World Wildlife Fund Sustainability Works

Recently members of the WWF Freshwater team had the opportunity to visit some of the conservation project sites that Reckitt's brand Finish Dishwashing is helping to fund in New Mexico, along the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo. WWF and Finish’s partnership supports the river’s restoration and replenishment through the funding of four projects, aimed at restoring water flows to one of America’s most important and endangered rivers. Local conservation organizations including Trout Unlimited, Rio Grande Return, Defenders of Wildlife, and The Rio Grande Joint Venture are implementing the four projects with support from WWF. Through the funding of the project, Finish is contributing to conservation efforts that will have a lasting positive impact on the river and the species and people it supports.

Freshwater ecosystems are facing a crisis. According to the 2024 Living Planet Report, freshwater species populations have dropped an alarming 85% on average—the steepest decline of any biome. Threats like habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, and unsustainable water use are pushing rivers, lakes, and wetlands to the brink, endangering species such as river dolphins and freshwater fish. The good news is there is a global agreement to protect 30% of the planet's freshwaters, oceans, and lands by 2030, colloquially called the 30 x 30 targets.

Protecting freshwater ecosystems, however, can be challenging and calls for a range of approaches and flexible solutions. Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (or OECMs) answer that call. OECMs encompass numerous conservation approaches. They include places that aren’t part of traditional protected areas but still keep wildlife populations healthy and nature functioning over time. For example, in the Mekong River Basin, community fishing areas are an important measure for maintaining fish populations crucial for both local food security and biodiversity. A newly released guidance document promotes understanding of possible types of OECMs in freshwater ecosystems that can help countries reach their 30 x 30 targets for freshwater.

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.

In season three of Brooklyn Nine Nine, the fictional police precinct at the center of this comedy series receives a new commanding officer, Captain Seth Dozerman. Glaring at his new team, Dozerman snarls, “My motto is simple: efficiency, efficiency, efficiency”—to which Sergeant Jake Peralta replies: “You could probably just say that once.”

This silly interaction evokes an important reality about how we manage water: while efficiency is important, excessive emphasis on it can be, well, not all that efficient.

Given all that you’ve heard about the world running out of fresh water, water-use efficiency must seem like the obvious answer to ensuring enough water for all. After all, growing food and manufacturing products must use some water…thus, doing so efficiently must be the key.

But faith that efficiency leads to sustainable water management is a myth that needs to be examined and revised into a much broader understanding of water – particularly when and where it’s used, alongside where it comes from and where it goes.

Let’s examine the myths swirling around efficiency.

Did you know that the average roof collects 600 gallons of water for every inch of rain? Capturing some of that stormwater could play an important role in protecting our freshwater resources. Rain barrels are one simple first step that can set small business owners, schools, homeowners, and corporations down the path of freshwater conservation.

Due to reasons such as environmental degradation, prolonged drought, and the rising price of municipal water, rain barrels have grown in popularity over the past several years as one of the simplest and most effective methods of helping our planet. Rain barrels can not only help save money on municipal water bills but they can also reduce erosion and flooding caused by turbulent stormwater runoff.

In our daily lives, it can be easy to take water for granted. We turn on the tap to fill a pot for cooking, flush our toilets, take showers, and refill our water bottles, often with little thought of how precious water truly is. You may be surprised to learn that although more than 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, only 0.5% of that is actually available for use as freshwater. And freshwater isn’t just needed for drinking – it is an essential component of life for healthy ecosystems, wildlife habitats, agriculture, communities, and livelihoods.

Addressing the complex issue of water scarcity requires a multi-faceted approach. WWF’s strategy for water conservation focuses on several key areas including: conserving critical landscapes, transforming the systems that produce goods and commodities, supporting people and communities, and using scientific and technical expertise to effect positive change.

Implementing this strategy requires collaboration from many entities, from NGOs to governments and the business sector. That is why WWF is partnering with Finish to raise awareness about water scarcity issues. The focus of this partnership is on one of America’s most important and endangered rivers – the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo.

One of America’s most important and endangered rivers, the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo is home to more mammal species than Yellowstone National Park, more reptile species than the Sonoran Desert, more bird species than the Florida Everglades, and nearly 50% of all fish species found nowhere else in the world. This ecological treasure is teeming with biodiversity, but it is threatened by water scarcity – and without intervention, it may not be able to continue to support the millions of people and wildlife that rely on it.

That is why WWF is partnering with Finish to help protect and replenish the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo. Through this partnership, Finish is supporting WWF’s conservation work to help replenish the river alongside local organizations. Finish is also building awareness about the importance of water conservation by encouraging consumers to adopt simple, water-friendly habits in their homes, such as skipping the rinse when loading the dishwasher.

Freshwater fish, often overlooked in conservation initiatives, are essential components of aquatic ecosystems. Despite their vital roles in maintaining biodiversity and supporting human livelihoods, they remain marginalized in the realm of conservation. This oversight is evident in the lack of representation of freshwater migratory species in protective measures.

Currently underway in Uzbekistan, the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP14) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) brings together nations, conservation organizations, and experts to address the pressing issues facing migratory species worldwide. One of the most significant highlights of this conference is the release of the inaugural authoritative report on the Status of the World’s Migratory Species, which paints a stark picture of the challenges migratory animals are facing.

Regrettably, its key findings are sobering:

Water is often assumed to be the world’s most abundant resource. While more than 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, only 0.5% of that is fresh and available for use. This finite resource and our freshwater security is in increasing peril. The global population has exploited our rivers, lakes, and aquifers creating a water crisis that is undermining human and planetary health. Now, billions of people lack access to safe water and sanitation, food insecurity is on the rise, and we are losing freshwater species at alarming rates. Why is this happening? Because we have failed to properly value the very water we rely on.

The High Cost of Cheap Water, a new report from the World Wildlife Fund addresses this issue head-on. Not only is water critical for community and species health, but water is also a necessity for industrial production of goods, their transportation, and the production of the energy needed to underpin the entire supply chain. There are no siloes when it comes to freshwater access and usage; every decision we make about water impacts another industry or community. When considering the total footprint that water has across our society, WWF estimates that the total global quantifiable economic use value of water in 2021 is approximately US$58 trillion, equivalent to the combined GDPs of the United States, China, Japan, Germany and India.