Gland,
Switzerland: The world will not lessen its
mounting worries over water until it is
clearly on track to dealing with the twin
threats of water mismanagement and climate
change, WWF International Director General
James Leape said on World Water Day today.
He said it was good
to see climate change impacts climbing up
the agenda at the World Water Forum, concluding
today in Istanbul, Turkey but disappointing
that so little progress had been made in
addressing glaring water mismanagement issues
around the globe.
“All WWF’s work in this
area is showing us again and again that
it is the well-managed or restored river
systems that cope best with the climate
change impacts we are seeing now and those
that are yet to come,” Leape said.
“This is clearly an
issue of water management, but the ministerial
declaration flowing from the World Water
Forum is more a collection of platitudes
than a plan for action.”
Mr Leape said that,
with the World Water Forum having a theme
of Bridging Divides on Water and World Water
Day a theme of sharing cross border waters
over borders, it was surprising that the
Ministerial Declaration contained no mention
of an existing international agreement on
sharing waters that has languished in limbo
for more than a decade without enough signatories
to bring it into effect.
More than 100 countries
participated in an overwhelming vote for
the UN Convention on the Non Navigational
Uses of International Watercourses in 1997
but only 16 countries, less than half the
number needed, have so far signed it.
“It is surprising indeed
that with increased conflict over increasingly
scarce water expected to be one of the impacts
of climate change the forum and its ministerial
process did not strongly urge adoption of
the only existing global instrument for
reducing water conflict,” Mr Leape said.
“We see this global
agreement as providing the much needed global
framework to drive consistent, equitable
and sustainable river basin management.
“But despite efforts
to keep the UN Watercourses Convention off
the international agenda we are heartened
that more and more countries are showing
increased interest in moving to adopt it.”
Mr Leape said that the
Ministerial Declaration, while not a plan
for action, had put on the international
agenda the need to preserve environmental
flows, the need to ensure participation
in water planning and management and the
issue of corruption on to the international
water agenda
Water availability,
quality and predictability are the main
ways the majority of the world population
will most immediately and most severely
feel the impacts of climate change.
.
“Obviously, we can become more efficient
in how we use water and better protect the
natural landscapes that provide most people
with most of their water,” Leape said.
“But we also must address
the global water crisis with serious global
action on climate change.”
WWF is campaigning to have the world’s nations
sign up to the emissions and deforestation
reductions necessary to prevent unacceptable
risks of catastrophic climate change at
a crucial UN climate conference in Copenhagen
in December. The meeting is tasked with
coming up to a replacement international
agreement to the existing – and clearly
inadequate – Kyoto Protocol.
Hundreds of millions
around the world are expected to support
the campaign next Saturday night by turning
their lights off during WWF’s Earth Hour.
+ More
Massive majority want
EU timber law
Brussels, Belgium –
European citizens overwhelmingly want stricter
controls on illegally sourced timber, according
to a poll commissioned by WWF and Friends
of the Earth (FoE) Europe.
With an overwhelming
92% of respondents believing it is important
that a new EU wide law is introduced to
halt the trade in illegal timber and timber
products on the European market, WWF and
FoE Europe are urging the European Parliament
and EU governments to act accordingly and
adopt a strong legislation without further
delay.
According to the survey,
carried out with citizens from 14 countries,
an average 56% of polled people do not believe
that nearly all wood products they buy in
the EU are legal with a further 19% not
being sure - undermining the efforts of
companies that have been trying to crack
down on illegally sourced timber and have
proved determined to work towards credible
and effective solutions.
“Illegal timber is still
a major problem in the EU, with an estimated
16-19% of EU imports being illegal or from
suspicious sources,” said Anke Schulmeister,
Forest Policy Officer at WWF. “We need a
specific and effective timber law in the
EU, for which it is clear, there is wide
public support.”
In Bulgaria, where illegal
logging still occurs, 83% of those asked
do not believe that the timber they buy
is legally harvested and an amazing majority
of 97% think it is important to guarantee
legality, demonstrating a clear sign that
action is needed. Dutch, Czech and Swedish
citizens are among the most doubtful about
the legality of timber on the EU markets,
with more than 80% saying they do not think
the timber they buy is legal or are unclear
about it.
In the Mediterranean
countries, support for the need for legality
and new timber laws that can assure it is
almost unanimous. Some 98% of Italians and
Spanish and 99% of Portuguese want to be
sure that the wood they buy is legal and
an average of 97% support the introduction
of a new European law.
Support for penalties
for infringements against any law was strong
overall, and particularly from Bulgaria
(96%), Mediterranean countries (average
97%), Poland and France (95%) and major
timber supplier Finland (91%).
“EU citizens are showing
themselves commendably supportive of the
needs of local communities in developing
countries where illegal logging is the daily
practice,” said Anne van Schaik from Friends
of the Earth Netherlands.
“Illegal logging leaves
these communities with degraded or destroyed
forests, disrupted social structures and
loss of livelihoods. It is high time the
EU takes responsibility and installs legislation
to guarantee the legality of all timber
products”.
An EU timber regulation
is currently being discussed by the European
Parliament and Council of Ministers and
will be voted on in the next few months.
“Negotiators should
acknowledge public opinion and support legislation
that gives all players in the timber supply
chain clear indications about what they
need to do to prove the legality of their
timber,” said Anke Schulmeister. “To be
fair to those companies that have been trying
to operate ethically, the legislation needs
to provide more certain consequences to
those who continue to flout the rules.”
WWF and Friends of the
Earth urge the European Parliament and EU
governments to agree on the legislation
before the European elections in June.
