Nature’s water ”factories” under threat

Pollution, dam construction and climate change, are all combining to destroy watersheds and freshwater ecosystems at a rapid rate. But by putting a price on – and protecting these – “natural services”, cities and rural areas can purify drinking water, alleviate hunger, mitigate flood damages, and meet other societal goals at a fraction of the cost of conventional alternatives, says a new Worldwatch study.

Global warming is the wild card that could further degrade the natural systems that safeguard our water supply, which could result in falling water tables, shrinking wetlands, vanishing species, and a decrease in both the quality and quantity of available freshwater, warns Sandra Postel, director of the Global Water Policy Project, and author of the study, Liquid Assets: The Critical Need to Safeguard Freshwater Ecosystems.

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Rivers, lakes, wetlands, and other freshwater ecosystems provide a myriad of services that are essential to human well-being. “Healthy watersheds are nature’s water factories, and it pays to protect them,” says Postel. “Forests and wetlands can churn out high-quality water supplies at a lower cost than conventional treatment plants do, while providing many other valuable benefits at the same time, from recreational enjoyment to biodiversity conservation to climate protection.”

Peopleandplanet.net