World Wildlife Fund Sustainability Works

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How WWF and Finish are Returning Water to the Rio Grande

  • Date: 22 October 2024

One of the keys to comprehensive and successful conservation programs is collaboration among a variety of organizations. Restoring water to The Rio Grande Rio Bravo, which winds over 1,800 miles from Colorado through New Mexico and Texas to The Gulf of Mexico, is a task that requires dynamic collaboration. WWF’s partnership with Finish Dishwashing brand exemplifies this type of joint effort whereby multiple organizations join forces for a common conservation goal. Funding from this partnership supports four key conservation projects on the ground, helping to replenish one of America’s most water-stressed rivers.

WWF-US is providing guidance to ensure strategic alignment across the four projects, which local conservation organizations are implementing. Specifically, the projects focus on wild trout fishery conservation, wetland, water conservation and tributary restoration in Northern New Mexico for beaver reintroduction, and tributary stream storage enhancement in Big Bend. The scope of this work demonstrates how WWF’s corporate partnerships can propel a shared vision of success.

a river with trees along the bank

The Rio Grande/Rio Bravo is a striking example of the interconnectedness of nature and communities. By restoring the natural flow of the river, species and biodiversity will return to health, the 16 million people who rely on the river for clean water will be supported, and irrigation for agriculture will be improved. The four projects that Finish is helping to support are already making a measurable impact. In fact, one of projects in the Upper Rio Grande Basin area aimed at restoring river flow to benefit wild trout fisheries, has resulted in the restoration of 335 acre-feet (over 109 million gallons) of water in the first year. Another one of the four projects, aimed at encouraging beaver populations to return, has included a local outreach component helping educate local landowners and farmers on the important role beavers play in providing fresh and clean water, reducing flood damage, and lowering the fire hazard. WWF will continue to monitor the progress of the four projects and provide regular updates.

Funding from the Finish partnership and other sources has also helped WWF catalyze meaningful strides towards restoring the basin, beyond the efforts on the ground. Most notably, WWF has played a key role in establishing the “Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Binational Environment Work Group,” the first work group of its kind to advance conservation projects in the international stretch of the river, with Mexico. WWF also completed a basin-wide environmental flows assessment of the river and collected over 70 Environmental DNA water samples to assess biodiversity – this data will help uncover key insights about the health of the river. Finally, WWF played a role in advocating for federal funding to be allocated to the Rio Grande, which resulted in a $60 Million *investment from the Department of the Interior. These achievements mark important progress that will help keep the momentum for WWF’s 2030 Rio Grande/Rio Bravo conservation strategy.

WWF’s partnership with Finish in the Rio Grande Rio Bravo region highlights how it is possible to progress toward a healthier planet and healthier businesses. Partnering with WWF provides an opportunity for corporates to positively impact nature and communities for years to come.

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