Yesterday, a high-level panel representing the European Parliament, the European Commission, Brazil’s diplomatic mission to the EU and civil society joined together in Brussels to call for more funding for wetlands, and global cooperation to protect them in the run up to COP30 in Belém.

Wetlands attract little international funding or support, but they have a crucial role to play in fighting the climate and biodiversity crises and protecting human rights. They store up to 30% of the Earth’s soil carbon, and 40% of known plant and animal species rely on them. All the participants stressed the urgent need for international funding and protection for wetlands:

• Dr. Annalisa Corrado, Member of European Parliament, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats

• Dr. Florika Fink-Hoojier, Director-General, DG Environment, European Commission

• His Excellency Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva, Brazilian Ambassador to the EU

• Dr. Luciana Leite, Country Programme Lead - Brazil, Environmental Justice Foundation

• Dr. Chris Baker, Director, Wetlands International Europe

A recording of the event can be found here.

Selected quotes

Dr. Corrado said: “There is no time left to waste. It is time, also, for the European Parliament to raise our voices for climate justice and the protection of wetlands. We must strengthen partnerships with non-European countries, mobilising investment at the national level while delivering tangible outcomes for wetlands. This is not just about restoration or conservation, this is about our future and the future of our generation. Biodiversity is the key for our existence on this planet and our health.”

Dr Fink-Hooijer said: “Put nature front and centre. We are not doing enough, and that is a big issue for us. The Brazilian Pantanal is definitely proof, if you don’t care enough about the interdependence of biodiversity and climate change, then we have a disaster. Nature based solutions can go hand and hand with renewables, and everything else. These are win-win solutions.”

H.E. da Costa e Silva said: “The timing of this round table is very important. Brazil, like many other countries, is experiencing the impacts of rapid climate change. Very recently, we had devastating rains and floods in the south of Brazil, with manifold consequences that will take us years to respond to. 58% of our country is being affected by drought; in a third of the country, the drought is severe. In the Pantanal, 119 wildfires have been recorded this year. The challenge of fighting the fires remains huge. With the help of partners, the idea is to generate discussion and open up avenues for joint work.”

Dr. Leite: “While most of the international community think about the Amazon Forest when they think about Brazil, rightly protecting the Amazon must not cost us the Pantanal. This event is an attempt to unite Brazil and the European Union in this call for action, in this call for cooperation to protect and restore the Pantanal. As Brazil prepares to host COP30, in Belém, we ask our leaders from the EU and Brazil to sign the first ever Wetlands Partnership to channel resources to protect and restore the Pantanal. There is time, but we must start acting now.”

Dr. Baker: “Wetlands in all their diversity, have an enormous amount to offer us. They really connect us and our economies. If you’re sitting in the EU, much of our resource and supply chains are drawing upon and impacting wetlands around the world. They are not some distant thing - they are part of our world. There are many technical solutions to solve these problems, it’s not like they are not known. To deliver this, we need an approach such as the cooperation instruments we’re talking about. They are not a ‘nice to have’, they are essential.”

Responding to the event, Steve Trent, CEO and Founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation, said: “We can choose a better future now. Boosting funding for wetlands in the run up to COP30 and laying the groundwork for a major wetlands fund to be announced in Belém next year will have a real, practical, positive impact. Every Euro spent protecting and restoring wetlands will be returned many times over, in a stable climate, clean air, and thriving people and wildlife. There is no better investment. I urge all European leaders to start the process today.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

The exhibition “Pantanal: our inheritance and our legacy", mentioned by several participants, runs on the Esplanade Solidarność of the European Parliament in Brussels until the 27th of September. This exhibition uses breathtaking photography to shed light on the world's largest tropical wetland, the Pantanal - which spans Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay - and the critical importance of preserving this unique ecosystem.

Read EJF’s guide to funding wetlands here and a briefing on the global importance of wetlands for the climate, for wildlife and for people here.

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