Voice of America
25 Mar 2023, 16:08 GMT+10
united nations - Several African and Latin American countries on Thursday launched a major initiative to restore 300,000 kilometers of rivers by 2030, as well as lakes and wetlands degraded by human activity.
The 'Freshwater Challenge,' led by a coalition of governments that includes Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mexico and Gabon, is the largest river and wetland restoration project in history.
It aims to restore degraded rivers as long as seven times the Earth's circumference and an area of wetlands larger than India by 2030, according to a statement from the U.N. Water Conference, which ends Friday in New York City.
The initiative calls on all governments to set national river restoration targets to restore healthy freshwater ecosystems critical to humanity's water needs and biodiversity.
No details were given on how the effort will be funded.
FILE - A Chinese bullet train travels above a river polluted by leaked fuel, in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, China, April 29, 2015.
As water shortages become more widespread globally, driven by overconsumption, pollution and climate change, freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened on the planet.
'The clearest sign of the damage we have done - and are still doing - to our rivers, lakes and wetlands is the staggering 83 percent collapse in freshwater species populations since 1970,' Stuart Orr of the World Wildlife Fund said in a statement, adding that the initiative may 'turn this around.'
Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, said: 'Healthy rivers, lakes and wetlands underpin our societies and economies, yet they are routinely undervalued and overlooked.'
'While countries have pledged to restore 1 billion hectares of land, the Freshwater Challenge is a critical first step in bringing a much-needed focus on freshwater ecosystems,' Anderson added.
Martha Delgado Peralta, Mexico's undersecretary for multilateral affairs, voiced a similar view.
'Healthy freshwater ecosystems are central to water and food security, while tackling the climate and nature crises, and driving sustainable development,' she said.
Get a daily dose of Europe Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Europe Sun.
More InformationWASHINGTON D.C.: The Federal Aviation Administration has said that a drone sighting disrupted some flights at Pittsburgh International Airport this ...
PORTLAND, Oregon: A federal trial has begun in Portland, Oregon examining the constitutionality of a stringent gun control law approved ...
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and members of the city's historical commission have been sued by a group which ...
LANSING, Michigan: Michigan's Department of Natural Resources said by a wildfire in the state has burned through more than 3 ...
ISTANBUL, Turkey: In an interview with Reuters, Willie Walsh, director-general of the International Air Transport Association, (IATA), said airlines are ...
SACRAMENTO, California: Sixteen migrants from Venezuela and Colombia, who had entered the United States through Texas, were transported to California ...
FREMONT, California: Elon Musk's brain implant startup Neuralink, valued at some $2 billion during a private fundraising round two years ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks moved higher Thursday as investors and traders took a break from their recent ...
LISBON, Portugal: Carsten Spohr, Chief Executive of Lufthansa, has said that as Portugal's government is still debating whether to sell ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks were divided on Wednesday, with the technology and industrial sectors parting ways.Tech stocks ...
HOLLYWOOD, California: More than tripling the debut of its 2018 animated original predecessor, Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" opened ...
PARIS, France: European plane manufacturer Airbus is reported to be close to a record agreement to sell 500 narrow-body jets ...