International nature for sale the impacts of privatizing water and biodiversity

This report by Friends of the Earth International examines the consequences of shifting the management of natural resources from public to private control. It focuses on the privatization of water and biodiversity, highlighting how neoliberal policies promoted by international financial institutions (IFIs) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) often lead to increased costs for the poor, environmental degradation, and the appropriation of indigenous knowledge. Through 34 case studies, the document illustrates the negative outcomes of these policies and advocates for community-led management and the recognition of water as a human right.

• International Financial Institutions (IFIs) such as the World Bank and IMF use structural adjustment programmes and loan conditionalities to pressure developing countries into privatizing public assets, including water and forest resources.
• The WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) facilitates the commodification of nature by opening service sectors like water, tourism, and landscape management to private investment, often making these agreements irreversible.
• Water privatization frequently results in significant price increases and reduced access for the poor, as seen in the Philippines where ADB-induced privatization in Manila led to a 500% price increase and a cholera outbreak.
• The privatization of protected areas and national parks often leads to the displacement of Indigenous Peoples and the degradation of ecosystems through unregulated commercial tourism.
• Carbon sequestration projects under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) risk promoting monoculture tree plantations that displace native forests, deplete water, and marginalize local communities.
• Biopiracy occurs when corporations use patents to appropriate genetic resources and traditional knowledge from biodiversity-rich countries, often without fair compensation or consent from local communities.
• Women are disproportionately affected by the privatization of natural resources because they are primarily responsible for household water collection and the gathering of non-timber forest products.
• The report argues that the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are being 'privatized' through public-private partnerships, which allow corporations to influence environmental policies to suit their commercial interests.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2005). International nature for sale the impacts of privatizing water and biodiversity. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/privatization1.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. International nature for sale the impacts of privatizing water and biodiversity. 2005. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/privatization1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=International nature for sale the impacts of privatizing water and biodiversity |date=January 2005 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/privatization1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2005international, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{International nature for sale the impacts of privatizing water and biodiversity}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2005}, month = jan, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/privatization1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }