Monday 19 – Thursday 22 October 2026, Club Mykonos, Langebaan, Western Cape, South Africa
Conference Organiser: Angelique Smith angie@esiglobal.co.za. Hosted by the Western Cape Wetland Forum with support from the SA Wetland Society
This year’s Indaba Local Organising Committee (LoC) would like to consolidate all Wetland Indaba communications into a single platform to maximise their reach across the wetland community of practice.
This platform will become the primary communication channel for this year’s Indaba, as well as for future Indabas organised by other provincial LoC’s throughout South Africa.
To achieve this, we invite you to join the Wetland Indaba Google Group. Once you have registered, you will remain on the mailing list for future Indaba communications, regardless of whether you attend an event in person or not. Of course, you may unsubscribe at any time should you no longer wish to receive these communications.
You may register up to two email addresses, so we encourage you to include both your work and personal email addresses if appropriate. This will help ensure that you continue to receive important Indaba announcements and updates.
Please note that we ask for your cell number which will only be used for instances where your registered email address may bounce on the system and we need to contact you directly.
For those who register with a Gmail address, you will be added directly to the group. For those who register with a non-Gmail address, please check your Inbox, Junk or Spam folders for the invitation which you must accept to complete the process of joining the group. In some instances, it may be worthwhile asking your IT support to whitelist the domain @googlegroups.com.
Showcase Your Products and Services to South Africa’s Wetland Sector
The Western Cape Wetland Forum invites organisations, suppliers, consultants, researchers, government agencies, NGOs and service providers operating within the environmental, conservation, water management, sustainability and wetland sectors to exhibit at the National Wetlands Indaba 2026.
This premier gathering of wetland practitioners, environmental professionals, researchers, policymakers and conservation stakeholders provides a unique opportunity to showcase your products, services, innovations and expertise to a highly targeted audience from across South Africa.
Whether your organisation offers environmental consulting services, ecological restoration solutions, water quality monitoring equipment, GIS and mapping technologies, conservation products, sustainability services, educational resources, research initiatives or related offerings, the National Wetlands Indaba provides an ideal platform to engage directly with decision-makers and industry leaders.
Full Exhibition Package
R2,500 for the full Indaba includes:
Please note that accommodation, breakfast and dinner are for the exhibitor’s own account.
Daily Exhibition Package
R1,000 per day for exhibitors to book individual exhibition days at:
Book Your Space Today
Exhibition space is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve your exhibition space, contact the Conference Organiser:
Event Synthesis International | +27 60 970 7653.
Need assistance with your exhibition stand, branding or display requirements? Event Synthesis International can also assist with a full range of exhibition support services.
The Local Organising Committee for NWI 2026 invites participants to submit an abstract for the conference. To submit your abstract, please read and follow the Conference Guidelines that have been provided for the different types of sessions.
IMPORTANT
We have replaced the Poster session with a Flash Talk session. This is new to Indaba, and so we have provided extensive advice below on how to prepare a Flash Talk. This session will provide a vibrant forum for presenters to share key wetland research or other insights with an engaged audience.
Honours, Masters and first-year PhD students are encouraged to present their work at this session. We also encourage wetlanders from government departments, conservation agencies, environmental consultancies or citizen science groups to submit a flash talk if they have appropriate short-form material (e.g., perhaps you wish to showcase a new rehabilitation method, a conservation success story or a concerning management issue).
SESSIONS
Please note that we have no predetermined session themes this year, as these will be developed based on the submissions received. Presenters are encouraged to submit abstracts that address the theme of the conference: “WETLANDS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE: CELEBRATING CULTURAL HERITAGE”.
Session Types:
• Paper Presentation (10 min talk + 5 min questions).
• Flash Talk (3 min talk + 2 min questions – 3 SLIDES ONLY!).
• Workshop/Training/Special Session (1.5 – 2 hrs).
If you would like to present a Paper / Flash Talk AND organise a Workshop / Training / Special Session, please submit TWO separate abstract forms.
