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dam-l WWF President urges Water Forum to act for environment/LS



>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>MARCH 3 2000
>
>WWF President urges Water Forum to act for environment
>
>The Hague, The Netherlands - Professor Ruud Lubbers, President of
>WWF, the conservation organization, today urged world leaders to
>make the environment their top priority at the forthcoming World
>Water Forum, in order to ensure safe and adequate freshwater for
>people and nature.
>Addressing policy-makers and media at the Natural History Museum of
>Leiden, The Netherlands, the former Dutch Prime Minister called
>attention to the freshwater crisis. Only if nature is recognized as
>the ultimate source of water, and is properly conserved, can the
>crisis be averted.
>"Failure to deal with water as a finite resource is leading to
>unnecessary destruction of the rivers, lakes and marshes that
>provide us with water," he said. "Experience shows that the harm we
>do to these freshwater ecosystems comes back to us at a much greater
>cost to society."
>Reclamation of land for agriculture, construction of dams,
>widespread deforestation and pollution have led to problems
>including flood damages and poor public health. One-fifth of the
>world's people have no access to safe drinking water, and close to
>three billion lack adequate sanitation. In the past 30 years alone,
>about a third of all freshwater ecosystems have been lost.
>"Human development and environmental protection must now go
>hand-in-hand for good water management," Lubbers continued.
>"Conserving the natural water cycle and the freshwater ecosystems
>that support it needs to be seen as an economic imperative for all
>countries."
>Ministers meeting at the World Water Forum in The Hague, March 17-22
>are expected to agree on a Declaration that will intensify
>international efforts to tackle the freshwater crisis. Meanwhile,
>WWF today launched its 'Call to World Leaders on behalf of the
>future of freshwater', urging local, national and international
>actions. These include:
>Ö Avoiding flood damages through restoration and protection of
>terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and better land-use planning;
>Ö Reducing wastage of water by charging water prices to suppliers
>and consumers that incorporate environmental costs and benefits;
>Ö Increasing funding for practices and technologies that protect the
>quality and quantity of freshwater such as rain-fed agriculture,
>wild-caught fisheries and renewable energy production.
>"Restoring and conserving nature as the source of water is the basis
>for sustainable water management," said Richard Holland, Director of
>WWF's Living Waters Campaign. "The protection of the natural water
>cycle should be the guiding principle of water management for the
>future of people and nature."
>For further information:
>Marie-Christine Lanser-Reusken, tel: +31 30 6937 374, email:
>mlanser@wwfnet.org
>Shaleen Russell, tel: +41 22 364 9571, mobile: +41 79 477 3553,
>email: srussell@wwfnet.org
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>-------------------
>
>More information:
>
>  A WWF Call to World Leaders on behalf of the Future of Fresh Water.
>
>Fresh water is a precious resource needed by all life on Earth yet
>its future is far from secure. In fact, it is the source of a world
>crisis. For thousands of years, humans have exploited freshwater
>resources and ecosystems. Ancient human societies have traditionally
>recognised water resources in practical as well as symbolic ways.
>Failure by modern societies to deal with water as a finite resource
>is leading to unnecessary destruction of rivers, lakes and marshes
>that provide us with water. This failure in turn is threatening all
>options for the survival and security of plants, animals, humans -
>in fact all life - on Earth.
>
>In spite of some progress, the majority of human beings face either
>insufficient amounts or poor quality of water. For some countries,
>recognition of a water crisis may have come too late. Neither lack
>of 'technologies' or financial resources can explain the crisis; it
>is due rather to ineffective management.
>
>WWF is calling for a global response to this problem that recognises:
>
>(      Restoring and conserving the actual source of water - the
>water cycle and the natural ecosystems that support it - is the
>basis for sustainable water management;
>
>(      Environmental degradation is preventing us from reaching
>goals of good public health, food security, and better livelihoods
>world-wide;
>
>(      Improving the human quality of life can be achieved in ways
>that also maintain and enhance environmental quality;
>
>(      Reducing greenhouse gases to avoid the dangerous effects of
>climate change is an integral part of protecting freshwater
>resources and ecosystems.
>
>WWF urges Leaders to make restoration and protection of the natural
>water cycle the guiding principle of water management for the future
>of people and nature.
>
>
>WATER -
>THE VITAL RESOURCE
>
>Fresh water is essential for all life on Earth. Without it, people,
>animals and plants cannot survive. The many functions of freshwater
>ecosystems - source of rich fisheries, natural water filters, and
>vast reservoirs for groundwater storage - would be destroyed or
>seriously impaired.
