Freshwater systems provide essential services, both for human populations and as home to the greatest concentration of biodiversity on Earth.
However, the world’s freshwater systems and their myriad species are losing their value for people due to depletion of water supplies, pollution of what remains, unsustainable harvest of species, the introduction of alien species and changing climate.
Conservation International is addressing the threats to freshwater services for the benefit of humans and biodiversity alike through its Ecosystem Services and Freshwater Initiative. Launched in 2007, this initiative includes science, practice and leveraging policy and behavior changes.
The results CI is generating are critical for making a business case for biodiversity and ecosystem services conservation as a means of generating human welfare benefits within larger contexts of human development, poverty alleviation and land-use decision-making.
These results can only be achieved through strong partnerships with research institutions, national and international nongovernmental organizations (including development and humanitarian organizations), governments, corporations and local organizations among others. Such partnerships are a cornerstone of CI’s overall conservation strategy.
Our approach has three parts:
- Developing the scientific base for understanding ecosystem services, identifying threats and determining priority areas
- Promoting innovative policies that support human development and the conservation of freshwater and ecosystem services
- Conducting field programs to test new approaches on the ground