On 11 November, SIPRI, in partnership with WWF, hosted a roundtable discussion titled ‘Refilling the Swamp: Wetland Restoration as a Nature-based Approach to Security and Resilience Building in Ukraine and the Wider Baltic Sea Region’.
The war in Ukraine has powerfully demonstrated the defensive advantage of natural landscapes. This has renewed interest within Europe in how ecological restoration—specifically rewetting swamps and floodplains—can be integrated into national and regional security planning. This approach offers a novel opportunity to enhance military deterrence while delivering significant co-benefits for climate, biodiversity and water management.
The roundtable convened key stakeholders to discuss the strategic rationale, practical challenges and policy pathways for using wetlands as defensive infrastructure in Nordic and Baltic countries. It explored how nature-based solutions can be a cornerstone of modern security and resilience building.