Rivers and wetlands are the frontlines of the climate and nature crises. However, freshwater ecosystems are still undervalued, under-funded, and overlooked and their rapid loss is undermining any hard-won development, climate resilience, and conservation gains. To address this global threat, the Freshwater Challenge (FWC) was launched in March 2023. The FWC is a country-led initiative that aims to restore 300,000 kilometers of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands and conserve intact freshwater ecosystems by 2030. To date, 47 national governments and the European Union have joined, of which 36 are GEF recipient countries.
FWC member countries have indicated to the FWC Supporting Coalition that they would like support with integrating freshwater ecosystem objectives into policies and plans across key water-dependent sectors, unlocking resources, and building expertise to implement freshwater ecosystem restoration and protection. This project responds to their requests, with an objective of supporting country-led target setting and prioritization of specific places in policies and plans, learning, and communications that restore and conserve freshwater ecosystems and accelerate FWC progress, in line with 30x30 commitments in the Global Biodiversity Framework. Key components of work include recommending standard indicators and monitoring frameworks, supporting operationalization in national plans, supporting peer-to-peer learning, and communicating with stakeholders and the public to raise the profile of freshwater ecosystems. The project will benefit 600 direct beneficiaries and contribute to engagement in IW:LEARN through participation and delivery of key products. It will also contribute to countries’ international commitments on climate resilience, biodiversity, land degradation, disaster risk reduction, the SDGs, and relevant transboundary basin management plans or agreements.
