Freshwater ecosystems are by far in worse condition than forest, grassland, and coastal ecosystems. Half of the world's wetlands may have been destroyed in the past 100 years alone. In the coming decades, problems associated with the lack of fresh water are set to reach global proportions, with water shortages expected to become severe in at least 60 countries by the year 2050.

Nearly half of the global population is living without safe water or adequate sanitation, millions of homes are under the threat of recurring floods, and drought and desertification are undermining advances made in food production. The loss of up to 50 per cent of freshwater species over the past 30 years signals that one of the underlying causes of the freshwater crisis is the continuing degradation of land and water ecosystems.

In China, projects such as the massive Three Gorges Dam and the South-North water transfer are being built to regulate river flows. But with the aquatic biodiversity of the Yangtze River already weakened by land conversion and pollution, projects of this scale will impact much of the Yangtze's remaining biodiversity.

Basic facts

• China's disappearing wetlands harbor 500 species of freshwater fish and 31 of the 57 known endangered waterbird species in Asia



• Yangtze wetlands provide habitat for 95% of the wintering Siberian crane population, 80% of the world's lesser white-fronted geese population, and are the home of the endemic Pere David's deer (which was extinct in China but has now been successfully reintroduced). They are also home to highly endangered endemic aquatic animals including the Yangtze river dolphin, the Chinese alligator, otters, and fishes such as the Chinese sturgeon.



• The conversion of floodplains into farmland together with reduced forest cover in the watershed, has led to increasingly tragic floods over the past several decades. In China, violent floods in 1998 led to over 2500 deaths, the displacement of millions of people and billions of dollars in damages



• Approximately 300 cities in China face water shortages



• Untreated sewage and industrial waste pollute some 70% of China's rivers



• The Yangtze river dolphin and dozens of fishes species are on the edge of extinction

• Conversion of wetlands for agriculture and unsuitable construction and infrastructure projects in the flood plain



• Excessive tapping of groundwater, which results in the lowering of water tables



• Over-fishing



• The building of ill-planned hydrological engineering projects, which interrupt the natural flow of a river, resulting in the damage of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity



• Mismanagement of coastal wetlands



• Pollution from both industry and agriculture

• Living Yangtze: developing sustainable approaches to land and water resource management to restore the Yangtze as a living river



• Wetland conservation: protecting key wetland sites and developing effective management plans



• River basin management: promoting communication and cooperation for sustainable development in river basin regions



• Coastal conservation: Developing a mangrove coast management plan for the China South Coast region

• The Yangzte Forum
  In 2005, for the first time, provincial governors and key ministers from China’s water, environment, forest, and agriculture sectors gathered to develop a common strategy and action plan for protecting the entire basin. WWF is a key initiator and supporter of the Forum. At the conclusion of the Forum, participants signed the Yangtze Declaration, demonstrating their concensus on the urgent need to sustainably develop the Yangtze basin.

  For more information, see:
  1) WWF Report: Promoting Integrated River Basin Management and Restoring China’s Living Rivers - CCICED Task Force on Integrated River Basin Management
  2) Yangzte Forum background information
  3) Yangzte Forum Organigram




• Fostering a national plan for wetland conservation
  Through its National Wetland and Conservation Action Plan, WWF helped to bring together seventeen ministries and government departments into a central government-led action plan to preserve wetlands, including many important waterfowl habitats.



• Protecting 3.4 million hectares of China’s wetlands
  Since joining the Ramsar convention in 1992, a move much advocated by WWF, China has designated more than 20 sites as Ramsar sites. Currently China has 3.43 million hectares of wetlands protected under the Ramsar Convention.



• Mobilizing university students to protect wetlands
  WWF has implemented the Wetland Ambassadors campaign in China annually since 2001. Successful project proposals are supported by WWF with funding grants and training.



• Empowering communities to sustainably manage their resources
  WWF has helped affected communities, such as Xipanshanzhou Polder at Dongting Lake, Hunan, set up management and supervision teams that made and oversaw the restoration of reclaimed farmland to its former wetland state. And in Qingshan Polder in Hubei province, WWF helped the local community and officials set up a wetland joint management committee after 5,700 villagers were moved off of land originally reclaimed from Dongting lake in the 1970s, allowing restoration to take place.



• Bringing Pere David’s Deer back home
  With WWF’s reintroduction of Pere David’s Deer to Dafeng, the deer’s population has steadily revived, until at last count more than 2,500 thrived in three national nature reserves.



• Saving Hong Kong’s most spectacular wetland - Mai Po Nature Reserve
  WWF has been the senior steward of the Mai Po Reserve since 1984, working hard to maintain the area’s wetlands and protect its diverse species; and also providing training for more than 1000 staff and 130 naturalists who work in this and other nature reserves, many from mainland China.