Unsustainable development has pushed one-fifth of the fish in the Mekong River — the lifeblood of Southeast Asia — to near extinction, according to a new report.
This week, the United Nations holds its first global freshwater conference in nearly 50 years. In the years since, the global population has doubled — yet the challenges facing the health of, and access to, freshwater resources have been largely overshadowed by the climate and biodiversity crises.
From roaring rivers to seasonal springs, freshwater is essential to life on Earth. Yet these ecosystems — and the species within them — tend to be overlooked, receiving only a fraction of the attention and funding dedicated to nature conservation.
In China, “engineered wetlands” are helping villages decontaminate their water by moving it through traditional infrastructure — such as shallow septic tanks — and into natural ecosystems such as marshes, plants and soil that absorb pollutants.
Conservation News spoke to a Conservation International freshwater scientist about the key differences between the climate crisis and the water crisis — and why we must tap into different solutions for each.