Conserving the Arctic's freshwater resources
© NASA Landsat Project Science Office and USGS National Center for EROS
The Arctic has some of the world's largest and biologically richest freshwater ecosystems. These include:
- Large river systems flowing through arctic taiga and tundra
- Wetlands, bogs, marshes and lakes
- Glaciers and their water systems
- Coastal deltas and tidal flats where fresh and saltwater systems interact
These are vital to millions of birds, both local and migratory. They are home to a wide range of fish, crustacea, insects, and other organisms. They provide freshwater to humans for domestic and industrial use, and provide them with food, materials, and transportation routes. They shape the landscape and their intricate networks stabilise the seasonal water flow from mountain and glacier to sea.
Priority freshwater ecosystems for WWF in the Arctic include:
- The Mackenzie Valley in Canada. WWF wants to protect key parts of the ecosystem prior to construction and development of a gas pipeline from the Beaufort Sea through the Mackenzie Valley to the US.
- The Lena Delta in northern Russia. WWF believes this biologically highly valuable delta for the benefit of science and local communities, and to ensure survival of many unique birds and other species.
- Jökulsa a Fjöllum in Iceland: WWF wants to preserve the last remaining un-dammed major river flowing from source to sea in northern Iceland.
Freshwater ecosystems are important components in WWF's work on protected areas in the Arctic. WWF is working to strengthen the Circumarctic Protected Areas Network (CPAN) initiative under the Arctic Council by, among other things, including freshwater issues.
Climate change poses special freshwater challenges: What happens to the snow, ice, permafrost and glaciers in the Arctic when temperatures rise? How can river systems, wetlands, and lowland areas handle the increased flow of melt water combined with more rain instead of snow?
