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Save Nature source of water, source of life
Save
Nature
source
of water,
source
of life
A WWF Call to World
Leaders on behalf of the
Future of Fresh Water.
F r e s h w a t e r i s a p r e c i o u s r e s o u r c e n e e d e d b y a l l l i f e o n E a r t h y e t i t s
f u t u r e i s f a r f r o m s e c u r e . I n f a c t , i t i s t h e s o u r c e o f a w o r l d c r i s i s . F o r
t h o u s a n d s o f y e a r s , h u m a n s h a v e e x p l o i t e d f r e s h w a t e r r e s o u r c e s a n d
e c o s y s t e m s . A n c i e n t h u m a n s o c i e t i e s h a v e t r a d i t i o n a l l y r e c o g n i s e d w a t e r
r e s o u r c e s i n p r a c t i c a l a s w e l l a s s y m b o l i c w a y s . F a i l u r e b y m o d e r n
s o c i e t i e s t o d e a l w i t h w a t e r a s a f i n i t e r e s o u r c e i s l e a d i n g t o u n n e c e s s a -
r y d e s t r u c t i o n o f r i v e r s , l a k e s a n d m a r s h e s t h a t p r o v i d e u s w i t h w a t e r.
T h i s f a i l u r e i n t u r n i s t h r e a t e n i n g a l l o p t i o n s f o r t h e s u r v i v a l a n d s e c u r i -
t y o f p l a n t s , a n i m a l s , h u m a n s - i n f a c t a l l l i f e - o n E a r t h .
I n s p i t e o f s o m e p r o g r e s s , t h e m a j o r i t y o f h u m a n b e i n g s f a c e e i t h e r i n s u f -
f i c i e n t a m o u n t s o r p o o r q u a l i t y o f w a t e r. F o r s o m e c o u n t r i e s , r e c o g n i t i o n
o f a w a t e r c r i s i s m a y h a v e c o m e t o o l a t e . N e i t h e r l a c k o f ' t e c h n o l o g i e s '
o r f i n a n c i a l r e s o u r c e s c a n e x p l a i n t h e c r i s i s ; i t i s d u e r a t h e r t o i n e f f e c -
t i v e m a n a g e m e n t .
W W F i s c a l l i n g f o r a g l o b a l r e s p o n s e t o t h i s p r o b l e m t h a t r e c o g n i s e s :
R e s t o r i n g a n d c o n s e r v i n g t h e a c t u a l s o u r c e o f w a t e r - t h e w a t e r c y c l e
a n d t h e n a t u r a l e c o s y s t e m s t h a t s u p p o r t i t - i s t h e b a s i s f o r s u s t a i n a b l e
w a t e r m a n a g e m e n t ;
E n v i r o n m e n t a l d e g r a d a t i o n i s p r e v e n t i n g u s f r o m r e a c h i n g g o a l s o f g o o d
p u b l i c h e a l t h , f o o d s e c u r i t y, a n d b e t t e r l i v e l i h o o d s w o r l d - w i d e ;
I m p r o v i n g t h e h u m a n q u a l i t y o f l i f e c a n b e a c h i e v e d i n w a y s t h a t a l s o
m a i n t a i n a n d e n h a n c e e n v i r o n m e n t a l q u a l i t y ;
R e d u c i n g g r e e n h o u s e g a s e s t o a v o i d t h e d a n g e r o u s e f f e c t s o f c l i m a t e
c h a n g e i s a n i n t e g r a l p a r t o f p r o t e c t i n g f r e s h w a t e r r e s o u r c e s a n d
e c o s y s t e m s .
W W F u r g e s L e a d e r s t o m a k e r e s t o r a t i o n a n d p r o t e c t i o n o f t h e n a t u r a l
w a t e r c y c l e t h e g u i d i n g p r i n c i p l e o f w a t e r m a n a g e m e n t f o r t h e f u t u r e o f
p e o p l e a n d n a t u r e .
w w w. p a n d a . o r g / l i v i n g w a t e r s Save
Nature
source
of water,
source
of life
A WWF Call to World
Leaders on behalf of the
Future of Fresh Water.
F r e s h w a t e r i s a p r e c i o u s r e s o u r c e n e e d e d b y a l l l i f e o n E a r t h y e t i t s
f u t u r e i s f a r f r o m s e c u r e . I n f a c t , i t i s t h e s o u r c e o f a w o r l d c r i s i s . F o r
t h o u s a n d s o f y e a r s , h u m a n s h a v e e x p l o i t e d f r e s h w a t e r r e s o u r c e s a n d
e c o s y s t e m s . A n c i e n t h u m a n s o c i e t i e s h a v e t r a d i t i o n a l l y r e c o g n i s e d w a t e r
r e s o u r c e s i n p r a c t i c a l a s w e l l a s s y m b o l i c w a y s . F a i l u r e b y m o d e r n
s o c i e t i e s t o d e a l w i t h w a t e r a s a f i n i t e r e s o u r c e i s l e a d i n g t o u n n e c e s s a -
r y d e s t r u c t i o n o f r i v e r s , l a k e s a n d m a r s h e s t h a t p r o v i d e u s w i t h w a t e r.
T h i s f a i l u r e i n t u r n i s t h r e a t e n i n g a l l o p t i o n s f o r t h e s u r v i v a l a n d s e c u r i -
t y o f p l a n t s , a n i m a l s , h u m a n s - i n f a c t a l l l i f e - o n E a r t h .
I n s p i t e o f s o m e p r o g r e s s , t h e m a j o r i t y o f h u m a n b e i n g s f a c e e i t h e r i n s u f -
f i c i e n t a m o u n t s o r p o o r q u a l i t y o f w a t e r. F o r s o m e c o u n t r i e s , r e c o g n i t i o n
o f a w a t e r c r i s i s m a y h a v e c o m e t o o l a t e . N e i t h e r l a c k o f ' t e c h n o l o g i e s '
o r f i n a n c i a l r e s o u r c e s c a n e x p l a i n t h e c r i s i s ; i t i s d u e r a t h e r t o i n e f f e c -
t i v e m a n a g e m e n t .
W W F i s c a l l i n g f o r a g l o b a l r e s p o n s e t o t h i s p r o b l e m t h a t r e c o g n i s e s :
R e s t o r i n g a n d c o n s e r v i n g t h e a c t u a l s o u r c e o f w a t e r - t h e w a t e r c y c l e
a n d t h e n a t u r a l e c o s y s t e m s t h a t s u p p o r t i t - i s t h e b a s i s f o r s u s t a i n a b l e
w a t e r m a n a g e m e n t ;
E n v i r o n m e n t a l d e g r a d a t i o n i s p r e v e n t i n g u s f r o m r e a c h i n g g o a l s o f g o o d
p u b l i c h e a l t h , f o o d s e c u r i t y, a n d b e t t e r l i v e l i h o o d s w o r l d - w i d e ;
I m p r o v i n g t h e h u m a n q u a l i t y o f l i f e c a n b e a c h i e v e d i n w a y s t h a t a l s o
m a i n t a i n a n d e n h a n c e e n v i r o n m e n t a l q u a l i t y ;
R e d u c i n g g r e e n h o u s e g a s e s t o a v o i d t h e d a n g e r o u s e f f e c t s o f c l i m a t e
c h a n g e i s a n i n t e g r a l p a r t o f p r o t e c t i n g f r e s h w a t e r r e s o u r c e s a n d
e c o s y s t e m s .
W W F u r g e s L e a d e r s t o m a k e r e s t o r a t i o n a n d p r o t e c t i o n o f t h e n a t u r a l
w a t e r c y c l e t h e g u i d i n g p r i n c i p l e o f w a t e r m a n a g e m e n t f o r t h e f u t u r e o f
p e o p l e a n d n a t u r e .
w w w. p a n d a . o r g / l i v i n g w a t e r s 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 moor-
land 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 commu-
nities. 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 worlds 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
drastical