Today in Belem at COP30, WWF, Blue Marine Foundation, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Marrakesh Partnership for Global Climate Action and the Climate Champions team, with support of the COP30 Presidency launched the Saltmarsh Breakthrough, as part of the marine conservation breakthrough. The Saltmarsh Breakthrough, is a Global Call to Action, creating a path forward to scale actions and investments to turn the tide on conserving and restoring these vital ecosystems. Aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the UNDecades on Ecosystem Restoration and Ocean Science, it brings together governments, the private sector, and communities to restore and protect these critical ecosystems.
The vision of the breakthrough is for saltmarshes to be globally recognised and locally stewarded as essential ecosystems with a 2050 goal of all saltmarshes to be conserved and sustainably managed; and the restoration of lost and degraded areas achieved and on track to maturity.
This is underpinned by three targets:
- 50 countries integrating saltmarshes into policy frameworks by 2030
- Conserve and restore 500,000 hectares by 2030
- Mobilise increased finance for saltmarsh conservation and restoration (Mobilise $5 billion by 2030)
Despite their critical role in climate mitigation, coastal protection and biodiversity, saltmarshes remain severely under-recognised, under-protected and underfunded. Saltmarshes are often absent from national climate and biodiversity strategies, and lack the visibility, policy frameworks and investment flows needed to secure their future.
Mary Creagh, the UK’s Minister for Nature opened the event reminding the audience that “protecting, restoring and managing our extraordinary saltmarshes is a shared responsibility”. The Minister went on to reaffirm the U.K. Governments commitment to saltmarsh protection in the updated Nationally Determined Contribution.
“I’m thrilled to see this launch today to grow the global community of action that our magical marshes need and deserve” – Mary Creagh UK’s Minister for Nature.
“The Ocean is one of our key allies in combating climate change, it is central to achieving both climate and nature goals. And we are here to acknowledge one of the planet’s most important, yet overlooked ecosystems: the saltmarshes. These quiet coastal wetlands are home to extraordinary biodiversity, protect communities from storms and rising seas, sustain local economies, and store immense amounts of carbon for centuries. Saltmarshes support a stable climate. And yet, they are disappearing faster than almost any other coastal habitat. The Saltmarshes Breakthrough, launched here at COP30 during Ocean Day, marks a landmark moment on how we understand and value these ecosystems. “ – Dan Ischope, COP30 Climate High Level Champion
As a result, saltmarsh ecosystems and the communities and wildlife that depend on them face mounting threats from development, pollution and climate change.
To reverse this trend, the Saltmarsh Breakthrough will help support coordinated and collaborative global action to raise ambition, align policies, unlock finance, and build capacity for the protection and restoration of saltmarshes.
The Breakthrough will demonstrate that saltmarsh is not a niche habitat, but a cornerstone of resilience and blue economy planning. Together these targets speak to a world where saltmarshes are no longer seen as expendable, but essential.
The breakthrough is underpinned by three targets, developed over the last year with over 70 stakeholders from more than 30 countries. These recognise the role saltmarshes play in the broader seascape and the need to work with the other ecosystem specific marine conservation breakthroughs to enhance this connectivity:
- 50 countries integrating saltmarshes into policy frameworks by 2030
Today, saltmarshes occur in around one hundred countries, but most of their global extent is concentrated in fewer than sixty. This target would cover nearly all global saltmarsh area and ensure these ecosystems are recognised as natural infrastructure for climate adaptation and mitigation.
At COP30 we have also launched the Policy Integration Taskforce to help achieve this goal. This will offer guidance and support for countries to embed saltmarshes into national climate and biodiversity strategies – including NDCs, coastal zone management plans, and greenhouse gas inventories.
- Conserve and restore 500,000 hectares by 2030
The conservation target acknowledges that halting this loss is our first and most cost-effective step. Saltmarsh restoration is inherently long-term, requiring careful planning that accounts for the adaptation needs of the marsh itself – as well as the participation and consent of local communities. In many cases, detailed design, consultation, appropriate FPIC and site preparation must precede restoration, meaning that much of this work will be underway by 2030 rather than fully completed.
Nonetheless, this represents a realistic and globally significant recovery pathway – roughly a quarter of the world’s restorable saltmarshes – aligning near-term planning with 2050 ambition.
- Mobilise increase finance for saltmarsh conservation and restoration
The greatest environmental return will always come from conservation first – halting human-driven loss and ensuring sustainable management of what remains. This can be achieved through a mix of public budgets, adaptation finance, and blended finance models that recognise saltmarshes as critical natural infrastructure.
Restoring 500,000 hectares of degraded saltmarshes calls for significant additional investment. The Breakthrough is less about mobilising one large fund, and more about catalysing a new generation of coastal finance models – those that make adaptation and equity central from the outset and in the long term can drive to the $5 billion target that is estimated to restore our saltmarshes globally.
We are calling for increasingly blended forms of investment – where public, private, and philanthropic capital converge, and where climate, biodiversity, and resilience finance are no longer separate silos but part of one integrated effort.
Together these targets speak to a world where saltmarshes are no longer seen as expendable, but essential.
Photo credit: David Palfrey
