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FACTSHEET

INTRODUCTION help rebalance the water cycle, mitigate the effects

of climate change and improve human health and
World Water Day, on 22 March every year, is about livelihoods.
focusing attention on the importance of water.
This year’s theme, ‘Nature for Water’, explores na- By using NBS to help meet the water needs of a
ture-based solutions (NBS) to the water challenges growing population, we will contribute to the crea-
we face in the 21st century. tion of a circular economy, at the same time as help-
ing to protect the natural environment and reduce
The campaign is called ‘The answer is in nature’ and pollution - both key targets in Sustainable Develop-
raises awareness of NBS. The central message is ment Goal 6, which commits the world to ensuring
that NBS, such as planting trees to replenish forests, availability and sustainable management of water
reconnecting rivers to floodplains, and restoring and sanitation for all by 2030.
wetlands, is a sustainable and cost-effective way to
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HEADLINE FACTS Water availability:

• Today, around 1.9 billion people live in potentially severe-
Water demand: ly water-scarce areas. By 2050, this could increase to
• 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drink- around 3 billion people.
ing water services. Water quality:
• By 2050, the world’s population will have grown by an • An estimated 1.8 billion people use an unimproved
estimated 2 billion people and global water demand source of drinking water with no protection against con-
could be up to 30% higher than today. tamination from human faeces.
• Agriculture currently accounts for 70% of global water with- • Globally, over 80% of the wastewater generated by soci-
drawals, mostly for irrigation – a figure which rises in areas ety flows back into the environment without being treat-
of high water stress and population density. Industry takes ed or reused.
20% of the total, dominated by energy and manufacturing.
The remaining 10% goes to domestic use – the proportion Climate and environment:
used for drinking water is much less than 1%. • The number of people at risk from floods is projected

All information in this factsheet comes from UNESCO (2018) United Nations World Water Development Report 2018: Nature-based solutions for water
unless specified otherwise.
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to rise from 1.2 billion today to around 1.6 billion in as frequent extreme flooding, can be mitigated by a range
2050 – nearly 20% of the world’s population. of NBS, such as riparian buffers or connecting rivers to
floodplains.
• Today, around 1.8 billion people are affected by land
degradation and desertification. At least 65% of for- The application of certain NBS creates what is known as
ested land is in a degraded state. ‘green infrastructure’: natural or semi-natural systems that
give us equivalent or similar benefits to conventional, hu-
• An estimated 64-71% of natural wetlands have been
man-built ‘grey infrastructure’.
lost since 1900 as a result of human activity.
NBS often produce benefits beyond water-related servic-
• Soil erosion from croplands carries away 25 to 40
es. For example, constructed wetlands used for wastewa-
billion tonnes of topsoil every year, significantly re-
ter treatment can provide biomass for energy production,
ducing crop yields and the soil’s ability to regulate
improve biodiversity and create recreational spaces and
water, carbon and nutrients. The runoff, containing
associated employment.
large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous, is also
a major contributor to water pollution.

WHAT ARE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS (NBS)?

Restoring forests, grasslands and natural wetlands, recon-

necting rivers to floodplains, creating buffers of vegetation
along water courses – these are all examples of NBS that
help the management of water availability and quality.

Most NBS, including in urban landscapes, essentially in-

volve the management of vegetation, soils and/or wet-
lands, including rivers and lakes.

