Integrating human health into wetland management for the Inner Niger Delta, Mali

Livelihood and water-related diseases are strongly linked to wetland management. The majority of wetland stakeholders in the Inner Niger Delta, Mali considered human health and sanitation the most important criteria of a list of challenges and water-related pressures. Yet, a methodology to integrate health risks and opportunities into wetland management plans has previously not been proposed, despite the clear links and substantial real-life challenges. In this paper, a framework is presented to do this in data-poor context structured around the process to evaluate and prioritise the appropriateness of management options to improve human health.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Water and Wetlands

The draft report "The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Water and Wetlands" was released as a contribution to the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), convening in Hyderabad, India.

Water grabbing fact sheet for World Water Week

Together with our partners in the Dutch WASH Alliance, we are calling attention to the emerging issue of water grabbing. This leaflet served as background information for our water grabbing event at World Water Week in Stockholm on 28 August 2012.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Water and Wetlands

This TEEB for Water and Wetlands Brief introduces the new initiative, presents initial ideas on the benefits and questions to be explored over the coming months. Obtaining new and complementary insights from the practical experience of stakeholders (ecosystem managers, communities, municipalities, decision makers from the public and private sector at local, national and international scale etc.) from around the world will be an important element in the development of this work Readers are invited to respond to the questions listed below and to submit further information and case studies.

Tana Delta, Kenya - Competition for Land and Water

The Tana Delta is the largest and wetland ecosystem in Kenya and is found on the Kenyan Coast (East). The Tana river is the largest and longest river in Kenya ( nearly 1,014 km long ). The Delta is about 130,000ha and suppors 100,000 people, consisting mostly of farmers, pastoralist & fishermen. However, the river volume has fallen by 20% in 10 years.

Management impact of scarce water resources of the Upper Niger on the IND

This presentation on the Inner Niger Delta discusses the hydrology, water grab by existing and future dams, socio-economic and ecological impacts of water grab downstream, as well as long term solutions.

The Water Crisis in the Inner Niger Delta (Mali)

This presentation decribes the water crisis in the Inner Niger Delta of Mali, one of the continent's largest wetlands, and the relation to dam building upstream and climate change. It is made by Bakary Kone from the Wetlands International Mali Office for our press conference on the Future of the Niger River at the World Water Forum 6 in Marseille, France.

Water sharing in the Upper Niger Basin

The scope of this study encompasses the Upper Niger Basin in Mali, focussing on the downstream Inner Niger Delta up to Tombouctou. It focuses on the core bottlenecks and options with regard to IWRM and green development in the basin and steps which have been set – in terms of knowledge development, stakeholder engagement, implementation (emerging practices) - towards a more integrated approach.

Working together on disasters, climate, ecosystems

During the coming 5 years, Wetlands International will work closely with Red Cross, Cordaid, Red Cross Climate Centre and CARE to implement a range of projects in Asia, Latin America and Africa to increase people's resilience against (climate related) disasters via ecosystem restoration and management. Together they have formed the “Partners for Resilience” (PfR).

Conservación de los peces de la Cuenca del Plata en Argentina

La necesidad de contar con herramientas apropiadas para la evaluación  del estado de conservación de las especies es cada vez más urgente. Esta publicación intenta analizar algunos aspectos clave para la evaluación de peces de importancia comercial de la Cuenca del Plata en Argentina.

Will the Inner Niger Delta shrivel up due to climate change and water use upstream?

When the climate will change in the Sahel, this will have an impact on the flooding of the Inner Niger Delta and, therefore, also on its ecological and economic functions. This report evaluates the human-driven changes in the hydrology of the Upper Niger and the possible additional impact of a climate change. The data sets used by Zwarts et al. (2005) are re-analysed and updated (as far as possible) for recent years: annual rainfall in the Upper Niger Basin, annual river discharge of Bani and Niger upstream of the Inner Niger Delta, water use (dams and irrigation schemes upstream of the Inner Niger Delta), and maximal annual flood extent of the Inner Niger Delta. 

Biodiversity loss and the global water crisis - A fact book

Globally we are facing a water crisis. This booklet aims to highlight the links between this water crisis and biodiversity loss. Both are the result of the same root causes and both problems reinforce each other. The booklet draws on the knowledge and understanding developed by Wetlands International and its partners over many years and is supplemented with key information from other, peer reviewed studies. 

Vegetation of the river Yamuna floodplain in the Delhi stretch, with reference to hydrological characteristics

The present study highlighted the importance of allocation of water for periodic inundation to maintain floodplain characteristics including aquatic/semi-aquatic vegetation cover as critical to the management of the river ecosystem. The current policy of water use focused entirely on human uses ignoring ecological requirements, and had clear adverse implications on the health of the river ecosystem.

Joint NGO - Position paper on CBD COP regarding Inland Waters

Ahead of the upcoming tenth Conference of Parties (CoP10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Wetlands International, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy  and WWF urge parties to strengthen work on the protection and sustainable use of inland water ecosystems, in particular with the following joint recommendations on the CBD Inland Waters Progamme of Work. 

Recommendations for CBD post-2010 strategic targets

Wetlands International gives two recommendations for the CBD post-2010 strategic targets.

A. New, stand alone target on water

B. Proposed revision of draft CBD target 14