Why join WWN?

The WWN Grey Globe Award (2012) was the strongest driver we’ve ever had in Lake Tota’s governance. Its impact remains even today, nearly a decade after, and it has been mentioned numerous times in academic papers. It marked a before-and-after in our civil society involvement in the lake’s integrated management. And it marked a definitive head turn from our various government offices too, to recognize its importance, not only local, regional or national, but also international. Before all that, it was a lake, but afterwards, it became a lake and wetland of international importance (not yet a Ramsar site, but we’re closer to that).

And this was not a minor thing, because it gradually brought up more attention, resources, and general interest from our society, and a variety of partners. Problems are many and are still there, but we’re better prepared to face the challenge, in a big portion thanks to WWN’s early encouragement and solidarity.

Our first contact as an NGO with WWN was back in December 2010. Since then, it’s been a fluent source of information, knowledge, contacts, ideas, recommendations. It all began when we didn’t even know our lake was a wetland! We just didn’t know what a wetland was! And we had no idea either about Ramsar. WWN has been our wetland school in many ways. Wetland globes are not active anymore, but WWN is constantly in search for new ideas to make people better connected with wetlands.

And of course, behind the name and logo, there are people. Those behind WWN have been always fantastic people with us, and we feel fortunate and grateful to have met WWN right at the beginning of our path as NGO. Yet, it has not come easy. This is to say, we as NGO need to be persistent, and patient, because results don’t come that quick as we all would love them to. The good message, and we know it by experience, is that we can have an ideal wetland friend at WWN if we persist, and if we also give of course – a good deal of time and commitment from us is clearly necessary too, because a network is a multi-way relationship of solidarity, to make it worthy for one and for all. If our story gives you some encouragement to jump and join WWN, wait no longer and let’s contact the team!

Felipe Velasco
Fundación Montecito
Colombia

08^th Nov, 2021

Thandeka Ndlela, YEW
I do want to send a heartfelt thank you on behalf of YEW to the WWN family for your continued support – from our founding at COP13 to standing with us once again at COP15! And a very special thank you to Kim Diana Connolly for adopting us in Zimbabwe and being like a mother to the youth there.💚 Your warmth and guidance mean the world to us! 

Montserrat Lara, Bióloga en RRNN y Medio Ambiente, Chile
Being my first Ramsar COP, WWN was a great support prior to and during COP, in terms of understanding what the COP was about, how I could participate as a civil society organization member and which were the main topics to be aware of each day. Early morning meetings were really important for feeling part of a group and navigating COP in an easier way.

Dieudonné Xavier, ATEBA, Cameroon
I’d like to offer my appreciation here. I’d first like to congratulate you on the way you facilitated the Ramsar COP15 forum. WWN helped us gather information on the return of the COP and the various resolutions; accompanied, of course, by various images. I hope it will be better organized for the next COP meeting. Thank you for supporting my young colleague from Cameroon, Ursula [Saha].

Mabel N Piki
I recently attended my first COP 15 Ramsar conference in Victoria Falls, and it was an enriching experience. The presence of the World Wetlands Network (WWN) was instrumental in representing NGOs and civil society, providing a crucial platform for voices like mine to be heard. The morning briefings organized by WWN fostered a sense of belonging among participants, allowing us to actively engage rather than merely observe. Through these sessions, we were able to share our perspectives, which were later reflected in various discussions, including the plenary sessions. I am particularly grateful for WWN’s support in this regard, and I would like to express my intention, on behalf of PROSDOMA, to pursue membership with WWN. Additionally, the updates shared via the WWN WhatsApp group were invaluable, ensuring I stayed informed about key sessions despite the tight schedule. I appreciate the hard work of WWN and look forward to further engagement and contribution towards the cause of wetlands.