Wetlands International European Association (WI-EA)

Introduction

WI-EA’s proposal for 2023 aims to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of the EU's environmental and climate objectives. The activities proposed in this application combine EU-level advocacy with innovative wetland solutions, national and/or local level implementation, knowledge development, training, capacity building, and outreach to help achieve the ambitions of the Green Deal and the EU’s global commitments.

Objectives

WI-EA will work to create momentum for wetland solutions by focusing on the following key objectives:

1. Habitat and Species Protection

   • Halt and reverse the EU’s loss of habitats and species by helping achieve the EU Biodiversity Strategy’s 30% protected area target and legally binding nature restoration targets.
   • Support management of migratory waterbirds with international flyway-scale monitoring.
   • Expand the new Trans-European Swimways Network to advocate for the protection of migratory fish and catalyze reaching the 25,000 km target for free-flowing rivers.

2. Water and Soil Quality Improvement

   • Improve the quality of the EU’s water resources and soils by strengthening the implementation and enforcement of freshwater-related Directives.
   • Scale up solutions such as barrier removals.
   • Protect and improve high-carbon soils by pioneering climate-friendly alternatives to drainage-based agriculture on peatlands.

3. Climate Objectives on Mitigation and Adaptation

   • Achieve EU Climate Objectives on Mitigation and Adaptation by helping achieve zero emissions through embedding ambitious targets.
   • Mobilize finance and deliver knowledge and know-how for conserving and restoring peatlands.
   • Deploy and upscale “natural sponges” as innovative nature-based solutions to address increasingly frequent European floods and droughts.

4. Sustainable Green Deal Transition

   • Ensure that the Green Deal transition is sustainable by ensuring Fit for 55 related legislation contributes to solving both the climate and nature crises together.
   • Green the EU’s global footprint to prevent GHG emissions and the degradation and loss of wetland ecosystems.