Global Environment Outlook 3 (GEO 3)

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FRESHWATER

influenced many specific river treaties. The Rules were subsequently followed up by various international efforts, including particularly the work of the UN International Law Commission, which led in 1997 to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. The impact of this new convention is already being felt with the 14-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) adapting many of its principles in its revised protocol on shared watercourses. The recognition of river basin organization over the past 30 years has also resulted in the establishment of the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) in 1996 (see box), while other initiatives include the 1998 International Conference on Water and Sustainable Development, which declared that ‘a common vision of riverine countries is needed for the efficient management and effective protection of transborder water resources’. The conference’s priority action programme (Bernard 1999) emphasized the need to: facilitate the exchange of accurate and harmonized information among riverine countries; promote consultation at all levels, especially within pertinent international institutions and mechanisms; and define medium-range priority action programmes of common interest to improve water management and decrease pollution. Water and ecosystems Water development projects during the 20th century have had significant impacts on freshwater ecosystems by eliminating marshes and wetlands, removing water for other uses, altering flows, and contaminating water with industrial and human wastes. In many rivers and lakes, ecosystem functions have been lost or impaired. In some areas, growing water demand has led to reductions in the volume of large rivers, affecting riverine and adjacent coastal areas (CSD 1997a). Reproductive failures and death in various wildlife species, particularly at higher levels in the food chain, have been reported as a result of high withdrawals of water (CSD 1997a). Wetlands are an important freshwater ecosystem influencing not only species distribution and biodiversity in general but also human settlements

The International Network of Basin Organizations

The International Network of Basin Organizations had a total of 125 member organizations in 49 countries in 1998. Its objectives are to: establish a network of organizations interested in global river basin management, and facilitate exchanges of experiences and expertise among them; promote the principles and means of sound water management in sustainable development cooperation programmes; facilitate the implementation of tools for institutional and financial management, for programming and for the organization of data banks; promote information and training programmes for the different actors involved in water management including local elected officials, users’ representatives and the executives and staff of member organizations;

encourage education of the population, the young in particular; and

evaluate ongoing actions and disseminate their results.

Source: INBO 2001

and activities. They provide natural flood control, carbon storage, natural water purification, and goods such as fish, shellfish, timber and fibre (UNDP, UNEP, World Bank and WRI 2000). While information on the real extent of wetlands globally remains unreliable, recent estimates show that they may cover at least 12.8 million km 2 (Finlayson and others 1999). Human activities, including agriculture and settlements, have caused serious damage to freshwater ecosystems and contributed to the loss of about 50 per cent of the world’s wetlands during the 20th century (Finlayson and others 1999). This damage to ecosystems reduces water quality and quantity, leading to a reduction in the effective availability of water for human use. The total area of wetlands lost during the past 30 years is difficult to assess because of paucity of data and lack of accurate global information on the original extent of wetlands (UNDP and others 2000). However, a 1992 review of Ramsar sites (wetlands designated as ‘important’ under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat) showed that 84 per cent were either threatened or experiencing ecological changes (Dugan and Jones 1993). There has recently been a marked shift in water policy as policy-makers recognize that ecosystems require adequate water supplies to sustain normal functions and biodiversity conservation. Since 1992, new water policies have been developed that address the goal of preserving and allocating water for the environment — a change since the 1972 Stockholm