>
>Water is also essential for meeting human needs, including eating
>and drinking as well as economic production and employment.
>Industries the world over, from agriculture to heat and power
>supply, depend on fresh water.
>
>But fresh water is a finite resource. The availability of fresh
>water - both quantity and quality - is at the heart of the growing
>water crisis. Many reasons for this crisis are the unexpected
>results of development decisions that have led to environmental
>degradation. Unless we base our development decisions on their
>compatibility with freshwater ecosystems, environmental
>deterioration is likely to increase and accelerate, resulting in
>more human suffering world-wide.
>
>What can be done? Despite the overwhelming evidence that
>environmental quality forms the basis for improving the quality of
>human life, and that biodiversity loss hurts people, much of the
>world still considers environmental protection and human development
>as separate and even opposing objectives. In fact, healthy
>ecosystems and human development depend on each other.
>
>Industrial developments are often based on freshwater resources and
>provisions: any shortages or interruptions will have costs, economic
>and otherwise. The harm we do now to freshwater ecosystems through
>short-sighted development will come back to us at a much greater
>cost. WWF believes that conserving and protecting the natural water
>cycle and associated freshwater ecosystems needs to be seen as an
>economic imperative.
>DAMAGED WATER CYCLE; WORLD-WIDE PROBLEMS
>
>Like a giant engine, working day and night to provide a life support
>system for the planet, the water cycle and the ecosystems that
>support it are essential to the availability of adequate freshwater.
>They purify it, recycle it and make it available to
>
>people, plants and animals. They are vital everywhere, from tropical
>rain forests to polar ice fields and moorland bogs. But the engine
>is misfiring. Today, freshwater ecosystems are among the most
>degraded of all habitats.
>
>Hunger and Malnutrition
>World-wide, about 800 million people suffer from hunger and
>malnutrition. While advances in agricultural developments are likely
>to provide part of the solution, farming practices and the
>development and expansion of trade markets themselves create serious
>environmental, social and health problems.
>
>Wetlands have been drained to provide agricultural lands. Land use
>changes, deforestation and conventional farming reduce the ability
>of catchments to retain and store water, leaving soils vulnerable to
>erosion. Groundwater reservoirs are over-used to irrigate crops -
>often a highly wasteful and environmentally damaging practice.
>Pesticides and fertilisers added to crops invariably seep into
>surface and groundwater reservoirs, affecting local and distant
>biodiversity, and threatening the welfare of rural and urban
>communities. Furthermore, salinisation of soils due to inappropriate
>irrigation is making large areas of land infertile and degrading
>water quality.
>
>Inadequate Water Supply and Sanitation
>One-fifth of the world's people do not have access to safe drinking
>water. Close to three billion people, half of the population, lack
>adequate sanitation. Environmental degradation is often the root
>cause of these problems.
>
>Water shortages are frequently caused by excessive withdrawal from
>surface or groundwater sources (often for agriculture), by habitat
>degradation such as the removal of vegetation cover that interferes
>with natural water recharge mechanisms, and by pollution. Inadequate
>sanitation leads to the spread of water-related disease through
>excessive discharges of bacteria and nutrients. Unregulated sewage
>discharge into rivers and lakes drastically reduces levels of
>dissolved oxygen and can kill fish. All of these factors combine to
>further limit the availability of safe drinking water for human use.
>With a steadily growing population, the pressure on the Earth's
>finite freshwater resources continues to grow.
>
>Floods - Destroying Lives and Property
>Disastrous floods are becoming more frequent around the world.
>Ironically, modern flood control structures may actually increase
>the scale of damage because many people who live in floodplains
>overestimate the level of protection provided. Structures such as
>dams and dykes are designed to protect from floods of a given
>magnitude and can fail when a flood exceeds their capacity,
>instantly creating extremely hazardous conditions.
>
>In addition, the cumulative effects of changes in the water cycle in
>a river basin tend to create floods that, while shorter in duration,
>are much larger in their destructive potential. Deforestation,
>urbanisation, wetland drainage, rechannelling of rivers, and the
>building of dams and dykes to control flooding, often combine to
>dramatically increase the destructive potential of floods.
>
>The Consequences of Climate Change
>The Earth's climate is clearly changing as a result of man-made
>emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Evidence of
>the potential for climate change to inflict damage on society is
>evident from the recent increase in extreme weather events around
>the world. During 1998, for example, natural catastrophes claimed
>the lives of about 50,000 people and resulted in economic losses
>exceeding US$90 billion.  High winds and floods accounted for 85% of
>these losses. Changes in climate affect the water cycle, for example
>by increasing the frequency and severity of drought and floods.
