The 2024 Living Planet Index (LPI) update for Migratory Freshwater Fishes unveils a startling 81% decline in monitored populations of freshwater migratory fishes from 1970 to 2020. This distressing trend is attributed to habitat loss and degradation, with factors like river fragmentation due to dams and agricultural encroachment on wetlands accounting for half of the threats.

The Mekong River sustains a rich tapestry of fish species crucial for the well-being, food security, and livelihoods of millions in the region. However, these vital creatures face escalating threats, with one in five already endangered. A report by 25 organizations unveils the staggering diversity of the Mekong's fish, numbering at least 1,148 species and comprising the third most biodiverse river ecosystem globally. From giants to minnows, the Mekong hosts an astonishing array of fish life, including one of Earth's largest animal migrations, totaling around 5 billion individuals. This unprecedented report underscores the indispensable role these fish play in maintaining the river's health, sustaining economies, and ensuring the food security of over 40 million people who depend on the Mekong's inland fishery, generating over US$11 billion annually.

This first-of-its-kind guide to hydropower insurance was developed by WWF with the support of the UN Environment Program’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance to facilitate sustainable infrastructure projects and prevent high-impact hydropower projects for the long-term protection of rivers.

This guide is intended for those working to assess and manage resources, especially those interested in developing river basin health report cards. It reflects on the indicators that have historically been used for basin report cards and presents new ways to think of indicators, as the interface between nature and people becomes more and more intertwined. It is a supplementary guide to the Practitioner’s Guide to Developing River Basin Report Cards.

10 Rivers at Risk highlights threats posed by hydropower to free-flowing rivers & the diverse benefits they provide to people and nature. The report includes case studies of the 10 priority rivers that are threatened around the world: Asia—Mekong, Irrawaddy and Sepik; Europe—Vjosa, Vistula, and Isel; Africa—Mara and Kavango; and Latin America and the Caribbean—Tapajos and Upper Paraguay. To save these rivers, governments, developers, and investors can act to reassess renewable energy portfolios that focus on low cost, low carbon, and low conflict energy options to benefit the rivers and surrounding communities.

Undervalued and overlooked, the world's freshwater fish are critical for the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people—and the health of rivers, lakes, and wetlands—but 1/3rd of them are already threatened with extinction. Promoting thriving populations of freshwater fishes and the ecosystems within which they thrive is a priority for WWF and the 15 organizations and alliances that produced this report.

To protect the world’s most vital, free-flowing rivers, WWF is undertaking a four-part strategy that includes strategic energy and basin planning, policy protections for rivers and communities, advocacy and outreach, and science and thought leadership.

In this white paper, we highlight place-based river protections in three countries, including national legal mechanisms such as river designations in the United States and Norway, and environmental water reserves in Mexico.

With thousands of hydropower dams planned across the globe, a report from WWF and The Nature Conservancy demonstrates how we can solve the world’s climate and energy challenge without sacrificing our remaining free-flowing rivers and the diverse benefits they provide to people and nature.

While freshwater is a major conduit through which climate impacts are felt, it can also play a central role in climate adaptation and resilience-building for people, economies, and nature. Managing water carefully through nature-based solutions is a crucial element in tackling the most serious global climate risks

With representatives from conservation and academic institutions from around the world, WWF and McGill University have led an effort to establish a common definition of a free-flowing river and develop a universal methodology for measuring river connectivity and identifying free-flowing rivers. This study is a global inventory that identifies rivers that remain free-flowing is in progress.