Freshwater ecosystems tool enables SDG reporting to continue despite COVID-19

A new tool to ease national reporting on freshwater ecosystems will allow governments – despite limited movement in many countries due to COVID-19 – to continue to meet their national environmental reporting obligations and stay on track to preserve and restore a healthy environment.

Developed in April 2020 for the SDG6 global data drive by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with Google and the European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Centre (JRC), the Freshwater Ecosystems Explorer is a free and easy-to-use data platform providing up-to-date, high-resolution geospatial data showing the extent to which freshwater ecosystems change over time.

The site contains unique, first-of-a-kind water datasets through which users can visualize dynamic changes to permanent and seasonal surface water; reservoirs; lake water quality; wetlands and mangroves.

“As the world deals with the devastation caused by this pandemic, it is important that countries continue to make progress on their environmental commitments, which ultimately have the potential to prevent future natural disasters,” said Susan Gardner, Director of UNEP’s Ecosystems Division. “We hope that this platform, which allows for continuity in reporting, will meaningfully contribute to decision-making to improve countries’ freshwater ecosystems.”

Freshwater, in sufficient quantity and quality, is essential for all aspects of life and fundamental to sustainable development. Water-related ecosystems, including lakes, rivers, wetlands and groundwater, supply water and food to billions of people, provide unique habitats for many plants and animals and protect us from droughts and floods. These ecosystems harbor exceptional biodiversity, hosting 40 percent of all plant and animal species, including more fish species than have been found in the world’s oceans.

Original source: UN Environment
Published on 20 July 2020