The theme for the International Day for Biological Diversity in 2013 chosen by the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) is “Water and Biodiversity”. This theme was chosen to coincide with the United Nations designation of 2013 as the International Year of Water Cooperation. The International day for Biological Diversity is celebrated annually on the 22nd of May.
Team Experts from Rwanda and Burundi discussed water and climate adaptation and resilience issues in the drier Nile Basin, specifically around Lake Cyohaha trans-boundary water of Bugesera region for the two East African countries.
To improve the state of the Balikpapan Bay coastal ecosystem, a coastal zone management project was initiated. After initial project failure, action was taken for policy reform and an adaptive management approach was developed, focusing on inter-agency integration. This case illustrates the importance of active project learning and adaptive management.
Team Experts from Rwanda and Burundi discussed water and climate adaptation and resilience issues in the drier Nile Basin, specifically around Lake Cyohaha trans-boundary water of Bugesera region for the two East African countries.
The quality of groundwater recharging the Guarani aquifer is threatened in some areas by rapid land-use changes, and locally by rapid urbanisation. Action was taken by the World Bank through a GEF-funded project on the ‘Sustainable Development & Environmental Protection of the Guarani Aquifer’, which included scientific studies, institutional provisions and transboundary groundwater management. This case study reinforces the lesson to ‘think globally but act locally’.
The Reventazon River Basin has been subjected to severe degradation, mainly through water pollution, leading to proliferation of disease, increased cost of drinking water, and endangered biodiversity. Action was taken by establishing the Committee for the Management and Planning of the Reventazon River Basin working with conservation and land management. The key lesson for success is the importance of the coordination of the different actors that deal with the basin management.
The Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) with support from the Global Water Partnership (GWP), has produced a new case study entitled “Mainstreaming Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) to Build Climate Resilience in the Caribbean Water Sector.”
Every year, the GWP network gathers for two big meetings: the Regional Days and the Consulting Partners meeting. This year’s gathering took place in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, on 23-28 June 2014, with GWP Caribbean as host. The partners of GWP Caribbean agreed on the need for collaborative work.