“Governments have to realize that nature has a vital role to play in giving people clean drinking water, food and livelihoods,” says Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of IUCN. “We don’t want an engineered agenda. If we invest in the natural environment we will see countless benefits – and leave a better world for future generations.”

“The situation is only going to get worse in the face of the growing threats posed by climate change,” says Mark Smith, Head of IUCN’s Water Programme. “But if we look after the world’s river basins, lakes and wetlands, we stand a better chance of being able to cope with the effects of global warming. These areas can act as shields to help protect us from floods and store precious drinking water.”