Rehabilitating degraded aquatic environments

Improving degraded water bodies to restore aquatic habitats

Description

Rehabilitating degraded aquatic environments involves restoring the ecological health and functionality of rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastal areas impacted by pollution, habitat loss, or overexploitation. Essential actions include removing contaminants, re-establishing native vegetation, reintroducing key species, improving water flow, and implementing sustainable land-use practices. These measures aim to recover biodiversity, enhance water quality, and support ecosystem services, directly addressing the root causes of aquatic degradation and promoting long-term environmental resilience.

Implementation

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. On behalf of the sustainable use and conservation of biological diversity of living aquatic resources, Agenda 21 recommends preventing or mitigating modification to aquatic environments by other users. It also recommends rehabilitation of polluted and degraded water bodies to restore aquatic habitats and ecosystems.