Freshwater ecosystems are essential to human life. They support us with water, food, electricity, transportation, recreation and spiritual refuge. They also purify the water we use, moderate floods and droughts and provide other economic benefits. 

But because of their usefulness to society, mounting demands place our rivers, lakes and wetlands under increasing stress.  As freshwater ecosystems unravel, their – and our – health will suffer.

Predictions indicate that within the next 50 years, more than half the world will face water shortages. Yet, opportunities do exist to improve conditions for nature and people.

What The Nature Conservancy is Doing: Working Towards a Sustainable Water Future

The Nature Conservancy has been designing and implementing strategies to protect earth’s fresh waters for decades. We have a thorough understanding of the causes of freshwater biodiversity decline. 

To improve the health of freshwater resources, our focus is on practical, science-based solutions to help society meet today’s and tomorrow’s water needs for nature and people. Our global efforts include:

• Reducing the Ecological Impact of Dams
• Reconnecting Floodplains with Rivers
• Protecting Watersheds and Water Supplies for Cities
• Changing Water Policies to Protect Environmental Flows
• Promoting Sustainable Agricultural Practices
• Protecting Coastal Rivers and Estuaries
• Guarding Freshwater Ecosystems from Invasive Species
• Sustaining Ecosystem Resilience to Climate Change

Deep investment in over 600 freshwater projects around the world informs our work in each of these areas.  We work with local communities to protect and restore natural patterns of water flow that sustain healthy ecosystems, we build alliances to support new water policies that embrace environmental sustainability, and we establish meaningful and productive partnerships with some of the world’s largest and most influential water, energy and agricultural companies and organizations. 

We are also helping to define policies and programs that integrate conservation and poverty alleviation so that efforts to improve human well-being also ensure the health of the fresh water systems on which people depend.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Bridget Besaw (Colombian fisherman); Photo © Courtesy of Water Partners International (girl drinking water, India).