IUCN's Response
Responding to the need to protect and conserve our water resources, IUCN formed the Water Programme in 1985. Since its inception, the Water Programme has been working across the world, mainly focusing on the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, and Asia.
These programmes covered multiple areas such as integrated water resource management, environmental flows, water economics, watershed ecosystems, as well as river bank rehabilitation, and the effects of climate change on global water supply and distribution.
IUCN’s Water Programme contributes towards the conservation of water biodiversity by promoting, influencing and catalyzing sustainable uses and equitable sharing of resources, as well as protecting ecosystems. In order to attain these goals, the water programme is focusing on the following objectives:
- Promoting water governance that integrates the needs of people and nature;
- Implementing sustainable water resource management to secure water-related ecosystem services and conserve freshwater biodiversity;
- Supporting increased investment in ecosystems as natural water infrastructure.
For the IUCN Water calendar of events, please visit: https://www.iucn.org/theme/water/events
For IUCN Water staff and contacts, please visit: https://www.iucn.org/theme/water/contacts
