Freshwater - what is happening, what is working, and how to help

PHOTO VIA WIKIPEDIA, CC BY-SA

The picture

Rivers, lakes and wetlands hold a huge share of biodiversity in a tiny share of the world’s water - and freshwater wildlife has declined faster than land or ocean species. Dams, pollution and over-extraction are the main pressures.

The science

Freshwater covers under 1% of Earth’s surface but supports roughly 10% of all known species.

In numbers

~83%Freshwater species decline since 1970

Worth repeating at dinner

Monitored freshwater populations fell around 83% since 1970 - the steepest of any group.

- WWF

Wetlands filter water and buffer floods for people and wildlife.

- WWF

What they face

Dams & barriers

Dams block fish migration and alter rivers.

WWF

Pollution & extraction

Runoff and over-use degrade rivers and wetlands.

WWF

What is already working

Dam removal

Taking out obsolete dams reconnects rivers.

Wetland restoration

Restoring wetlands brings back fish and birds.

Reasons for hope

Rivers reconnecting

Barrier removals are reviving migratory fish in several rivers.

Meet them

Eurasian otter Atlantic salmon Platypus Hippopotamus

Small actions that reach them

Cut water use today

Freshwater habitats and their species are among the most threatened on Earth.

~5 min

Go pesticide-free in your garden

Pesticides harm pollinators and cause secondary poisoning up the food chain.

~20 min

Refuse one single-use plastic

8M+ tonnes of plastic enter the ocean yearly, harming turtles, seabirds and whales.

~2 min

Catch rainwater for wildlife

Clean water and healthy runoff support amphibians, birds and insects, and ease pressure on rivers.

~45 min

Wash clothes cold and full

Cold, full loads cut energy and shed fewer microplastics into rivers and seas.

~2 min

People doing the big work

WWF ↗The Nature Conservancy ↗

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