The Initiative follows the growing international concerns on freshwater resources - as expressed at the 2nd World Water Forum last March. Forum participants and ministers from 132 countries called for actions to avert the world water crisis. Communities around the world already face serious shortages of fresh water, and the number is expected to rise to thirty percent of the world's population by 2025.

It also comes at a time when IUCN's 2000 Red List of Threatened Species signals an extremely serious deterioration in river-dwelling species. For instance, 30 % of freshwater fish species are currently threatened and estimates also indicate that over 800 other freshwater species are at risk of extinction. Further research is likely to reveal an even deeper worldwide crisis in freshwater biodiversity.

Says Dr. Maritta von Bieberstein Koch-Weser, Director General of IUCN: 'This Initiative fills the missing link in the water discussions, which usually focused on the distribution of water, not on where that water comes from. Healthy ecosystems renew our water and provide the clean water to support all life on earth, human as well as species'.

The 'Water and Nature Initiative' will demonstrate how catchments and our water resources can be managed in a sustainable way through an integrated approach. Projects will focus on protecting, restoring and managing ecosystems that provide clean water and numerous other valuable services to communities. The Initiative recognises that the sustainable management of catchments and their water resources forms the basis of economic, social and environmental security of individuals and societies.

Besides field level demonstrations, the Initiative will develop the knowledge for sustainable water use; empower communities to participate in decision-making; and work on the governance of river basins, by examining and developing legal and financial tools. Learning from its experiences, the Initiative will develop lesson that can be applied in other cases.

The Initiative has been developed on the basis of extensive consultations with IUCN members and partners. Central to the outcome of these is the idea that investments in ecosystem conservation and the sustainable use of water resources are a cheap way of water management. Creating an enabling environment for integrated management is much more cost effective than restoration of degraded ecosystems.

IUCN has long experience in these issues, for instance in the Waza Logone floodplain (Cameroon). Here, IUCN has succeeded in combining community development with ecosystem restoration. The project includes floodplain restoration, training of local communities, and the provision of clean water through 37 wells. This has already resulted in increased biodiversity, improved livelihoods for local communities, increased water availability and reductions in water borne diseases. This experience lies at the core of the Water and Nature Initiative and is invaluable for its implementation.

The seriousness of the freshwater crisis and IUCN's experience in this field encouraged different parties to pledge funding to the Water and Nature Initiative. The Netherlands Government considers to contribute to the Initiative and will initiate discussions with IUCN. Bert Diphoorn of the Netherlands, responsible for organising the 2nd World Water Forum: 'The time to act is now. This Initiative builds on what was discussed at the Forum, and turns it into projects on the ground. We believe the Initiative will make a difference.'

The Initiative will work with the IUCN membership and partners around the world. IUCN's Ger Bergkamp, Freshwater Management Advisor and co-ordinator of the Initiative: 'The projects come from people in the field, with direct experience of the difficult issues involved. The Initiative is at the heart of the concerns of the IUCN membership and will bridge the gap between global policy and practices in the field. It will show that development, protecting water resources and nature conservation can go hand in hand'.
The Initiative will span 5 years, comprising 24 projects with a total budget of US$ 30 million.

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A press conference is scheduled for 14:30 PM today in Amman. All press is cordially invited to attend. Dr. Maritta Koch-Weser (IUCN Director General) and Dr. Ger Bergkamp (IUCN Freshwater Management Advisor) will elaborate on the Initiative and be available for questions.

For further information, please contact Elroy Bos, Communication Assistant, Wetlands and Water Resources Programme, Mobile (++41) 76 339 53 36 Grand Palace hotel Amman, Jordan (962 6) 5691131 or Josue Anselmo, Head of Communications, Mobile (++41) 79 477 21 28

Created in 1948, IUCN - The World Conservation Union brings together 78 states, 112 government agencies, 735 NGOs, 35 affiliates, and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. IUCN's mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. IUCN is the world's largest environmental knowledge network and has helped over 75 countries to prepare and implement national conservation and biodiversity strategies. IUCN is a multi-cultural, multilingual organisation with 1000 staff located in 42 countries. Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland.

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