Freshwater Challenge: UK criticised for failing to join UN-backed river restoration scheme

Environmental groups have criticized the UK government for not participating in a UN-backed river and wetland restoration project, although many other countries are participating in the scheme.

On March 23, at the United Nations Water Conference in New York, countries around the world launched the Freshwater Challenge., It aims to restore 300,000 kilometers of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands by 2030. Hailed as the largest project of its kind in history, the project is jointly led by Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador and Gabon. , Mexico and Zambia. Canada, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and the United States have also agreed to participate.

The scheme calls on governments around the world to set clear targets in their biodiversity strategies to restore healthy freshwater ecosystems. James Dalton of the International Union for Conservation of Nature says this is “absolutely important”. Freshwater biodiversity has declined by 80 percent since 1970, he says.

“This initiative is forcing people to manage water as a habitat,” says Dalton. “Water is very important for drinking, but freshwater habitats also need to be taken seriously as environments that support insects and fish and provide a lot of carbon storage.”

The UK has not joined the scheme, to the disappointment of some environmental groups.

“The UK government needs to set more ambitious targets for water quality. The fact that the government is not participating in the UN Freshwater Challenge is another sign of its reluctance to improve water quality.” A UK government spokesperson said: Marine Conservation Society.

An RSPB spokesperson said: “The lack of support for this plan highlights a real lack of a strategic approach from Westminster to address water quality and use.”

“Freshwater ecosystems such as lakes, rivers and wetlands are disappearing more rapidly than any other ecosystem we measure,” says Lys Bernard of the United Nations Environment Programme, which supports the scheme. said. She hopes the Freshwater Challenge will inspire countries to make more concrete plans to protect these ecosystems. In the UK this includes rivers, peat marshes and salt marshes.

“I think I will enter [the climate summit] At COP28 later this year, water conservation will be even more prominent in the climate change debate than at COP27,” Bernhardt said.

Conservation organization WWF, which also participates in the Freshwater Challenge, says it hopes more countries will join the initiative. “The only way to bring real change to degraded freshwater systems is for countries, organizations and the private sector to work closely together with local communities,” said the spokesperson. “The launch was the beginning of building this coalition for freshwater reclamation.”

new scientist The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was asked why the country did not participate in the scheme, but did not directly answer the question. [the biodiversity summit] At COP15, the UK will commit to the ambitious goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, protecting 30% of the world’s land and sea by the same date, including preserving and restoring freshwater habitats. We were at the forefront of efforts to ensure that Advocate.