In 2017, with the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development firmly under way, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reached out to Member States to request – for the first time – national data on freshwater ecosystems (Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 6.6.1). The aim was to obtain global data on the extent of freshwater ecosystems, and a baseline from which countries could monitor progress on their protection and restoration (target 6.6). With only nine years left before 2030, it is crucial to accelerate efforts to protect and restore freshwater ecosystems. Eighty-five per cent of wetlands have disappeared in the last 300 years and one fifth of the world’s river basins (including lakes, reservoirs and rivers on which humankind depends to develop sustainably) are experiencing dramatic, above-normal changes in available surface water. While humans may be responsible for driving ecosystem changes, they are also able to find solutions using available data to make informed decisions. At no other point in human history have people had to face such climate, pollution and biodiversity crises. Keeping ecosystems healthy will help address these crises and allow the world to “make peace with nature”. Now is the time for action.