WWF Annual Review 2019 - 27

OUR GLOBAL WORK

HELPING RIVERS TO FLOW FREELY
With our co-authored paper in scientific journal

Nature highlighting that only 37 per cent of long
rivers remain free-flowing, we are striving to
protect these rivers and reconnect others. This
year, we successfully challenged plans for a mega
hydropower dam in Zambia and some small
hydropower dams in the Balkans. Such destructive
projects threaten the diverse benefits that healthy
rivers provide people and nature. We are also
driving a dam removal revolution in Europe,
including a successful crowdfunding campaign that
has seen barriers removed from the UK to Ukraine.

€160 MILLION CLIMATE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND
We are part of a consortium managing a €160
million Dutch government fund to increase the
resilience of communities and ecosystems most
vulnerable to climate change. The Dutch Fund for
Climate and Development will develop bankable
projects to leverage at least €500 million in
private finance. These projects aim to improve the
well-being and livelihoods of vulnerable groups
(particularly women and youth); help communities
and cities adapt to climate change; and enhance
the health of critical natural systems, including
river basins, deltas, rainforests and mangroves.

SUPPORTING BUSINESS RESPONSES TO WATER RISK
The climate crisis will primarily and most acutely
be felt through water, with impacts such as
extreme floods and droughts posing a growing
risk. Our online water risk tool - the Water
Risk Filter - already helps companies and
investors to assess such threats. And, this year,
we significantly enhanced the functionality,
including the introduction of over 150 response
actions to help firms and financial institutions
address their diverse physical, regulatory and
reputational risks - actions that will enhance
the health of river basins and collectively

The Luangwa
River in Zambia.

WWF-INT Annual Review 2019 page 27

© James Suter / Black Bean Productions / WWF-US

benefit people and nature.

https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?346815/New-Study-in-Nature-Just-One-Third-of-the-Worlds-Longest-Rivers-Remain-Free-Flowing https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/water/freshwater_news/?349071/Zambia-halts-hydropower-dam-on-Luangwa-river https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/water/freshwater_news/?349071/Zambia-halts-hydropower-dam-on-Luangwa-river https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/water/?347516/Consortium-wins-tender-to-manage-huge-Dutch-Fund-for-Climate-and-Development https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/water/?347516/Consortium-wins-tender-to-manage-huge-Dutch-Fund-for-Climate-and-Development http://wwf.panda.org/our_work/water/freshwater_news/?343150/Upgraded-Water-Risk-Filter-will-help-companies-respond-to-worsening-water-risks

WWF Annual Review 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of WWF Annual Review 2019