What Can Be Done?

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, David Coates and Jacquie Grekin, CBD,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 7) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 7. Verbatim.

A number of organisations and international agreements aim to protect freshwater biodiversity, including: 

:: The Convention on Biological Diversity: this Convention has a programme of work specifically dedicated to protecting inland waters biodiversity. 

:: The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: is an intergovernmental treaty that guides national action and international cooperation for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and their resources; almost 1 900 “Wetlands of International Importance” have been designated under the treaty.

:: Wetlands International: a global organisation that works to sustain and restore wetlands and their resources for people and biodiversity. 

:: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The World Wide Fund for Nature/World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Conservation International (CI) all have freshwater programmes. There are many other non-governmental organisations (NGO s) addressing freshwater issues at regional, national and local levels. 

 Find Out Where Your Water Comes From

The first step in protecting freshwater biodiversity is to become aware of where fresh water comes from and how much we depend on it: not just for what we drink, but for personal hygiene, growing our food, and producing energy and the goods we consume.

Find out how much water you drink. And eat. And wear. And drive. And…

Globally, people use an average of 633 cubic metres per year. Water footprints however vary greatly from one part of the world to another; for example, the average person consumes 173 cubic metres per year insub-Saharan Africa, 581 cubic metres in Europe, and 1 663 cubic metres in North America. 

Of the water consumed, only about 0.75 to 1.5 cubic metres per year, much less than one percent, is actually used for drinking. We consume much more in other ways, particularly by eating it. 

Here are some requirements to produce typical products:

Meat production in particular, especially beef, consumes a great deal of water. The average volume of water (worldwide) required to produce one tonne of beef is 15 497 cubic metres; compare this to a tonne of chicken (3 918) or a tonne of soybeans or barley (1 789 and 1 388, respectively). 
A sustainable diet, anyone?

Clean Home, Clean Earth...

Another way to reduce your impact on waterways is to reduce or eliminate your use of chemicals. Many laundry detergents today are phosphate-free, but this is not the case for most dishwasher detergents. What about the other cleaning, personal hygiene and gardening products you use? Are they really necessary? Find out what they contain and how you can replace them: for instance, there are plenty of biodegradable alternatives for many of the products we typically use. Most garden chemicals can be avoided by changing the plants grown, gardening practices and accepting a more naturallandscape (which can also look nicer).

Look Upstream, Downstream and Beneath Your Feet...

Want to get more involved? Look “upstream” – and see how sustaining the water catchment can improve water security. Look “downstream” – and see how you can reduce your impact. And don’t forget to look beneath your feet – promote the conservation of groundwater by avoiding polluting or overusing

it and maintaining the nature above ground that helps to replenish it. 

Join a group – or start one – and help clean up rivers and lakes, including the banks and wetlands. Support wetland protection and restoration. Promote

approaches to water supply and management that use the abilities of ecosystems to supply clean water more securely and for reducing flood risk. 

The good news...

The loss of freshwater biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems are not necessarily irreversible. For example, many countries, in both rich and poor regions, are starting to take steps to restore wetlands that were drained in the relatively recent past. This is being done because the benefits of restoring the services provided by these wetlands can outweigh the costs of not having those services (e.g. poor water quality and increased flood risk). The process begins with public recognition of the values of these ecosystems to people and the economic benefits of managing them more wisely.

LEARN MORE

:: Conservation International (CI): www.conservation.org

:: Hamilton 2008. Forests and Water. FA O Forestry Paper 155, Rome: FA O, 3.

:: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): www.iucn.org

:: The Nature Conservancy (TNC): www.nature.org

:: Peatlands: www.wetlands.org/Whatwedo/PeatlandsandCO2emissions/tabid/837/Default.aspx

:: The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: www.ramsar.org

:: Water Footprints: www.waterfootprint.org/Reports/Report16Vol1.pdf earthtrends.wri.org/pdf_library/data_tables/wat2_2005.pdf

:: Wetlands International: www.wetlands.org

:: The World Wildlife Fund / The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF): www.wwf.org