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Picture in your mind some of the most majestic places around the world. Locations such as the Okavango Delta World Heritage Site in Botswana, the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania, or Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon in the United States. All have a key major feature in common: Each of these iconic protected areas have rivers, wetlands, or lakes at their heart. Freshwater systems are truly nature’s centrepiece.��

Indeed, the health of freshwater systems is core to the health of surrounding landscapes, including species that live in the water and on land and the millions of people who depend on the freshwater ecosystem services delivered by these areas. And yet, the siting, design, and management of protected and conserved areas have, for far too long, only marginally included the health of freshwater systems and in the worst of cases largely ignored them.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) in 2022 opened the door to reverse this trend. The explicit inclusion of inland waters in Target 3 of the Framework aims for “30 percent of terrestrial, inland water and marine areas to be effectively conserved and managed through protected and conserved areas by 2030”. The recent introduction of Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs, also called conserved areas) opens new possibilities for existing or new mechanisms for freshwater area-based conservation to receive recognition and possibly resources outside the formal protected area system.

Now is the time to bring inland waters solidly into the actions that countries will take to deliver the GBF, and to prioritise long-term financing to ensure the durability of those solutions.

For example, riparian and floodplain buffers are an extremely important intervention for freshwater conservation, but for the most part they are not accounted for in current measurement. It is also critical to ensure recognition of the leadership of Indigenous peoples and local communities. They are on the frontlines of freshwater conservation – both as critical actors in stewarding these resources and in suffering greatly when freshwaters are degraded, damaged, and destroyed.��

To capitalize on this moment and provide guidance for implementing the inland water component of GBF and particularly Target 3, ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ��’s World Commission on Protected Areas has published its first-ever guidance focused on freshwater systems: The report’s release aligned with the convening of the latest UN Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia. The technical report was led by The Nature Conservancy in partnership with WWF, the ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� Species Survival Commission, the ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� World Commission on Protected Areas and Equilibrium Research, with contributions from dozens of experts from around the world.��

The guide is overflowing with practical case studies, new ideas and clear suggestions for the path forward. A long-heard refrain is that it is not possible to measure the extent of freshwater protection. However, the report offers a newly proposed methodology for disaggregating measurement of Target 3 for inland waters. Equally true is that there are multiple types of Protected and Conserved Areas that can help to deliver on Target 3 for inland waters. In addition to existing and familiar forms of protection like national parks and World Heritage sites, emerging mechanisms include Rights of Nature, sacred and cultural areas, riverine-focused protections, groundwater-supported system protections, geographically defined environmental flow protections, nature-based solutions for water and climate, community fish reserves, and transboundary inland water conservation areas.��

Case studies illustrate the value of PCAs that focus on freshwater. The Nushiño-Curaray-Villano Community Fluvial Reserve in Ecuador was cooperatively designed with the Kichwa and Waorani people to support the needs of this critical freshwater ecosystem. Biodiversity-rich rivers in their territories support over 200 fish species, supplying the main protein source for local communities. All 80 communities went through a free prior and informed consent process to designate a “Community Conservation and Management Use Area”, protecting their right to self-determination and freedom to make decisions. The initiative will protect 371,380 ha, including 1,860 km of rivers and 26,000 ha of wetlands and will benefit 4,300 people. Communities are now developing a governance structure, management plan, and community monitoring plan.

Another example is seen in Albania, where the Vjosa represents one of Europe’s last wild rivers, providing habitat for 15 globally threatened species and cultural and economic services to 60,000 Albanian residents. This relevance, championed by local communities, helped make the case for a National Park designation. In early 2022, the Albania Ministry of Tourism and Environment expressed their support and in March 2023 the area was declared Europe’s first protected wild river national park, a model that can be replicated and expanded upon.

A few final thoughts to highlight the wealth of information in the guide. No river, lake or other inland waterbody is an island. The connectivity of freshwater systems and the singular routes that exist for species, nutrients and organic matter to flow across a basin are a part of what makes them unique. Similarly, no one protected or conserved area can fully conserve nature on its own – they need to be connected to one another and supported by robust basin management. For the GBF to achieve its aspirations, those aspirations must be grounded by practical actions within national plans. This is particularly true for inland waters, which were largely not reflected in previous national biodiversity strategies and action plans.

Now is the time to bring inland waters solidly into the actions that countries will take to deliver the GBF, and to prioritise long-term financing to ensure the durability of those solutions. With freshwater species populations having suffered a decline, on average, of 85% since 1970, there is no time to waste.

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