Each year, World Wetlands Day highlights the vital role wetlands play as places where land and water meet. They support wildlife, regulate water flows and provide essential benefits to people. In 2026, the theme “Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage” focuses on the long-standing links between wetlands and the knowledge, traditions and livelihoods of communities worldwide.
In Ireland, wetlands are central to both the natural landscape and cultural heritage. From the callows of the River Shannon to the peat bogs of the midlands, and from coastal saltmarshes to turloughs and fens, wetlands have shaped how people live, work and use the land for generations. They remain places of rich biodiversity and deep local connection.
Wetlands are among the world’s most valuable ecosystems, yet they are also among the most threatened. The Global Wetland Outlook 2025 reports that 22% of wetlands have been lost since 1970, an area of more than 400 million hectares. Losses continue at around 0.5% per year, faster than global forest loss, while around one quarter of remaining wetlands are now degraded. This limits their ability to provide clean water, reduce flooding, store carbon and support wildlife.
Although wetlands cover only around 6% of the Earth’s surface, wetlands are a high-value resource and provide society with up to $39 trillion in benefits each year including water purification, climate regulation, food production and fisheries support. Despite this, investment in wetland protection and restoration remains insufficient. The report also highlights land-use change, particularly from agriculture and urban development, as the largest driver of wetland loss and degradation.
These global trends are also evident in Ireland. Wetlands remain a defining feature of the Irish environment but are under growing pressure from human activity and environmental change.
The Water Quality in Ireland Report 2019–2024 shows that 52% of surface waters are in satisfactory condition, down from 54% in the previous assessment period (2016–2021). Estuaries and coastal lagoons are in the poorest condition, with 70% assessed as unsatisfactory, compared with 64% previously. The main pressures include excess nutrients, largely from agriculture, urban wastewater discharges, and physical damage to water habitats from activities such as drainage, river modification, forestry and urban development.
Ireland’s government recognises these pressures and has made progress in governance, resourcing and targeted action. During the 3rd planning cycle, new approaches have been developed and piloted under the Water Action Plan 2024, including Sectoral Action Work Plans (SAWPs), alongside Catchment Management Work Plans and Catchment Community Fora.
The aim of the SAWPs is to ensure that, over time, each sector no longer represents a significant pressure on water status, in line with the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. Each plan will set out how water bodies at risk will be addressed through targeted, evidence-based restoration measures. While these plans are still at an early stage, The Water Forum has emphasised the need for a sustained focus on implementation through the remainder of the 3rd planning cycle and into the 4th, alongside stronger protection measures.
The Ramsar Convention, adopted more than fifty years ago, provides the global framework for wetland conservation and wise use. Ireland is a signatory to the Convention, and 45 sites across the country are designated as Ramsar sites, recognising their international importance for nature and biodiversity.
As World Wetlands Day on 2nd February 2026 approaches, it offers a moment to reflect on why wetlands matter — not only for the environment, but also for our shared cultural heritage. By bringing together traditional knowledge, scientific evidence and policy action, Ireland can better address declining water quality and support healthier wetlands for the future. World Wetlands Day encourages us to recognise this shared heritage and ensure that wetlands — and the knowledge connected to them — continue to benefit both nature and communities.
Global Wetlands Outlook Report 2025
Check out The Water Forum’s commissioned research on how peatlands management can be reimagined here and associated webinar.