You will be notified whether or not your abstract has been accepted by 7 August 2026.
Programme / abstract enquiries can be directed to Kate Snaddon (kate@frcsa.org.za).
General conference enquiries can be directed to Angelique Smith (angie@esiglobal.co.za) or John Arvanitakis (john@esiglobal.co.za).
With are pleased to announce that a Draft Basic Programme is available for Indaba 2026.
The Organising Committee is pleased to announce that the National Wetlands Indaba for 2026 will be hosted at Club Mykonos, Langebaan in the Western Cape.
Please remember that it is the responsibility of each delegate to book their own accommodation and you are requested to make contact with the venue to secure your room(s).
The Organising Committee is pleased to announce that the Conference Organiser appointed to run and manage the National Wetlands Indaba for 2026 is Event Synthesis.
For all Conference Related issues, please make contact with Angelique Smith angie@esiglobal.co.za.
We are pleased to announce the dates for the National Wetlands Indaba for 2026.
Greetings Wetlanders,
On behalf of the Organising Committee of the Western Cape Wetland Forum, I would like to welcome you to the National Wetlands Indaba for 2026.
The Organising Committee looks forward to presenting a programme that is enticing, informative and exciting. But above all, we sincerely look forward to meeting with you all here in the Western Cape.
Please keep an eye on the website for updates.
Kate Snaddon
Chairperson: NWI2026 Local Organising Committee
Expand for LoC Members
The Begining Years
1996 KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, Rawdon’s Pub.
1997 Mpumalanga, Dullstroom.
1998 Eastern Cape, Pirie.
1999 Free State / Northern Cape, Sterkfontein Dam.
Expand for 2000 – 2009
2000 KwaZulu-Natal, Vryheid.
2001 Limpopo, Nylsvlei.
2002 Western Cape, Cape Town.
2003 North-West, Barberspan.
2004 KwaZulu-Natal, St Lucia.
2005 Limpopo, Modimolle.
2006 Eastern Cape, Stutterheim.
2007 Gauteng, Kempton Park.
2008 Mpumalanga, Skukuza.
2009 Western Cape, Langebaan.
Expand for 2010 – 2019
2010 Free State / Northern Cape, Kimberley.
2011 KwaZulu-Natal, Didima.
2012 Limpopo, Bela-Bela.
2013 Eastern Cape, Cape St Francis.
2014 Gauteng, Lanseria.
2015 Western Cape, Worcester.
2016 Mpumalanga, Swadini.
2017 KwaZulu-Natal, Wild Coast Sun.
2018 Northern Cape, Kimberley.
2019 Limpopo, Tzaneen.
2020 – Present
2020 Virtual Online Indaba (Covid 19 Pandemic).
2021 Virtual Online Indaba (Covid 19 Pandemic).
2022 Free State, Golden Gate.
2023 North-West, Buffelspoort.
2024 Eastern Cape, Cape St Francis.
2025 Gauteng, Muldersdrift.
2026 Western Cape, Langebaan.
The National Wetland Indaba grew from a small group of people meeting informally to discuss wetland-related issues. The group formed into the South African Wetland Action Group (SAWAG), which held its first meeting at Rawdon’s Pub in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. These annual meetings later grew into now what is known as the National Wetlands Indaba, which was first held in 2005.
The Indaba is intended to provide a platform for a cross-disciplinary gathering of practitioners involved with the management, conservation and sustainable utilisation of South Africa’s wetland resources. These include scientists, decision-makers, researchers, conservationists and educators hailing from various organisations and Government departments.
Over the years, participation in the Indaba has increased from a handful of wetland specialists to an annual event which attracts hundreds of people from varying disciplines with a common interest in wetlands, both locally and internationally. The Indaba allows for a range of people with varying experience and interests, keeping the balance between science and practice, across the country to come together and share knowledge. The sharing of knowledge has allowed the wetland field of practice to develop and strengthen within South Africa.