Gland, Switzerland – Massive
engineering schemes to divert and even reverse
the flow of rivers undermine entire ecosystems
and can damage the livelihoods of the very
poor, says WWF in a new report.
The report — Pipedreams? Interbasin transfers
and water shortages — shows that water transfers
between rivers are inevitably costly schemes
that damage the natural environment, interrupting
flows between rivers and compromising their
ability to provide food and water.
Along with dams and other highly technical
approaches to make up for water shortages,
transfer schemes entail elaborate systems
of canals, pipes and dredging over long distances.
Already less than 40 per cent of the world’s
rivers over 1,000km long remain free-flowing
and this fact along with the water crisis
is no mere coincidence.
“An overemphasis on engineering to address
growing water needs is an artificial way to
fix the water crisis,” says Jamie Pittock,
Director of WWF’s Global Freshwater Programme.
“More lasting, is a commitment to healthy
rivers and wetlands as the first step to water
conservation, complemented by other methods
as sustainable as possible and only if necessary.”
The report explores schemes completed in
Australia, South Africa and Spain and others
proposed in Brazil, China, Greece and Peru.
It is worth noting that hundreds more exist
including some that are not publicly known
because of their often controversial nature.
Almost all cases share common flaws: cost
overruns, insufficient transparency, irreversible
damage to rivers, lack of stakeholder consultation,
displacement of communities, planned benefits
falling short, and a lack of exploration of
alternative sustainable options.
“In many cases, water transfer schemes are
a ‘pipedream’, reflecting simplistic thinking
that transferring water between rivers will
solve the problem without bringing new ones,”
adds Pittock.
"The solutions to the water crisis must
be rooted in conserving wetlands while properly
assessing and managing local demands for water.”
“We must also use traditional local water
management methods where suitable and recycle
waste water," he stresses. "Basin
transfers must be the last resort after all
other sustainable approaches have been explored.”
Lisa Hadeed, Communications Manager
WWF Global Freshwater Programme
Moira O’Brien-Malone, Head of Press
WWF International
+ More
WWF-Mozambique launches dugong protection
campaign
26 Jul 2007 - A WWF campaign in two southern
districts in Mozambique is helping to raise
awareness of the endangered dugong, once found
in large numbers off the country's coast.
The campaign — targeted at local fishing
communities and associations, schools, governmental
authorities, tourism operators and the general
public — is being conducted in the districts
of Inhassoro and Vilankulos, in an area surrounding
the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park. It
is believed that this is the only place along
the East African cost that still hosts a significant
dugong population.
Dugongs, or sea cows as they are sometimes
called, are marine animals which can grow
to about 3m in length and weigh as much as
400kg. They inhabit shallow, tropical waters
throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
According to local fishermen, it was once
very common to see dugongs in large numbers
in Mozambique's waters, but those numbers
are declining due to bycatch — the accidental
capture of fish and other marine animals in
fishing gear — as well as their intentional
capture for meat.
“Thanks to pervious campaigns, the local
population, especially fishermen, is aware
of the importance of the species and the prohibition
of catching and consuming it,” said WWF-Mozambique’s
marine programme coordinator, Marcos Pereira,
who is leading the dugong campaign.
“More work needs to be done. We need to identify
the reasons why the practice [of catching
dugongs for meat] continues despite the fact
that there is information available.”
A recent village debate in Vilankulo on the
dugong issue, organized by WWF-Mozambique,
concluded that urgent law enforcement was
needed to protect dugongs from poachers.
“Law enforcement is still a big problem.
People here pretend they don’t know about
the legislation or simply ignore it,” said
Bendito Banze, a ranger at the Bazaruto Archipelago
National Park.
“I have in my house heaps of bones of about
11 dugongs, which I found in the homes of
fishermen. The offenders remain unpunished
and continue capturing dugongs.”
Many believe that one of the best tools to
mitigate the impact of this problem is what
WWF is currently doing in the field — awareness
and education campaigns.
The WWF dugong campaign runs until the end
of 2007.
Lécio Munguambe, Communication Officer
WWF-Mozambique
