Mapping the Future of Freshwater

May 2008

Visit www.feow.org to use the interactive map and learn about the Earth's
biodiversity © WWF

 

Freshwater systems support more than 100,000 species and provide us with life-giving services such as drinking water and fisheries. Yet freshwater habitats and species are among the most imperiled in the world and have often been left out of large-scale conservation planning.

Until now there was no geographically comprehensive data on the world’s freshwater biodiversity synthesized in a way that was useful to conservation. As a result, it has been difficult to gain a truly global understanding of patterns of freshwater biodiversity and threats to it.

The Freshwater Ecoregions of the World (FEOW) project is an important step forward. A collaborative effort between WWF and The Nature Conservancy, FEOW creates the first-ever comprehensive map and database describing the world’s freshwater biodiversity. Encompassing virtually all of the Earth’s freshwater systems, the map and associated species data are vital tools for conservationists working to save the world’s freshwater ecosystems. Read the joint press release by WWF and TNC.

Why is freshwater important?

• Freshwater ecosystems occupy only 0.8 percent of the earth’s surface, but harbor nearly six percent of all known species.
• Freshwater species and habitats are among the world's most endangered. More than half of the world's wetlands have been lost in the last century alone.
• Only one percent of the world's water is found in our rivers, lakes, streams, aquifers and springs, where it is available for human consumption.
• By 2025, two-thirds of the world's population could be facing serious water shortages.

Learn more about:

• FEOW.org
• Freshwater Science
• Freshwater Partnerships