>
>The Crash of Freshwater Ecosystems
>Nature is not the only loser in the war on water. Casualties of
>destroyed ecosystems include not only plants and animals but human
>populations, especially in developing countries. The decline of
>freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity also has direct economic
>consequences. At the global level, the economic value of the
>renewable goods and services of freshwater and related ecosystems is
>estimated at US$8.7 trillion per year - up to 26 per cent of the
>total market value of global renewable resources.
>
>FRESHWATER MANAGEMENT
>
>Nature has now sent us its invoice for development at a high price.
>While certain schemes have improved the quality of life for many
>people, they have entailed approaches that threaten to wipe out the
>very environment that sustains it.
>
>We have built dams and weirs and have channelled rivers to control
>the flow of water. We have, through deforestation and drainage of
>lakes and wetlands, reduced the capacity of the landscape to retain
>rainfall and recharge underground water supplies. We continue to
>discharge pollutants into aquatic ecosystems both directly and over
>land, through the groundwater and by atmospheric deposition. And we
>have released great quantities of greenhouse gases into the
>atmosphere, thus changing the climate of the entire planet.
>
>The picture need not be so bleak. WWF believes that water management
>objectives, including the maintenance and provision of regular water
>supplies, improved sanitation, increased food production, and flood
>damage prevention and reduction - for the entire population - can be
>met by the year 2025, or sooner, in ways that restore and protect
>the water cycle and environmental quality. The forces that drive the
>water cycle do not observe country borders and thousands of
>freshwater bodies are a shared resource of several countries. No
>single organisation can be responsible for the enormous challenges
>we face; even rich countries are struggling to sustainably manage
>their freshwater resources.
>
>Positive change is possible if we recognise that sustainable water
>management begins with restoring and conserving the source of water.
>To maintain the water cycle and its natural functions, WWF is
>calling on the international community - governments, trade
>organisations, businesses, non-governmental organisations, and
>individuals - to make strategic shifts in natural resource use:
>
>
>
>
>(      Make rivers safe: Improve human health through the reduction
>and prevention of discharges of man-made pollutants in all major
>rivers and lakes.
>
>(      Shift from irrigated agriculture: Meet increased basic food
>needs using rain-fed agriculture, micro-irrigation, and production
>of wild fisheries.
>
>(      Manage the demand: Meet increased water supply needs through
>efficiency gains in urban areas, recharging aquifers in rural areas,
>and improving irrigated agriculture.
>
>(      Promote renewable energy: Meet increased energy needs by
>substantially increasing demand-side management and renewable energy
>sources.
>
>(      Avoid flood damages: Eliminate further loss of human life
>from floods using non-structural approaches and ecosystem
>restoration.
>
>Environmentally sustainable alternatives are available, and
>achievable today, to implement each of these strategies. Depending
>on the context, these alternatives may be more cost-effective than
>conventional approaches and many organisations and governments have
>successfully used some of them on a small scale. Greater investments
>and stronger institutional frameworks are needed to apply these
>approaches more widely.
>
>The following activities could lead to natural resource use that
>also restores and maintains the environment and the natural water
>cycle:
>
>Locally
>
>(      Increase public participation and open decision-making: Full
>involvement of local communities and individuals in strategic and
>project-specific discussions concerning water management, and
>transparency of decision-making.
>
>(      Implement watershed management: More programmes to protect
>and restore aquatic environments, including reforestation and
>watershed management, floodplain and wetland restoration, and
>maintenance of natural flow regimes.
>
>(      Promote water and energy efficiency: Greatly enhanced
>efficiency in the use of water and energy resources, through
>demand-side management, environmental protection and reuse or
>recycling of resources.
>
>(      Increase use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.
>
>(      Avoid flood damages while maintaining ecosystem viability.
>Flood damage reduction can be achieved through restoration and
>protection of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and use of
>non-structural floodplain management to replace and complement
>conventional infrastructure.
>
>(      Tackle water pollution problems at source including
>agricultural run-off, atmospheric deposition and seepage from
>contaminated land sites, as well as from industries and
>municipalities.
>
>(      Strengthen capacity: Increase investment by public agencies,
>the private sector and academia in understanding, restoring, and
>conserving freshwater ecosystems. Implement public education
>programmes about water issues and ways through which individuals can
>help restore and protect freshwater resources and ecosystems.
>
>Nationally
>
>(      Practice integrated water resources management by creating
>appropriate policies and institutions that are effective in river
>and lake basins. Use sustainable basin management practices in
>rivers and lakes by 2025.
