they provide vital environmental services, including flood control, food production, and carbon storage.
The report also confirms that wetlands currently cover between 1425 and 1,800 million hectares globally. Since 1970, it has lost 411 million hectares of wetland globally, which represents a 22% decrease in its global area.
This report comes days before the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Agreement on Wet Land (COP15), scheduled to be held from July 23 to 31 in Zimbabwe.