Freshwater Stories

With water risks and water-related impacts of climate change worsening across the globe, securing a water-positive future for species and communities around the world has never been more important. This is why countries have united under the Freshwater Challenge. Here’s what you need to know to understand this global initiative.

Nowhere is the world’s biodiversity crisis more acute than in freshwater ecosystems. Around 35% of wetlands have been lost in the past 50 years and only 1/3 of the world’s large rivers are still free flowing. WWF and partners recently released an update of the Living Planet Index (LPI) for Freshwater Migratory Fishes, which shows an 81% decline in migratory freshwater fish populations on average over the last 5 decades. This dramatic drop sounds an alarm for conservation efforts to protect these crucial species and preserve freshwater ecosystems. It is not just about protecting nature; it is essential for human survival too.

Beavers, often regarded as nature's architects, are captivating subjects in the realm of conservation. They are so good at their jobs that conservationists have mimicked the blueprint of their dams to benefit river ecosystems.

Amidst growing concerns about the conservation of freshwater resources, the Mekong Forgotten Fishes Report sheds light on innovative approaches to preserve and invest in the health of this vital waterway.

Amidst this alarming decline of migratory fish worldwide emerges a promising solution. Swimways, a concept akin to 'flyways' but tailored for aquatic habitats, introduce a fresh perspective to conservation efforts.

From launching a new platform that harnesses the power of nature in the fight against the climate crisis to raising critical funding to protect black rhinos in Namibia, together we've taken major strides in 2023.

Putting nature at the heart of infrastructure design offers a great way to help halt and reverse biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

In a world where meat, dairy, and eggs hold generations of tradition, embracing the complexities of animal agriculture and its environmental impact is crucial. By addressing this together, we are taking big steps toward a better and more sustainable future in farming.

Under the Global Declaration for River Dolphins, countries will implement specific actions that will tackle threats to the river dolphins, improve and preserve their habitat, and effectively manage a network of protected areas, among other conservation interventions.

We know human activities interrupt air and land migrations, and people have also created obstacles that block or affect freshwater species migrations, as well as the flows of sediments, nutrients, and water within rivers around the world. The good news is that we have solutions to maintain or restore river connectivity.

In far western Mongolia, 40 rangers were attending a WWF workshop in December 2022 when they received an unexpected invitation to participate in a real-world training exercise.

Scientist Chouly Ou reflects on her relationship with freshwater while growing up in Cambodia.

The world came together to discuss water for the first time in 46 years to discuss the central role of rivers, lakes, and wetlands in tackling the nature and climate crises, reducing disaster risk, and driving sustainable development.

Diving in just a few feet of water, angling my camera just so to look up to the surface, I explore the habitats of one of my childhood obsessions: tadpoles.

WWF, along with scientists from several organizations and academia, conducted a review of the use of more than 200,000 miles of Amazonian rivers by long-distance migratory fish and turtle species and river dolphins to develop a map of the most important routes or freshwater connectivity corridors, also known as swimways.

Though the world faces two existential crises—a rapidly warming planet and declining biodiversity—and continues to battle a global pandemic, conservation still made major strides toward protecting wildlife, wild places, and people in 2022.

Water overuse, infrastructure, changes in the amount of rainfall, increased temperatures, and the climate crisis are decreasing the amount of water that has historically flowed consistently in the Rio Grande.

Groundwater is the most abundant and accessible source of freshwater available to humans. Today, groundwater supports 40% of irrigated crop production, drinking water for more than a quarter of the world’s population, and helps maintain nearly half of all freshwater ecosystems.

Sturgeon and paddlefish—freshwater fish that have existed for hundreds of millions of years—now face extinction due mainly to the illegal trade in wild-caught caviar and meat. The world’s first comprehensive assessment of the species in over 13 years, released today by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), confirmed that all 26 remaining species are now threatened with extinction.

Insurance companies act as risk managers, insurers, and investors, and provide support for the development of hydropower projects in all three of these roles. Their support will be critical in combating harmful hydropower projects—and helping to tackle the nature crisis.

Did you know that the drinking water for almost 50% of the people in the United States comes from underground? The term "freshwater" often conjures images of flowing streams or large, cool lakes, but in reality, almost all freshwater in the world (that isn't frozen and locked away in ice caps and glaciers) is groundwater.

In a major boost to the conservation of the endangered Indus river dolphin, WWF experts in collaboration with the Sindh Wildlife Department safely tagged three dolphins in Pakistan with satellite transmitters in January 2022.

Electronic pingers attached to fishing nets create noises that deter dolphins and save them from becoming bycatch.

Toilets play an essential role in both the health of people and the environment, but billions of people worldwide do not have access to these critical facilities. Functioning toilets serve to improve the health and cleanliness of rivers and waterways—and the life that depends on them.