In 1961, due to the concerning levels of marsh, bog, and wetland loss caused by rapid post-war drainage and land “improvement” across Europe and beyond, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), together with the Commission on Ecology, the International Council for Bird Preservation (ICBP), and the International Wildfowl Research Bureau (IWRB), developed a program for the conservation and management of temperate marshes, bogs, and other wetlands, called Project MAR. It was proposed in 1961 and formally outlined in 1962. The close cooperation with ICBP and IWRB formed a crucial triad of ecology, birds, and wetlands.

The major goals of the project were: (1) to prepare a broad statement on the importance of marshes and wetlands to contemporary society and to give the widest publicity to this statement; (2) to assemble all important data on means of conserving wetlands, maintaining or improving them for wildlife through proper management, restoring them when debilitated, and making man-made aquatic habitats useful for wildlife, and to make this information available to all those in a position to take action to advance wetland conservation; (3) to make an inventory and classification of all European and north-west African marshes, bogs, and other wetlands of international importance; (4) to offer technical assistance for the establishment of reserves in marshes, bogs, and other wetlands classified as of international importance.1

Project MAR changed the perception of wetlands in a revolutionary way. For centuries, marshes and bogs were considered profane or unproductive places, but following MAR, these environments came to be understood as crucial parts of ecosystems, vital for migratory birds, hydrology, and flood control. This milestone project opened the way to the Ramsar Convention (1971)2 and marked a conceptual shift from land “improvement” to ecosystem value.

Project MAR reflects an early ecosystem-based approach, treating wetlands as dynamic systems and socio-ecological spaces requiring management, not just preservation. It connects with landscape ecology, socio-ecological approaches, and environmental governance—areas that remain critically relevant today.