As COP30 begins in Brazil, the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is calling for wetlands to be placed at the forefront of climate action, backed by bold policy commitments, Indigenous leadership, and new global financing. EJF warns that without urgent efforts to protect and restore wetlands - among Earth’s most powerful carbon stores - the goals of the Paris Agreement will remain out of reach.

EJF has now arrived in Belém, where our team will be on the ground calling for bold policy commitments, better protection and financing for wetlands, and for leaders to centre Indigenous voices. Please read the story here to hear more about our work in these areas and the events EJF will be holding at COP30, including presenting President Lula with this open letter calling for the protection of global wetlands on Thursday. For more information, please contact media@ejfoundation.org.

Click here to read our Shorthand story which shares more about our presence at COP30 and our work on wetlands, wildfires and environmental defenders.

The open letter which EJF's Luciana Leite will hand to President Lula, Governor Helder Barbalho and Governor Eduardo Riedel on 13th November has been signed by civil society organisations including EJF, scientists and policymakers to signatories to the Paris Agreement, calling for wetland action at COP30.

Specifically, the letter calls on world leaders to:

• Pledge to protect and restore freshwater wetlands as a priority in national climate action plans (NDCs) and long-term strategies, including those to expand the designation of protected wetland areas.
• Increase bilateral cooperation and technical support for wetland conservation and restoration in the Global South, prioritising biomes with extremely high climate and ecological value, such as the Pantanal, Southeast Asia’s peatlands and the Congo Basin.
• Collectively pledge to protect freshwater wetlands, uniting to agree on clear, measurable targets for wetland protection and restoration, supported by adequate financial resources for implementation.
• Strengthen Indigenous peoples' and local communities' active participation in wetland management and conservation, and promote recognition of customary tenure and traditional use practices in relation to their protection.

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.