The Global Wetlands Project goal is to build a new index of coastal wetland health (including seagrass meadows, mangrove forests and saltmarshes), which can be applied at the global scale, and use it to inform protection and restoration. GLOW features three themes: health, action and engagement. Together, these themes form a real opportunity to help solve a major global environmental issue by: contributing to scientific understanding and assessment methodologies; improving the accuracy and efficiency of global wetland health assessments; enabling targeted investment strategies for governments, non-government organisations, philanthropic networks and other conservation actors; and, helping humanity create healthier, more resilient, sustainable, and productive coastal environments for future generations. GLOW focus on coastal wetlands and aims at deliver indicator tools that are effective under a very wide range of environmental, economic, social, political, cultural, and information conditions. The project includes six locations (Portugal – Ria de Aveiro, South Africa, India, China, Australia, Vanuatu) and will then expand to the rest of the world’s coastal wetlands.