Cobra Collective/Darwin Initiative Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Kenya, and Sri Lanka

Rights of Wetlands Operationalization for Biodiversity and Community Resilience Project

The Rights of Wetlands Operationalization for Biodiversity and Community Resilience Project, funded by the UK government’s Darwin Initiative, is examining and developing approaches to operationalize Rights of Wetlands. Wetlands International, International Water Management Institute (IMWI), BSC Group, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), and others are collaborating with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) and national governments in the five project countries. Thus far, the project has:

• Completed assessments of local wetland management decision-making and practices through the lens of Rights of Wetlands
• Provided project team support for the Sri Lankan government’s development of a Draft Resolution in support of Rights of Nature in Wetlands, which will be presented to government representatives of the 172 countries who are signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, in July of 2025.
• Prepared Rights of Wetlands policy assessments, policy briefs, educational & training materials, given presentations, and led workshops.