As countries mark World Wetlands Day 2026 under the theme “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage,” renewed attention is being placed on the ecological and socio-economic importance of wetlands and the role indigenous knowledge plays in their protection.

In Kenya, wetlands cover an estimated 6 per cent of the country’s land surface, supporting millions of livelihoods while underpinning water security, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience.

These ecosystems include major freshwater and coastal systems such as Lake Victoria, Lake Naivasha, the Tana River Delta, Yala Swamp, Lorian Swamp, and the country’s mangrove forests along the Indian Ocean coastline.

Wetlands are ecosystems characterized by the presence of water, either seasonally or permanently. They range from peatlands, rivers, lakes, and marshes to mangroves. Forested watersheds and wetlands collectively provide about 75 per cent of the world’s accessible freshwater, highlighting their global and national importance.

For communities living around them, wetlands are vital life-support systems, and World Wetlands Day 2026 is tapping into these communities’ knowledge and cultures. They provide freshwater, food, grazing land, medicinal resources, and habitats for diverse plant and animal species.

In Kenya, wetlands support fisheries, flood-recession agriculture, livestock production, and ecotourism, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where water resources are scarce.

Kenya’s wetlands are also critical carbon sinks. Mangrove forests, estimated at over 54,000 hectares, store significant amounts of carbon in their soils and biomass while protecting coastal communities from erosion and storm surges. Similarly, inland wetlands such as peatlands and floodplains help regulate water flows and reduce the impacts of floods and droughts.

Sharing his remarks via social media, World Wetlands Day 2026 celebrations, Principal Secretary in the State Department for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Eng. Festus Ng’eno emphasized the role of wetlands in strengthening climate resilience and sustainable development.

“Wetlands are vital for water security, biodiversity conservation, and climate adaptation,” Ng’eno said, noting that the government is strengthening policies that integrate traditional and indigenous knowledge into wetlands conservation, restoration, and governance, in line with Kenya’s national priorities and international commitments.

Globally, wetlands support nearly 40 per cent of plant and animal species, many of which rely on these ecosystems for breeding and survival. In Kenya, wetlands such as Lake Bogoria and Yala Swamp host internationally important bird populations, reinforcing their significance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, to which Kenya is a signatory.

Despite their value, wetlands remain among the country’s most threatened ecosystems. Encroachment, pollution, unsustainable resource use, and climate change continue to drive degradation, increasing the risks of biodiversity loss, water pollution, food insecurity, rising greenhouse gas emissions, and flooding.

A recent study by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) and partners shows that well-managed wetlands could mitigate more than half of Southeast Asia’s land-based greenhouse gas emissions. The findings reinforce the broader global evidence that wetlands offer cost-effective, nature-based solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation.

For Kenya and other developing countries, wetlands are particularly critical, as limited resources constrain large-scale climate response measures while climate impacts continue to intensify. Integrating traditional knowledge with modern conservation approaches remains central to safeguarding these ecosystems for future generations.