10 Years of Restoring and Collaborating on Wetlands
We proudly marked our 10th anniversary with a networking event on Tuesday, 2nd of July 2024 in Brussels.
The event brought together staff, former staff, partners and members to celebrate a decade of achievements and future work in mobilising wetland safeguarding and restoration across Europe.
Established in 2013 by seven organisations from Spain, Poland, France, the UK and Germany sharing a common desire to inspire and mobilise society to protect and restore wetlands, Wetlands International Europe has steadily grown, widening its geographical scope and strengthening its various programs in other European countries. Over the last decade, we have succeeded in numerous efforts in wetland restoration, including greater recognition for peatlands, pioneering natural sponges, protecting migratory waterbirds and freshwater fish, and mainstreaming wetlands into the EU’s global policies. A video featuring our history and main achievements was released to the audience:
Our master of ceremony Evelyn Garcia from CIREF gave the floor to Jan Peters, Chair of Wetlands International Europe and Managing Director Michael Succow Foundation, and Han de Groot, Vice Chair of Wetlands International Europe and CEO of Wetlands International, to deliver opening statements. Chris Baker, Director of Wetlands International Europe, also took the opportunity to reflect on key challenges going forward and where we will position ourselves in the future:
“Many of us here have helped Wetlands International Europe to make big steps over the past 10 years. I hope that in the next 10 years you will continue, guiding us through our ‘teenage’ years to make the impact we all know is badly needed” – Chris Baker, Director of Wetlands International Europe.
After the speeches, the event continued with a networking session, inviting the audience to connect while enjoying the provided refreshments. During this session, selected members and partners were invited to deliver testimonies exemplifying key wetland issues and the value of cooperation with Wetlands International to address them.
The event closed with a toast for all our achievements and hope for the organisation’s future work, led by Jan Peters, along with closing remarks to all the participants. The celebration ended with a renewed commitment to advancing wetland conservation and restoration in the following years.
