WLI World September 2026
Welcome to WLI World for September 2026. Stories include a report on one of the WLI Small Grant awardees from 2025/26. And the deadline for the next round is 8 September!
Over a dozen new members have heard about WLI and joined the network as part of this. We hope you find inspiration and opportunities for exchange in their profiles.
Our digital exchange scheme, WLI BOOTS, has been getting a bit stuck in the mud, so please help us refine and redesign to make it work for you.
We are now in the five-month countdown to World Wetlands Day 2027. The theme will be ‘Innovation in action for wetlands’. The discussions within the Convention on Wetlands showed this can range from high technology, to opening some peoples’ eyes to the customary wise use of wetlands. It can also open up possible digital activities for those of you in the depths of winter on 2 February! As ever, let us know how you’re planning to mark the day.
Feedback welcome to wli@wwt.org.uk.
Science on wings: the monarch and the queen under the microscope
Luz Stella Tisnés
Liceo Taller San Miguel
School-based research at the DANAPURE Wetland recorded the queen butterfly for the first time, compared its biology with that of the monarch, and highlighted host gardens as a conservation strategy.
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From Awareness to Action: Empowering Schools and Communities to Protect the Singkil Peat Swamp
Credit PKGB. Group photo of participating students, facilitators, local education authorities, and school principals at the Environmental Education Programme, Singkil, Aceh, January 2026
Pusat Riset Gajah dan Bidoiversitas Hutan
How can education inspire conservation? Discover how students, communities, and local partners are becoming the next generation of wetland champions in Singkil Peat Swamp.
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SEPSiL Strengthens Community Awareness on Wetlands Conservation in Western Rural Communities
Abdul Dumbuya/SEPSiL
The Allen Town SEPSiL Centre
SEPSiL marked World Wetlands Day 2026 alongside the global community, highlighting the importance of protecting wetlands, celebrating the role of traditional knowledge and cultural heritage in sustaining these vital ecosystems.
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Women Leading Wetland Restoration through a Bio Rights Approach in the Jharkhali Island of Sundarbans
Caption: Women from Jharkhali Island plant native mangrove saplings along degraded coastal wetlands in the Indian Sundarbans. Through SEED’s Bio Rights approach, local women lead restoration efforts while strengthening community stewardship and climate resilience. Credit: Photo: Sudip Maity / SEED
Coastal Biodiversity Conservation Centre
Women-led mangrove restoration combines wetland education, participation and sustainable livelihoods, demonstrating how Bio Rights can strengthen biodiversity conservation and climate resilience in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable wetland ecosystems.
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Through the “Exploring Aquatic Life” summer camp course, students drew aquatic creatures and made Father’s Day cards.
Students must first survey the aquatic insects in the pheasant-tailed jacana’s habitat.
Pheasant-tailed jacana conservation park
It’s summer vacation, and we held a summer camp for elementary school students. The two-day course introduced the behavior of the Pheasant-tailed Jacana and the ecosystem on which it depends.
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From the Wetlands to the Sky: Young Explorers Discover the Birds of Sigli
Birds and Wetland Habitats – Learning Session with Yazzakka Primary School Students photo by munzir
Alue Naga Bird research and Birds Watching
Young students in Sigli explored wetlands, birds and conservation through experiential learning. Using binoculars, they discovered local waterbirds and learned how responsible waste management protects wildlife and ecosystems.
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Satoumi Leadership Camp — 2026 Lujiao Creek Wetland Junior Patrol Team
After visiting the Heping Island community, we designed a curriculum that enables junior students to examine the issues facing the Keelung area based on two dimensions: severity and urgency.
Lujiao Creek Constructed Wetland Junior Water Environment Patrol Team
This July, Lujiao Creek Wetland Patrol Team was out in Keelung, Taiwan to explore the concept of satoumi. The event was entirely organized by college students within the team!
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When flamingos are just the beginning
Flamingos at dawn
Centro de Visitantes Las Salinas
At the Salinas de San Pedro Regional Park, environmental education transforms curiosity about flamingos into knowledge and an appreciation for the conservation of a unique wetland.
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WLI members in the media
WWF Mai Po Nature Reserve and its Gold Star status are celebrated in this article from CGTN.
Star Wetland Centre and co-founder of WLI, Hunter Wetland Centre, was featured on national public TV show Gardening Australia in April.
Welcoming new WLI members
Since the last newsletter we have welcomed eighteen new centres to the network. Find their profile on the WLI website to learn more!
Wetland Life Conservation Initiative Uganda
CELIM SHQIPERI Albania
Ebogo Wetland – Ecotouristic site Cameroon
Lac Ossa Educational and Ecotourism Centre (CEELO), Cameroon
Ebogo Wetland – Ecotouristic site, Cameroon
Tsimembo Manambolomaty Wetland Complex, Madagascar
Kampinoska Dolina Wisły, Poland
Mandrozo Wetland, Madagascar
Save Tomorrow Center, DR Congo
Salinas De Rambla Salada, Spain
MKAAJI MPYA asbl, DR Congo
Site Eco touristique Ebogo, Cameroon
Ejido San Crisanto, Mexico
Wetlands International Philippines, Philippines
Social Momentum Initiative Organization, Sri Lanka
Apam Soloku Beach, Ghana