Freshwater biodiversity conservation through protected areas: international obligations and lessons for Australia.

Jamie Pittock

WWF Research AssociateFenner School of Environment & Society, ANU

Jamie.pittock@anu.edu.au

Australian Protected Areas Congress, 25th November 2008

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, March 2005

“Freshwater ecosystems tend to have the highest proportion of species threatened with extinction.” [pg 19];

“The use of two ecosystem services - capture fisheries and freshwater - is now well beyond levels that can be sustained even at current demands, much less future ones.” [pg 20];

“… important gaps in the distribution of protected areas remain, particularly in marine and freshwater systems” [pg 31].

Source: WWF Living Planet Report 2004

Figure: IPCC Technical Paper VI “Climate Change and Water”, June 2008: Large-scale relative changes in annual runoff for the period 2090–2099, relative to 1980–1999. (Milly et al., 2005).

The litmus test for multilateral agreements

“Significantly reduce the rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010” (WSSD & CBD)

Halve the number of people without adequate access to water, sanitation, food and energy by 2015 (UN MDG & WSSD)

National “Integrated Water Resources Management” Plans (commenced) by 2005 (WSSD).

“Prevent dangerous” climate change “within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure food production is not threatened and enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.” (UNFCCC).

IUCN protected areas definition 2008

““A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values”

IUCN categories of protected areas: I. Strict Nature Reserve/Wilderness Area II. National Park III. Natural Monument IV. Habitat/Species Management Area V. Protected Landscape/Seascape VI. Managed Resource Protected Area> Embraces Ramsar sites and many other freshwater designations,

such as wild and heritage rivers.

Convention on Biological Diversity

Programme of Work on Protected Areas (2004) : ambitious targets 2010, including 275 M ha inland waters habitats (but no environmental flows)

Programme of Work on Inland Waters (2005): commitments to species & basin scale conservation (10%), reduce threats & sustainable use

CBD track record on implementation limited thus far Need to simplify obligations for governments, eg.

‘Mountains to Sea’ ~ 100+ pages to 50 Monitoring implementation & indicators Ramsar collaboration

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

‘Three pillars’: a) wise us of all wetlands, b) international cooperation, & c) Ramsar sites

158 Contracting Parties to the Convention 1822 wetland sites of 168 M hectares ~ 16% of ~10.3 M km2 of freshwater habitat globally Ramsar Convention on Wetlands’ Strategic Plan

commitment to reach 250 M ha of Ramsar sites by 2014 Regional & ‘BasinWet’ initiatives Management indicators & measures Management: 2002 national reports – 40% had plans,

20% had plans in preparation

WWF instigated wetlands reserves 1999-2007

May 1999 – June 2007 Target = +100 M ha Achieved = 84 M ha, 291 wetlands in 46 countries Small grants of up to CHF 40,000 Total CHF 2.07 M (WWF = 1.2 M, others 0.8 M) Cost per hectare = CHF 0.24 About ¾ designated as Ramsar sites 73% of all new Ramsar sites from 1999-2006

WWF & regional initiatives

Region Wetlands (ha) WWF grants (CHF)

Other funds (CHF)

Lake Chad 12,500,122 213,333 23,634,000

Niger River 15,164,480 253,333 2,539,000

Lake Malawi 3,805,700 60,000 2,030,000

Algeria 3,453,925 80,000 725,00

Andes 547,888 80,000 370,000

Himalayas 5,333,232 220,500 388,600

TOTAL 40,805,347 907,166 29,686,600

Algeria Ramsar sites conservation

Joined Ramsar 1983 WWF grants of CHF 160,000

from 2000 Inventory work Designation: 42 sites,

covering 2.96 M ha Wetlands strategy in

preparation Management of oases Date exports - US$18 M in

2001 Education centre

Biological importance + threats analysis

Niger River basin

15 M ha / 7 yrs with CHF 253K

Basin wide activities

43 floodplains with high potential for flood risk mitigation

Total: >10,500 km2 remaining areas; >7,000 km2 restoration source: WWF (2006)

New tools:

Freshwater Ecoregions of the World (2008) - http://www.feow.org/ IUCN Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management

Categories (revised 2008) - http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/PAPS-016.pdf;

Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (revised 2007) – http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/forests/our_solutions/protection/tools/tracking_tool/index.cfm

Wetland Management Planning - a Guide for Site Managers (2008) – http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/freshwater/index.cfm

Buying time – manual for resistance and resilience building (2003): http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/publications/index.cfm?uNewsID=8678&uLangID=1

Adapting water to a changing climate: an overview (2008): http://assets.panda.org/downloads/adapting_water_to_a_changing_climate.pdf

Lower River Murray

Source: Victorian Department of Sustainability & Environment

Gwydir wetlands Ramsar site

Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Reactive regulation of developments impacting Ramsar sites

Increased profile for proactive conservation, greater public participation & enforcement

So where is Australia?

Governments promised action on representative protected areas since 1994

Signed up to Ramsar & CBD protected area targets No agreed bioregionalization No Ramsar Strategic Framework Ad hoc state government initiatives (+/-) No coherent freshwater conservation targets Ramsar designations stalled by timid governments Limited NGO action in southern Australia Academic arguments over protected area tools

ignore existing tools that can work

Conclusions:

1. Freshwater biodiversity most threatened, largely overlooked by the protected areas community

2. Governments have signed up to ambitious freshwater protected areas targets (Ramsar & CBD)

3. Some good progress overseas but not in Australia

4. Better freshwater protected areas tools now available and lessons on what works (eg. Demonstrating other benefits, grants programs, action following disasters, publicity)

5. Rejuvenate use of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands rather than inventing new tools.

Thank you!Paper based in part on: Pittock et al. (2008) Running dry: freshwater biodiversity, climate change & protected areas, in Biodiversity 9(3-4):30-38.

Acknowledgements:

• Support from NSW Dept Environment & Climate Change

•This research was part funded by the HSBC Climate Partnership & WWF

• Presentation is partly based on the work of many WWF staff and project partners

• Research supervisors: Prof Steve Dovers, Dr Karen Hussey, Dr Lara Hansen

Photo: A Campbell 2008