The WWQA Ecosystems Workstream supports large-scale freshwater ecosystem restoration by combining socio-economic and biophysical evidence to guide transitions away from polluting activities towards practices that reduce stress on aquatic environments and promote sustainable economic growth. With an initial focus on lakes, the workstream responds to the observed shortcomings of many large-scale lake restoration efforts in meeting their targets, which has hindered investment and political momentum at national and global levels. The workstream aims to generate restoration exemplars that demonstrate how water quality improvements can deliver broader societal benefits, such as public health, food security, and climate resilience.
Through collaboration with a wide network of international researchers, institutions, and practitioners, the workstream advances knowledge sharing and policy engagement. Its activities include knowledge exchange events, policy dialogues, publications, and the development of strategic guidance aligned with current and emerging frameworks. The WWQA Ecosystems White Paper, produced as part of this effort, outlines a global call to action for integrated freshwater restoration. By leveraging evidence from diverse case studies and uniting expertise across disciplines, the workstream seeks to drive coherent, practical, and inclusive approaches to restore and protect freshwater ecosystems for the benefit of both people and planet.
Highlights
Workstream publications
2023
Embedding Lakes into the Global Sustainability Agenda Technical Report
Zenodo 2023.
2022
Global Scenarios for Ecosystem Health Technical Report
Deltares no. 11207465-000, 2022.
Workstream events
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