Wetlands at Risk: Spotlighting threatened wetlands in Europe
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Biodiversity - Flyways
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Biodiversity - Swimways
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Freshwaters
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Global Europe
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Mediterranean
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Peatlands
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Press Release
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Rivers and Lakes
Europe’s wetlands are natural treasures that are central to the historical, cultural, and environmental identity across various regions. They are havens for millions of migratory birds, rare fish, and human communities whose livelihoods depend on a healthy environment. Yet many of these wetlands, despite carrying some of the strongest designations and legal protections in Europe, are facing threats from various sources.
Today we are launching Wetlands @ Risk, an advocacy initiative that shines a spotlight on some of Europe’s most important, yet threatened, wetlands. Through raising awareness and mobilising action, we aim to build momentum for their protection, strengthen accountability, and ensure these urgent threats receive the attention they deserve.
Our interactive map showcases the wetlands identified under this initiative – three at the moment – outlining the threats they face, the biodiversity at stake, and the actions currently being undertaken to mitigate these pressures.
The wetlands
The Camargue, France
Europe’s largest river delta and a stronghold for greater flamingos, wild horses, and hundreds of bird species, the Camargue holds more environmental protection designations than almost anywhere else in France. It is now threatened by a proposed 65km high-voltage power line through the delta’s “biodiversity golden triangle,” alongside a superhighway project that conservationists warn could fragment habitats and disrupt the site’s fragile ecosystem.
The Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape, Albania
The Vjosa-Narta is home to a large population of flamingos and a key resting point for thousands of migratory birds. Development has begun to build a multi-billion-euro luxury resort, without proper environmental surveys and due process, sparking the “Flamingo Revolution,” the country’s largest protest movement of the century.
Tagliamento River, Italy
Often described as the last free-flowing river in the Alps, the Tagliamento is a globally referenced model for river ecology, sustaining rare species of animals and endemic flora. A proposed flood-control barrier in the rivers upper stream has drawn sustained local, environmental, and EU-level opposition over fears it would sever the river’s natural dynamics.
Why it matters
Each of these sites carries some of the highest levels of environmental designations and legal protections in Europe – Ramsar, Natura 2000, and UNESCO Biosphere status, among others – yet each faces projects that could undermine that status. Wetlands @ Risk exists to make sure that gap between protection on paper and protection in practice does not go unnoticed.
Explore the map to learn more about each site, the threats they face, and how you can support the fight to protect them.
For more information, please contact: [email protected]