In spite of being hotspots of biodiversity and providing precious ecosystem services, wetlands are one of the fastest declining ecosystems worldwide. Information on their locations, their delineations, their ecological character and their services is often sparse and difficult to find or access. The result is a limited coverage of wetlands in policies and management practices. SWOS is a Horizon-2020 project funded by the European Commission. Its main objective is […]

  North Africa is home to many important sites ranked on the list of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites) such as estuaries, chotts, coastal swamps, mountain lakes, and oases. Unfortunately, these wetlands of high ecological value are threatened because of human activities. The overall objective was to contribute to promoting the conservation and sustainable participatory management of selected priority wetlands in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia through the development and […]

In spite of providing important ecosystem services for free, especially those related to water, Mediterranean wetlands suffer from human activities that lead to theoverexploitationofthisnatural resource, such as water abstraction, unsustainable agriculture, hydropower, and water storage facilities. To tackle the problem of unsustainable water use and management, seven international organizations have started a partnership in the Mediterranean Basin for achieving change on the ground and to build capacity in the region. This […]

Saltpans are often part of larger wetland complexes and host many flora and fauna species that have become increasingly dependent on this manmade landscape. They are also home to artisanal practices of salt extraction that are mutually beneficial for both humans and nature. But saltpans are now often mismanaged or simply abandoned. As part of the its strategy for Mediterranean coastal wetlands, MAVA Foundation is supporting the project “Overarching activities […]

  Most of conservation measures concerning wetlands omit their functional dimensions and focus only on patrimonial areas. A functional approach emphasizes the importance of wetlands with ordinary biodiversity. Spatialisation of wetland functions helps to define an area of concertation with local stakeholders and to reflect on multi-scaling strategies for wetlands management. The overall objective is to support the implementation of wetland related policies in the Rhone river basin using a […]