Rehabilitating important catchment areas

Description

Rehabilitating important catchment areas involves restoring degraded watersheds to improve water quality, regulate flow, and prevent soil erosion. This strategy includes reforestation, controlling invasive species, stabilizing riverbanks, and implementing sustainable land management practices. The primary intent is to secure reliable water resources, reduce flood and drought risks, and enhance ecosystem resilience, directly addressing issues such as sedimentation, habitat loss, and declining water availability for communities and agriculture.

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. Agenda 21 recommends rehabilitation of important, but degraded, catchment areas, particularly on small islands.