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DAM-L IUCN water initiative (fwd)



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Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2000 10:18:06 -0800
To: irn-safrica@netvista.net
From: lori@irn.org (Lori Pottinger)
Subject: IUCN water initiative
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Press Release / 5 October, 2000
Embargo until 5 October

 <<...>>

IUCN Launches $ 30 Million Initiative for fresh water and healthy ecosystems

Amman, Jordan, 5.10.00 (IUCN) - IUCN launches an ambitious freshwater
programme consisting of 24 projects worldwide at the 2nd World Conservation
Congress in Amman today.

The Initiative follows the growing international concerns on freshwater
resources - as expressed at the 2nd World Water Forum last March. Forum
participants and ministers from 132 countries called for actions to avert
the world water crisis. Communities around the world already face serious
shortages of fresh water, and the number is expected to rise to thirty
percent of the world's population by 2025.

It also comes at a time when IUCN's 2000 Red List of Threatened Species
signals an extremely serious deterioration in river-dwelling species.  For
instance, 30 % of freshwater fish species are currently threatened and
estimates also indicate that over 800 other freshwater species are at risk
of extinction. Further research is likely to reveal an even deeper worldwide
crisis in freshwater biodiversity.

Says Dr. Maritta von Bieberstein Koch-Weser, Director General of IUCN: 'This
Initiative fills the missing link in the water discussions, which usually
focused on the distribution of water, not on where that water comes from.
Healthy ecosystems renew our water and provide the clean water to support
all life on earth, human as well as species'.

The 'Water and Nature Initiative' will demonstrate how catchments and our
water resources can be managed in a sustainable way  through an integrated
approach. Projects will focus on protecting, restoring and managing
ecosystems that provide clean water and numerous other valuable services to
communities. The Initiative recognises that the sustainable management of
catchments and their water resources forms the basis of economic, social and
environmental security of individuals and societies.

Besides field level demonstrations, the Initiative will develop the
knowledge for sustainable water use; empower communities to participate in
decision-making; and work on the governance of river basins, by examining
and developing legal and financial tools. Learning from its experiences, the
Initiative will develop lesson that can be applied in other cases.

The Initiative has been developed on the basis of extensive consultations
with IUCN members and partners. Central to the outcome of these is the idea
that investments in ecosystem conservation and the sustainable use of water
resources are a cheap way of water management. Creating an enabling
environment for integrated management is much more cost effective than
restoration of degraded ecosystems.

IUCN has long experience in these issues, for instance in the Waza Logone
floodplain (Cameroon). Here, IUCN has succeeded in combining community
development with ecosystem restoration. The project includes floodplain
restoration, training of local communities, and the provision of clean water
through 37 wells. This has already resulted in increased biodiversity,
improved livelihoods for local communities, increased water availability and
reductions in water borne diseases. This experience lies at the core of the
Water and Nature Initiative and is invaluable for its implementation.

The seriousness of the freshwater crisis and IUCN's experience in this field
encouraged different parties to pledge funding to the Water and Nature
Initiative. The Netherlands Government considers to contribute to the
Initiative and will initiate discussions with IUCN. Bert Diphoorn of the
Netherlands, responsible for organising the 2nd World Water Forum: 'The time
to act is now. This Initiative builds on what was discussed at the Forum,
and turns it into projects on the ground. We believe the Initiative will
make a difference.'

The Initiative will work with the IUCN membership and partners around the
world. IUCN's Ger Bergkamp, Freshwater Management Advisor and co-ordinator
of the Initiative: 'The projects come from people in the field, with direct
experience of the difficult issues involved. The Initiative is at the heart
of the concerns of the IUCN membership and will bridge the gap between
global policy and practices in the field. It will show that development,
protecting water resources and nature conservation can go hand in hand'.

The Initiative will span 5 years, comprising 24 projects with a total budget
of US$ 30 million.

A press conference is scheduled for 14:30 PM today in Amman. All press is
cordially invited to attend. Dr. Maritta Koch-Weser (IUCN Director General)
and Dr. Ger Bergkamp (IUCN Freshwater Management Advisor) will elaborate on
the Initiative and be available for questions.

For further information, please contact Elroy Bos, Communication Assistant,
Wetlands and Water Resources Programme, Mobile (++41) 76 339 53 36
Grand Palace hotel Amman, Jordan (962 6) 5691131 or Josue Anselmo, Head of
Communications, Mobile (++41) 79 477 21 28

Created in 1948, IUCN - The World Conservation Union brings together 78
states, 112 government agencies, 735 NGOs, 35 affiliates, and some 10,000
scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership.
IUCN's mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout
the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure
that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
IUCN is the world's largest environmental knowledge network and has helped
over 75 countries to prepare and implement national conservation and
biodiversity strategies.  IUCN is a multi-cultural, multilingual
organisation with 1000 staff located in 42 countries. Its headquarters are
in Gland, Switzerland.

http://www.iucn.org
mail@iucn.org

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
      Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
        and Editor, World Rivers Review
           International Rivers Network
              1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
                  Tel. (510) 848 1155   Fax (510) 848 1008
                        http://www.irn.org
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