Vanishing Wetlands Key to Global Water Crisis

by Gustavo Capdevila

Within 25 years, two out of three people in the world will suffer from the extreme scarcity of water supplies.

The phenomenon is closely linked to the deterioration of wetlands, one of the planet's most important sources of fresh water, and which are seriously threatened.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), a non-governmental environmental organization, reports there has already been a significant reduction in the quality and total area of wetlands ecosystems.

By the year 2050, there will be serious water resource deficits in at least 60 countries, stated the WWF as it marked World Wetlands Day on Feb. 2.

The organization explained, in short, that the need is growing for protection of marsh and swamplands, and other fresh water sources around the world.

Today, half of the planet's six billion inhabitants lack adequately treated water, and more than one billion people do not have access to safe drinking water.

The remedies to this scenario are within reach, but require everyone's efforts, said Richard Holland, director of the WWF's Water for Life campaign. The commitment involves everyone, from the residents of isolated towns to large industries and the world's government leaders.

The conservationist philosophy for clean water involves solutions as varied as the threats endangering water resources.

Holland affirmed at a Geneva press conference that the key is to find solutions that make human necessities compatible with preserving nature, "instead of thinking about them as contradictory objectives."

Governments and communities can make important contributions to improving the endangered state of the worlds wetlands, according to the WWF, which is headquartered in Switzerland.

The abuse or inappropriate use of wetlands affect their normal functioning, which includes water storage and flood control, as well as providing services and valuable products.

The environmental organization maintains that agriculture has been one of the principal culprits in the disappearance of wetlands.

Government farm subsidies and agricultural waste are responsible for the destruction of millions of acres of wetlands in industrialized countries.

Economic protectionism for agricultural activity via government subsidies -- which the WWF criticizes -- is practiced primarily in the European Union, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

Other industries cause problems for wetlands ecosystems as well. Light industry, such as paper manufacturing, beer production and others that use water as a coolant, return most of the liquid to the environment, but usually in inferior condition.

Pollution is another degradation factor for wetlands. Drainage and runoff from fertilized farmlands introduce high concentrations of nitrogen-based nutrients and phosphates into the water supply.

Pesticides used in growing cotton, for example, represent 25 percent of the world insecticide market, while the total area planted with the crop represents just 2.4 percent of the world's total cultivated surface.

The accumulation of toxic chemicals in the fatty tissues of animals affects their immune systems and causes reproductive problems, genetic damage and death, maintains the WWF.

Another cause of wetlands degradation is the construction of dams, which can lead to serious economic and social damage and the loss of biological diversity.

The environmentalist group calls for the development of mechanisms to provide adequate compensation for countries that opt against building a dam, for example, in the interest of preserving the world's natural heritage.

Holland emphasized that there are no simple solutions to combat the pending threats to the planet's wetlands.

The key is in actions that focus on establishing the common interests of conservation, management and development, in order to set achievable goals for everyone, he concluded.