Back in 2008, at COP10 in Changwon, South Korea, I worked with a bunch of NGOs and civil society representatives to set up the World Wetland Network. Previous COPs had had civil society engagement, but not organised and without much recognition from contracting parties or the secretariat. WWN is still going strong 16 years later, and I regularly work with some of the original group, plus many new recruits all passionate advocates for what a group of committed people can achieve when they work together.
I am leaving WWT to go and work for the Ramsar Regional Initiative in the Mediterranean, MedWet, so I will be continuing may work for wetlands and with the Convention. I will also be representing the region on the WWN committee, so I won’t lose touch.
It’s been great to work with some amazing people, delivering a huge amount for wetlands very often with very few resources and tackling some serious local challenges. I’ve visited some great places and made some good friends along the way. We have great co-chairs in Agatha and Kim Diana, and Connor and the team at WWT will continue to support the Committee.
Keep on fighting the good fight for wetlands, biodiversity, and people!
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