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DAM-L New WRI Report Reveals World's Freshwater Systems in Peril/LS (fwd)
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:33:27 -0800
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From: lori@irn.org (Lori Pottinger)
Subject: New WRI Report Reveals World's Freshwater Systems in Peril/LS
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EAST LANSING, MI, Oct. 21, 2000 - A report released today by the World
Resources Institute (WRI) reveals that the world's freshwater systems are
so degraded that its ability to support human, plant and animal life is
greatly in peril. As a result, many freshwater species are facing rapid
population decline or extinction, and an increasing number of people will
face serious water shortages.
The report, "Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems (PAGE): Freshwater
Systems," says that while many regions of the world have ample freshwater
supplies, four out of every 10 people currently live in river basins which
are experiencing water scarcity. By 2025, at least 3.5 billion people or
nearly 50 percent of the world's population will face water scarcity.
In addition, 29 of the world's river basins -- with a projected population
of 10 million each by 2025 -- will experience further scarcity.
Further analysis of existing freshwater studies reveals that more than 20
percent of the world's known 10,000 freshwater fish species have become
extinct, been threatened, or endangered in recent decades.
In the United States, which has the most comprehensive data on freshwater
species, 37 percent of freshwater fish species, 67 percent of mussels, 51
percent of crayfish and 40 percent of amphibians are threatened or have
become extinct.
"The findings are very disturbing," said Jonathan Lash, WRI president
during a press conference at the annual meeting of the Society of
Environmental Journalists. "We essentially gave the world's freshwater
systems a physical exam and found out that it is more imperiled than the
other ecosystems we studied."
According to the report, much of the degradation of the world's freshwater
systems is due to habitat destruction, the construction of dams and canals,
introduction of non-native species, pollution, and over-exploitation.
The PAGE report estimates that dams, diversions or canals fragment almost
60 percent of the world's largest 227 rivers. The only remaining large
free-flowing rivers in the world are found in the tundra regions of North
America and Russia, and in parts of Africa and South America. About 40,000
large dams over 15 meters high fragment the world's rivers.
Studies of the introduction of non-native fish in Europe, North America,
Australia, and New Zealand, reveal that 77 percent of them resulted in the
drastic reduction or elimination of native fish species. In North America,
alone, 27 species and 13 subspecies of native fish became extinct in the
last century largely due to the introduction of non-native fish.
The report said that water-borne diseases from fecal pollution of surface
waters continue to be a major cause of illness in the Third World. While
surface water quality has improved in the United States and Western Europe,
nutrient loading from agricultural runoff continues to be a major problem.
Although rivers, lakes and wetlands contain only 0.01 percent of the
world's freshwater, and occupy less than 1 percent of the Earth's surface,
the global value of freshwater services is estimated in the trillions of
dollars. "We need to value freshwater ecosystems not only from the goods
they produce, like fish and clams, but also the services they give, like
the filters and nurseries that wetlands provide," said Carmen Revenga, one
of the report's co-authors.
She added that in some countries, the growing concern for species
extinction, the maintenance of pristine habitats and the need to maintain
the other goods and services ecosystems provide, are driving governments to
restore and rehabilitate freshwater systems.
The PAGE report on freshwater systems (http://www.wri.org/wri/wr2000) is
the first of five technical reports that will be released in the next six
months. Other reports will cover agroecosystems, coastal areas, forests,
and grasslands. Taken together, these reports are the first such
comprehensive assessment of the state of the world's ecosystems.
They set the stage for the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment (MEA) that will
be launched next year by WRI, the United Nations Environment Program, and
other international agencies. The MEA is expected to fill in the data gaps
identified by the PAGE reports through the participation of hundreds of the
world's leading scientists who will be mobilized for this $20 million,
four-year effort.
"The challenge for the 21st century is to understand the vulnerabilities
and resilience of ecosystems so that we can find ways to reconcile the
demands of human development and the tolerances of nature," said Lash.
-30-
The World Resources Institute (WRI) is a Washington, DC-based center for
policy research that provides objective information and practical proposals
for change to foster environmentally sound and sustainable development. WRI
works with institutions in more than 50 countries to bring the insights of
scientific research, economic analyses, and practical experience to
political, business, and non-governmental organizations around the world.
For more information, visit WRI's Website at: http://www.wri.org/wri/media/
*****************************************************
Adlai J. Amor
Media Director
World Resources Institute
10 G Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA
Tel: (+202) 729 7736 * Fax: (+202) 729 7616
Email: aamor@wri.org
Website: http://www.wri.org
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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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