The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), alongside more than 150 civil society organisations, politicians, and scientists, today called on world leaders to put wetlands at the centre of global climate action. At the official Pre-COP30 event in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, EJF and partners released an open letter urging governments to recognise wetlands, including the Pantanal, as indispensable for meeting the Paris Agreement goals.

Wetlands store more carbon per unit area than any other terrestrial ecosystem, yet they are disappearing three times faster than forests. Iconic wetlands such as the Pantanal, the Okavango Delta, and the Congo Basin are under severe threat from industrial agriculture, water diversion, resource exploitation, and increasingly destructive wildfires.

The Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, illustrates the urgency of this crisis. In 2020, nearly one-third of the biome burned, releasing 115 million tonnes of CO2, equivalent to Belgium’s annual emissions. Without decisive global action to conserve and restore wetlands, climate targets will remain out of reach, says the letter.

The letter calls on signatories to the Paris Agreement to:

• Integrate wetlands into national climate action plans (known as NDCs) and long-term strategies;
• Expand cooperation and technical support for wetland conservation in the Global South;
• Establish global, measurable targets for wetland protection and restoration, backed by adequate funding;
• Strengthen the role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in wetland governance.

Luciana Leite, Chief Representative and Lead Advocate for EJF in Brazil, added: “The Pantanal is a living symbol of the power of nature, and a warning of what we stand to lose. As Brazil prepares to host COP30, we must ensure wetlands are no longer sidelined. Protecting them is essential for our shared future, for wildlife, and for the people whose lives are bound to these ecosystems – both within the Pantanal and far beyond it.”

“Wetlands are indispensable for mitigating and adapting to climate change, yet they remain dangerously neglected,” said Steve Trent, CEO of the Environmental Justice Foundation. “Protecting the Pantanal and other wetlands is non-negotiable if we want to solve the climate crisis, and it is a matter of justice for the communities that depend on them. As Brazil prepares to host COP30, the world has a unique opportunity to put wetlands at the heart of the climate agenda and secure ambitious commitments that safeguard both people and planet. We will not get another chance like this.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

Read the open letter here.

About EJF

Our work to secure environmental justice aims to protect our global climate, ocean, forests, wetlands, wildlife and defend the fundamental human right to a secure natural environment, recognising that all other rights are contingent on this. EJF works internationally to inform policy and drive systemic, durable reforms to protect our environment and defend human rights. We investigate and expose abuses and support environmental defenders, Indigenous peoples, communities, and independent journalists on the frontlines of environmental injustice. Our campaigns aim to secure peaceful, equitable and sustainable futures. Our investigators, researchers, filmmakers, and campaigners work with grassroots partners and environmental defenders across the globe. For more information, please contact media@ejfoundation.org