Among the longest-running studies
From 6 to 25 January 2026, the wetlands surveys are underway in more than 2000 Italian wetlands. censuses of wintering waterbirds as part of the International Waterbird Census (IWC) project. The project, coordinated by ISPRA, relies on a network of over 500 expert surveyors and approximately 1500 collaborators, distributed throughout the country. With over 30 years of continuous activity throughout the country, the IWC censuses are one of the longest-running Italian research projects, certainly the first in terms of their widespread and regular geographic coverage.
2026 marks the 60th anniversary of the IWC censuses. Waterbirds are a fundamental component of wetlands. Diversity and numbers provide crucial information on the health and environmental quality of frequented sites, but also provide opportunities to enhance wetlands for sustainable recreational purposes. Protecting, enhancing, and, where possible, restoring Italy's wetlands has implications that go far beyond protecting the species they support, including, for example, removing carbon from the atmosphere, protecting against extreme weather events, and mitigating the effects of climate change.
Wetlands and people
Waterbirds represent a shared wealth among peoples: their long and complex migrations connect wetlands and people, regardless of cultural and political boundaries. The 2026 monitoring period will provide an opportunity to update information on two very rare species in Italy, the Whooper Swan and the Tundra Swan, which are surveyed globally every six years as part of the International Swan Census. The IWC surveys are essential for planning conservation and management actions for wetlands and their natural heritage: the data collected annually helps Italy meet periodic reporting requirements at the European and national levels (including the Barcelona Convention, the Marine Strategy, and the Birds Directive), as well as drafting or updating action plans for endangered species and opinions and management plans for huntable or invasive species.
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International importance
The results are also used to identify wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. Twenty Italian wetland complexes currently qualify as internationally important, but only half of the sites have a (very partial) designation under the Convention, and unfortunately none are currently recognized for their entire surface area. To celebrate the project's 60th anniversary, Wetlands International has collected stories, photos, and scientific contributions from IWC participants in a publicly navigable map (source: ISPRA).
