Aquatic Ecosystems

Many aquatic ecosystems around the world are being lost or are under increasing stress from loss of water to irrigation systems, and conversion of land to agriculture, urban expansion, and aquaculture. A World Bank report puts the current rate of coastal wetland loss at four times that of tropical forests. Salt marshes and freshwater tidal marshes, for example, were reported to have lost more than 50 percent of their historical global coverage, with the current rate of loss estimated at 1 – 2 percent per year. The loss of wetlands poses a significant threat to aquatic biodiversity: more than 800 species of plants and animals currently threatened with extinction are found in freshwater ecosystems. All over the world swamps with peat soils are being drained, burned, mined and overgrazed. As a result huge quantities of carbon are being released to the atmosphere in the form of CO₂. It is estimated that this causes approximately 6 percent of current anthropogenic CO₂ emissions.

The Bank supports the protection, restoration and management of lake basins, watersheds, wetlands, and aquifers and requires that all projects comply with its quality standards (safeguards) such as Operational Policy 4.04 which aims to protect natural habitats. The Bank does not support significant conversion of natural habitats unless there are no feasible alternatives for siting a project, and comprehensive analysis demonstrates that overall benefits from the project substantially outweigh the environmental costs. If the environmental assessment(as per Operational Policy 4.01)indicates that a project would significantly convert or degrade natural habitats, the project must include mitigation measures acceptable to the Bank.