Environmental Services

Accessible freshwater resources (rivers, lakes, groundwater, and wetlands) are essential for the livelihoods of people, the growth of the economy, the sustenance and health of all species, and the integrity of ecosystems. Around the world, increased use of water and increased pollution threaten lakes, rivers, estuaries, and groundwater bodies. The poor often are disproportionately impacted, as they depend more directly than the rich on ecosystem functions.

The World Bank involvement in water resources management entails support for providing potable water, sanitation facilities, flood control, and water for productive activities in a manner that is economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and socially equitable, see Operational Policy 4.07In relation to environmental servicesthe key links include: 

·         Protecting aquatic ecosystems that play a critical role in maintaining watershed functions.

·         Managing environmental flows of rivers,  must be balanced with the maintenance of water-dependent ecosystems.

·         Managing invasive aquatic plants that interfere with water uses and can transform ecosystems and reduce biodiversity.

Climate Change will further increase the challenges in relation to the three links discussed below.