Posted on February, 01 2000
In an issues paper released to mark World Wetlands Day, on 2 February, WWF documented how the world's swamps, marshes and lakes were being increasingly converted for agriculture, housing and industrial use. Wetlands also face mounting threats from invasive species and pollution. If unaddressed, these continuing threats to wetlands could intensify the problems associated with freshwater shortages.
"Most alarming is that the world has already lost more than half of its wetlands," said Richard Holland, Director of WWF's Living Waters Campaign. "Water is a finite resource. We must act urgently to maintain the natural water cycle if future generations are to inherit a planet fit to live on. Conserving wetlands worldwide is a crucial step in the process."
About two billion people are already experiencing water shortages. 25 years from now, two in three people around the world could face drastically low supplies. Of the world's six billion people, more than a billion already lack access to safe drinking water, while almost half lack adequate sanitation.
Wetlands teem with plant and fish life and help clean and regulate freshwater supply. Current estimates show that while wetlands cover at least six per cent of the Earth's land surface, only some 50 million hectares, an area slightly smaller than France, are well conserved.
WWF urged governments and communities to improve the perilous state of the world's wetlands. Since the launch of the Living Waters Campaign in May 1999, governments have pledged to protect 2.6 million hectares of wetlands. WWF is hoping that other countries will follow suit.
For example, on World Wetlands Day, Greece, Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are expected to officially sign a new agreement to establish the first transboundary protected area in the Balkans. This move will be a bold step for wetlands conservation, as the area includes buffer zones in which community activities can continue while degraded areas are restored.
"Meeting today's and tomorrow's demands for safe, fresh water, requires everyone's efforts now - from isolated village communities to global industries and world leaders," Richard Holland added. "Solutions need to be as diverse as the threats. The key will be in finding solutions that view meeting people's needs and nature conservation as compatible, not conflicting, aims."
For further information:
Lisa Hadeed, tel: +41 22 364 9030, email: lhadeed@wwfnet.org Shaleen Russell, tel: +41 22 364 9571, mobile: +41 79 477 3553, email: srussell@wwfnet.org