>
>(      Commit countries and communities in rivers upstream to
>maintaining the environment on which neighbours downstream depend,
>including a clean and reliable water supply and a habitat that
>supports fisheries and shellfish production.
>
>(      Implement an agricultural policy that promotes
>environmentally sustainable food production appropriate to local
>conditions, including locally-adapted crops, agroforestry, and
>wild-caught fisheries, both for domestic consumption and export; and
>national support for sustainable agriculture technologies, such as
>integrated pest management.
>
>(      Guarantee 'no net loss' of fresh-water ecosystems taking the
>year 2000 as a baseline for developing countries and 1960 for
>industrialised nations - the latter group of countries must restore
>significant natural values.
>
>(      Implement comprehensive water pollution prevention and
>control to eliminate all hazardous substances discharged by industry
>and municipalities and reduce by more than 50% the release of
>pesticides and nutrients from agriculture to all waters by the year
>2025.
>
>(      Reduce water losses in distribution systems to below an
>average of 15 per cent in all major urban areas by the year 2025.
>
>(      Charge real water prices: Incorporate environmental costs and
>benefits fully in decisions concerning the development of all water
>resources projects and in the pricing of water supplied to all users
>by the year 2025.
>
>(      Sign, ratify and implement international conventions and
>protocols that contribute to the conservation of freshwater
>resources and ecosystems.
>
>Internationally
>
>(      Increase funding by bilateral donors and international
>financing institutions to promote locally-adapted practices and
>technologies such as rain-fed agriculture and renewable energy
>production.
>
>(      Establish conflict resolution mechanisms for water issues
>around shared rivers. This will greatly enhance the possibility of
>adopting integrated river basin management practices in all major
>rivers and lakes by the year 2025.
>
>(      Create an International River (Water) Fund so that countries
>can access resources for initiatives that meet development needs,
>especially for energy, as well as ensure conservation of freshwater
>ecosystems.
>
>(      Restructure international (UN) organisations so that one
>agency has the lead responsibility for natural resources management
>(land, water and air).
>
>(      Reduce greenhouse gases to avoid the dangerous effects of
>climate change and associated impacts on freshwater resources and
>ecosystems.
>
>
>
>TACKLING TOMORROW'S CRISIS TODAY
>
>WWF's ultimate goal is to stop, and eventually reverse the
>accelerating degradation of our planet's natural environment and to
>help build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
>
>As part of its work towards meeting this goal, the WWF network,
>which maintains a presence in 96 countries, has worked for nearly
>four decades to restore and protect wetlands and other freshwater
>ecosystems.
>
>WWF's freshwater work encompasses the Pantanal of South America,
>China's Yangtze River, Australia's Murray-Darling River, Malaysia's
>Kinabatangan River, Zambia's Kafue River, the Rhine and Danube
>Rivers in Europe, the Mekong River in South-east Asia, and the
>Mississippi River and Florida Everglades in the United States.
>
>The strength of WWF's achievements lies in its partnerships. For
>example, WWF and UNICEF are working together to address issues
>related to the water crisis and its implications for children and
>nature.
>
>Also important to freshwater management are international
>conventions and processes such as the Convention on Wetlands of
>International Importance (Ramsar), the Convention on Biological
>Diversity, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN
>Commission on Sustainable Development.
>
>WWF's Living Waters Campaign
>
>In May 1999, WWF launched its global Living Waters Campaign to
>highlight the crucial role of freshwater ecosystems in water
>management and to accelerate actions that tackle the water crisis.
>Working with partners around the world, the Campaign aims to achieve
>the following targets:
>
>(      Demonstrate sustainable approaches to water management in at
>least five catchments - approaches that balance long-term human uses
>and biodiversity conservation; and
>
>(      Increase, by 50 per cent, the area of the world's freshwater
>ecosystems that are newly committed for protection, restoration or
>effective management - commitments that include a total area in
>excess of 25 million hectares.
>
>To find out how you can help support WWF's efforts in freshwater
>ecosystems conservation, please contact:
>
>WWF Living Waters Campaign
>P.O. Box 7, 3700AA Zeist
>The Netherlands
>Tel: +31 30 693 7803
>Fax: +31 30 691 2064
>
>WWF Freshwater Programme
>Avenue du Mont Blanc 27
>1196 Gland
>Switzerland
>Tel: +41 22 364 9027
>Fax: +41 22 364 0526
>
>
>  HYPERLINK http://www.panda.org/livingwaters www.panda.org/livingwaters