When was the last time you truly marveled at a swamp? Or felt grateful for the soggy marshes in your town?   

These aquatic landscapes are wetland ecosystems, and while they might be often overlooked, they are nature’s quiet superheroes: filtering our water, sheltering biodiversity, capturing carbon and even protecting communities from storms and floods. 

But although these ecosystems are increasingly being recognized for the benefits they provide, they’re also being lost or degraded faster than we can protect them. 

In fact, wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests. Some of their biggest threats include urban expansion, pollution and the climate crisis. 

And yet, as extreme weather becomes increasingly common, and cities face growing flood risks, we need wetlands to mitigate these threats more than ever. So, how can we protect our planet’s ‘kidneys’? 

In July 2025, governments and civil society gathered at the 15th meeting of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP15) in Zimbabwe to protect and restore wetlands on a global level. 

In episode 4 of TalkLandscape, we got an inside scoop from the frontlines of wetland conservation and restoration. From Indigenous-led restoration projects to nature-based urban planning, we explored how communities worldwide are working with wetlands to build resilience. 

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Meet our guests: 

Ingrid Coetzee is the director for biodiversity, nature and health at ICLEI Africa. Her work focuses on integrating nature, its benefits and nature-based solutions into urban planning and decision making in cities and urban areas to help them become healthier, more resilient and more livable. 

Coetzee also serves as technical lead on ICLEI’s biodiversity advocacy work. Ingrid’s expertise includes stakeholder engagement, facilitation, law reform, policy and strategy development. 

Dayana Blanco is an Indigenous Aymara woman from Bolivia and the co-founder of the Uru Uru Team, an Indigenous women-led group focused on restoring Uru Uru Lake through Indigenous knowledge and nature-based solutions.  

Blanco was a 2024 Wetland Restoration Steward for the Global Landscapes Forum and has also served as part of the youth delegation for the World Forum for Democracy. She received the 25 under 25 Young Climate Prize earlier this year, and she is set to receive one of the 2025 Ramsar Wetland Conservation Awards.