Forests and freshwater: 7 reasons to protect them together

The document outlines the interdependence of forests and freshwater, asserting that integrated protection can double conservation outcomes. It details how forests regulate water flow, maintain water temperature, filter pollutants, and support aquatic food webs. The text emphasizes that both systems face shared threats from unsustainable agriculture, infrastructure, and climate change, and advocates for a combined management approach to maximize biodiversity and human health benefits.

• Integrated terrestrial-freshwater planning can double conservation outcomes and increase the efficiency of limited financial investments.
• In the Amazon basin, 17% of the area contains both high jaguar densities and high richness of migratory freshwater species, though one-third of these hotspots are currently outside protected or Indigenous lands.
• Upstream forest cover is linked to improved human health outcomes; specifically, a 30% increase in upstream tree cover is associated with a 4% reduction in the probability of diarrheal disease in children downstream.
• Freshwater wildlife populations have declined by an average of 85% over the last 50 years, while forests are being lost at a rate equivalent to 11 soccer fields per minute.
• The primary drivers of degradation for both forests and freshwater systems are unsustainable agriculture and infrastructure development that ignores nature, with climate change exacerbating these pressures.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). Forests and freshwater: 7 reasons to protect them together. https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/forests-and-freshwater-7-reasons-to-protect-them-together/

Chicago

WWF International. Forests and freshwater: 7 reasons to protect them together. n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/forests-and-freshwater-7-reasons-to-protect-them-together/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Forests and freshwater: 7 reasons to protect them together |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/forests-and-freshwater-7-reasons-to-protect-them-together/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndforests, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Forests and freshwater: 7 reasons to protect them together}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/forests-and-freshwater-7-reasons-to-protect-them-together/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }