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Freshwater Biodiversity and Sustainable Development
At the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the world’s governments agreed to significantly
reduce the loss by biodiversity by 2010. In doing so, the world recognized the inextricable link
between the health of the natural world and the well-being and livelihoods of people,
particularly in undeveloped and developing countries. This link is no stronger, nor the
biodiversity crisis so great, than in freshwater ecosystems.
Freshwater ecosystems contain less than 0.01% of the earth’s water, but account for a much larger
percentage of the earth’s biodiversity. Approximately 12% of all animals live in freshwater,
including 40% percent of the world’s fishes; freshwater fishes alone account for 25% of all living
vertebrate species. Scientists agree that freshwater species are, as a group, the most endangered
animals and plants in the world.
Habitats adjacent to rivers and lakes, and dependent on them for their viability, are equally important.
Wetlands are vital habitat for countless fish, mammals, birds, and invertebrates, and serve as the
nurseries for some of the world’s most important fisheries. Riparian habitats - forests and grasslands
found along the banks of rivers and lakes - are among the most important for terrestrial animals and
plants.
People depend on the benefits of freshwater biodiversity in innumerable ways. Freshwater fish
are a source of protein for hundreds of millions of people, and are particularly important to poor
communities in Asia and Africa. Freshwater fish are also an important economic resource for many
developing countries. Mammals and birds that live in wetlands and along rivers and streams are
important for subsistence and recreational hunting, and generate income through ecotourism.
Wetland-dependent plants are the source of a wide variety of foods, building materials, and household
items, as well as income generating products such as candles and cosmetics.
Any solutions to the pressing problems of access to freshwater and sanitation must include
provisions for conserving freshwater biodiversity. To do otherwise will undercut efforts to lift
millions of people from the depths of poverty and secure livelihoods for local communities.
For more information:
Christopher E. Williams, tel: +1 240 605 1742; email:[email protected]
Chris Tydeman, tel: 44 79 00241169; email: [email protected]