"To conserve and restore the functions and integrity of freshwater ecosystems for the benefit of all life on earth"

Rhine River Water resources across Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia have been taken for granted for too long. The region is facing a crisis in terms of availability and quality. Demand for water consumption is rising and yet in the south of Europe and the Middle East precious groundwater resources are being wasted through inefficient irrigation. Drainage schemes, river engineering and dam construction continue to alter river and floodplain systems, resulting in loss of species and habitats. Effective management of sewage and industrial effluent is still lacking in many countries and the effects of diffuse pollution from agriculture are severe and widespread. In Eastern Europe and Russia the problems are even more complex and acute. In many areas, the functioning of ecological systems is being undermined and this poses serious, long term threats to the well being of people.

Coordinated action at an international level is needed to tackle these problems. WWF's Freshwater Programme is focusing on five key areas: building conservation principles and meaningful ecological standards into EU policy revision and cross-sectoral activities; the establishment of an ecologically-representative network of protected freshwater ecosystems; the promotion of wise use of water based on coordinated actions within drainage basins; working with partner bodies to achieve large scale restoration of floodplain habitats and campaigning for measures to prevent the pollution of freshwaters with toxic substances. In all of this work the benefits to biodiversity and the economic arguments for sound water management are the emphasis.

WWF has made great progress in establishing new protected areas, for example the creation of two new national parks along the Danube - in Austria and Hungary and the protection of 80% of the breeding population of the highly endangered Siberian Crane within the Kytalyk Resource Reserve of the Russian Arctic. The innovative restoration work that WWF has facilitated along the Danube, the Rhine, the Meuse and the Loire has already begun to demonstrate multiple benefits. Now, sustainable development is being promoted by WWF together with conservation measures along the Odra and Neisse rivers in Poland and Germany. WWF is at the forefront of the debates which will influence the current review of EU framework policies, such as the Common Agricultural Policy and the Water Framework Directive. Special attention is being given to the threats and opportunities facing the EU Accession countries. WWF will measure and annually publicize the effectiveness of national freshwater policies and promote good practice across Europe, for example the successful pesticide reduction in Denmark and Sweden. Through the pan-European Freshwater Programme, the work of the National Offices and partnerships with other organisations and businesses, WWF is in a good position to develop awareness of the growing freshwater crisis and to demonstrate effective water and wetland management.



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