Welcome and invitation

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 18th International Conference on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control to be held from November 24th to 29th, 2024 in Fort-de-France, Martinique. This conference is part of the IWA Specialist Group “Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control” conference series, which is a bi-annual conference series that acts as a global forum for discussion and knowledge sharing on the state of the art in scientific and practical development and implementation of natural and constructed wetlands and other nature-based solutions for providing water quality improvement and other co-benefits and ecosystem services. Some of the main conference topics include i) wetlands in urban environments; ii) wetlands for water reuse; iii) wetlands and the circular economy, iv) wetlands for water pollution control, and v) wetland conservation, restoration, and climate change. Other up and coming topics such as wetland intensification, removal of emerging organic contaminants, wetland co-benefits, modelling, and monitoring and remote sensing.

We are delighted to welcome you to Martinique. The history of Martinique is closely linked to the colonial expansion of Europeans in the Caribbean. The first occupiers were the pre-Columbian cassava farmers who came from the Orinoco basin, around the fifth century BCE. Christopher Columbus discovered the island on June 15, 1502, and Martinique became French under Louis XIII, a colony attached to the French crown marked by an economic and social system based on slavery and framed by the publication of the Black Code in 1685. Martinique is a place steeped in history, as well as being rich in marine and terrestrial biodiversity. In order to protect this biodiversity, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the innovative actions that the Martinique Water Office (ODE) has been carrying out, particularly on Treatment wetland for the last 15 years. The organization team of INRAE, ODE and UFSC-HUPANAM will introduce you to the latest developments in research and implementation of wetland systems for water pollution control in the Caribbean and South America to accelerate the implementation of TW in the region.

Pascal Molle, Michela Adin, Pablo Sezerino and Ignatius Jean
ICWS2024 Conference Chairs