Global Wetland Outlook: State of the World’s Wetlands and Their Services to People

Abstract

Conservation and wise use of wetlands are vital for human livelihoods. The wide range of ecosystem services wetlands provide means that they lie at the heart of sustainable development. Yet policy and decision-makers often underestimate the value of their benefits to nature and humankind. Understanding these values and what is happening to wetlands is critical to ensuring their conservation and wise use.

The Global Wetland Outlook, the flagship publication of the Ramsar Convention, provides a current overview of wetlands: their extent, trends, drivers of change and the responses needed to reverse the historical decline in wetland area and quality.

Keywords: Wetlands, Ramsar Convention, Sustainable Development, Wise Use

JEL Classification: K32, K33, N50, O13, O19, Q25, Q28, R14