Our network of regional, country and project offices covers Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Latin America. Our headquarters is based in the Netherlands. The expertise of each office is described below with their contact details.
Africa
Wetlands International in Africa, established in 1998, is responsible for our work on the entire continent. The main office is located in Dakar, Senegal with subsidiary offices in Mali (Bamako and Mopti), Guinea Bissau (Bissau) and Kenya (Nairobi). Our office is strongly invested in the conservation of wetlands on Africa’s west coast, with a focus on mangroves, the West African Manatee and migratory waterbirds.
The work in Mali to save the Inner Niger Delta is one of our most important global initiatives. We focus on preventing the loss of seasonally flooded wetlands by maintaining water flows to the delta. We also work in support of sustainable fisheries, agriculture and forestry, as well as reduced waterbird hunting in the delta area. In East Africa, our focus is on the wise use of precious freshwater resources and wetlands. Our efforts aim to reduce the impact of occasional droughts while serving local water and food needs.
www.africa.wetlands.org
Latin America & the Caribbean
We have offices in Argentina (Buenos Aires) and Panamá (Panama City). Our team in Buenos Aires has strong expertise in wetlands inventory and the conservation of waterbirds in relation to rice field management. New priorities include conservation management of the Paraná Delta and the peatlands of Tierra del Fuego. The office is also involved in addressing the impacts of soy production on wetlands and water. The new Panamá team focuses on coastal mangrove conservation and water management in Mesoamerica.
www.lac.wetlands.org
Indonesia
Since 1983 our main office in Bogor, Java, has engaged in the inventory of wetlands and migratory waterbird conservation. Today, a large part of our work is saving the peat swamp forests. This involves science, restoration, advocacy and efforts to green the palm oil and forestry industries. We also work on mangrove restoration. In close partnership with the government of Indonesia, we support wetlands-related international conventions, including the Ramsar Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
www.wetlands.or.id
Malaysia
Our Malaysian office in Kuala Lumpur has a long tradition of supporting policies and practices for the wise use of wetlands, waterbird conservation and coordinating the Asian Waterbird Census. Leading activities in Malaysia now include technical input to local authorities on the restoration and sustainable use of peatlands and mangroves.
www.malaysia.wetlands.org
Thailand
Our work in Thailand has a strong coastal focus, including mangrove rehabilitation and silvofisheries. In addition, our team raises awareness on the sustainable use of different wetlands in Thailand. We are hosted by Songkla University and have two field offices. Currently, the office temporarily closed.
www.thailand.wetlands.org
South Asia
Our South Asia office is located in New Delhi and covers the region from Pakistan in the west, Bangladesh in the east, and Sri Lanka and the Maldives in the south. It has a strong focus on managing lakes and rivers to maintain their health and productivity, and on promoting the importance of wetlands for preventing floods and droughts. Working with different levels of government, we are building the capacity of authorities and empowering local communities to influence decisions over water.
www.south-asia.wetlands.org
China
Our China office in Beijing began with a focus on monitoring waterbirds within the extensive territory of the People’s Republic of China. The endangered Black-necked Crane is a flagship species for our work protecting wetlands along its migration route (flyway).
In recent years, the office has broadened its portfolio. Our team works across the country to protect and restore the heavily eroded and overgrazed peatlands of the Tibetan Plateau. These high altitude wetlands are important as the source of the greatest rivers in the region and also support local herdsmen.
www.wetwonder.org
Japan
Our Japan Office is located in Tokyo. Our team has strong expertise in research on coastal regions and brackish waters through its Monitoring Sites 1000 Programme, and is heavily engaged in public awareness. Both activities are aimed at promoting the understanding and wise use of wetlands in Japan.
www.japan.wetlands.org
Oceania
Our team has two offices: in Canberra, Australia and Suva on Fiji, jointly covering Australia and the Pacific Island region. Our Canberra office supports the Australian government on wetland management issues and the Fiji office specialises in biodiversity and human health.
www.oceania.wetlands.org
Russia
Our Russia team covers the entire Russian Federation and former USSR States in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. From the Moscow office, it has conducted the national wetland inventory and coordinated the International Waterbird Census (IWC). Other areas of work include developing national wetland policies in Russia, and promoting wetlands conservation across the border with Belarus. Currently, we are rewetting degraded peatlands to reduce wildfire risks and greenhouse gas emissions, and offering guidance to the oil and gas sector in the Arctic region to limit their impacts.
www.russia.wetlands.org
Black Sea
Since 1998 we have worked in the Black Sea region, from our Kiev office. This area includes many vital stopover sites along the African-Eurasian migratory waterbird flyway, such as the Azov Sea. We are working to preserve Ukrainian wetlands, manage water and coordinate the International Waterbird Census (IWC) to monitor waterbird populations.
www.blacksearegion.wetlands.org
The Mediterranean
Our Mediterranean Office is hosted by Tour du Valat Research Centre in the Camargue in the south of France. While our current office started in 2009, we have been involved for many years in wetland conservation activities in the Mediterranean. We are currently active in three demonstration projects, working towards better management of threatened wetlands in order to conserve precious water resources.
www.wetlands.org/medwetwat