World Wetlands Day 2025: Co-Creation as a Celebration
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Peatlands
On February 6th 2025, WaterLANDS partners and collaborators celebrated World Wetlands Day in Brussels with a dedicated event that centred the power of co-creation and the importance of promoting the sustainable use of wetlands through activities like paludiculture (a form of wet farming on peatlands).
World Wetlands Day is a global event dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of wetlands and the urgent need for their conservation. This year’s theme emphasised the power of co-creation, highlighting the essential role of collaboration in developing sustainable solutions for wetland restoration. By engaging diverse communities, stakeholders, and disciplines, we can strengthen our efforts to protect these vital ecosystems for future generations.
What is Co-Creation?
Co-creation is a participatory process that brings together diverse actors to build a shared understanding of local values and needs. By fostering open dialogue, trust, and shared decision-making, co-creation ensures that conservation efforts are inclusive, meaningful, and impactful.
Beyond science and policy, the arts can enhance co-creation by engaging communities in new ways. Traditional conservation approaches often rely on regulations and incentives, but artistic expression connects with people on an emotional level, encouraging deeper participation and reflection.
Claudio Beorchia and “La Laguna dei Cippi”
The first part of the event showcased the work of WaterLANDS artist-in-residence Claudio Beorchia. Claudio’s project “La Laguna dei Cippi, is part of the WaterLANDS artist-in-residence initiative in the Venice Lagoon. The project invites residents to document the lagoon through the eyes of historical boundary stones (Cippi di Conterminazione), which have marked the lagoon’s limits since the 18th century. Through photography and storytelling, the project highlights the lagoon’s transformation over time, fostering a stronger connection between the community and its environment.
Conserving and restoring wetlands is a shared responsibility with immense ecological and social value. By integrating disciplines like art and conservation, we enhance engagement, deepen understanding, and ultimately improve restoration outcomes. Co-creation empowers local communities to take an active role in protecting these vital ecosystems for future generations.
The second part of the event launched a new paludiculture cookbook “Morsels from the Moor” which was developed by Wetlands International Europe in collaboration with the youth collective RE-PEAT. The cookbook combines delicious new recipes with practical insights on paludiculture.