NBS are not a panacea to the critical water-related chal-

lenges we face as the global population grows, but they
can provide innovative and cost-effective options for sup-
plementing insufficient or ageing water infrastructure. For
example:
• Water availability and supply: Water storage via natural
wetlands, soil moisture and/or groundwater recharging
can be more sustainable and cost-effective than grey in-
frastructure, such as dams.
• Water quality: Pollution from agriculture can be drastically
reduced by NBS such as conservation agriculture, which
protects soil from erosion, or riparian buffers, strips of land
along water courses planted with native trees and shrubs.
• Risk management: The effects of climate change, such
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WHAT WOULD GREEN AND GREY INFRASTRUCTURE • Purification and treatment plants make freshwater and
IN THE WATER CYCLE LOOK LIKE? wastewater ready for human consumption and pump
it into networks of pipes.
• At the start of the cycle, as water bubbles up from a
• Human-made barriers and deliberate use of natural
spring or falls as rain, healthy forests and sustaina-
flood plains can control flooding and mitigate disaster
bly-managed fields ensure stable, good quality soil for
risk as water returns to the start of the cycle.
water to fall onto and flow through.
• Human-built reservoirs and dams store water, which
allows irrigation of surrounding land, energy genera- NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS AND THE SUSTAINABLE
tion, and regulates the river flow. DEVELOPMENT GOALS

• Protected wetlands help filter and purify the water and

NBS for managing water supply and quality support the
enhance biodiversity, and diverted water can recharge
achievement of all targets in Goal 6: to ensure availabili-
groundwater resources and mitigate flooding down-
ty and sustainable management of water and sanitation
stream.
for all.
NBS can also play a role in a range of other Sustainable
Development Goals:
• Goal 1: No poverty, Goal 2: Zero hunger, Goal 3: Good
health: New jobs are often created by NBS, and im-
proved health from better quality water means higher
productivity.
• Goal 7: Affordable, clean energy, Goal 9: Industry,
innovation and infrastructure, Goal 11: Sustainable
cities and communities, Goal 12: Responsible con-
sumption and production: NBS require little or no en-
ergy and so can reduce reliance on energy-hungry grey
systems. They also help provide more sustainable wa-
ter resources to serve growing settlements.
• Goal 14: Life below water, Goal 15: Life on land: Wet-
lands can reduce pollution by filtration and increase bi-
odiversity by expanding natural habitats.

EXAMPLES OF NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS

Sand dams
In arid areas, the riverbeds of seasonal, intermittent
rivers and streams often hold shallow groundwater re-
serves, which are recharged every time the rivers flow.
While individuals may dig down to scoop out water for
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their families, these water resources are rarely ever used Conservation agriculture
on a systematic scale for agriculture and other activities.
Conservation agriculture is based on three principles:
Sand dams are walls dug into the ground across the riv- minimizing soil disturbance; maintaining a continuous
er bed. On the Sashane river in Zimbabwe, sand dams soil cover of organic mulch and/or plants; and cultivat-
have been built and fitted with low-cost, solar-powered ing diverse plant species.
pumps. By heightening the dam in stages, sediment
Eliminating or minimising tilling or ploughing avoids dis-
builds up behind the dam, increasing the amount of wa-
turbing and breaking up the topsoil structure, as well as
ter stored and making it accessible via the pumps.
reduces emissions from farm machinery. This has been
This supplementary water source extends the crop- found to keep the soil more stable, increase drainage,
ping season for local farmers and helps produce extra slow down runoff, and drastically reduce pollution of
yield, which in turn encourages biodiversity. Commu- nearby water sources.
nity-based monitoring systems help manage the re-
The economic benefits of conservation agriculture have
source and ensure there is enough for domestic as well
been established in various systems around the world,
as commercial uses.
from smallholder agricultural systems in Latin America
Landscape restoration and sub-Saharan Africa to large-scale commercial pro-
duction systems in Brazil and Canada. Currently, about
Unusually low rainfall in 1985–86, combined with
1.8 million km2 of croplands are under conservation ag-
excessive logging, led to the worst droughts in the
riculture, representing about 12.5% of global cropland
history of Rajasthan, India. The district of Alwar, one
extent, an increase of nearly 70% since 2008.
of the poorest in the state, was severely affected.
The groundwater table had receded below critical Sponge cities, China
levels, which led to Government restrictions on any
The China Government has launched the ‘Sponge City’
further groundwater extractions.
initiative to improve water availability in urban settle-
With the support of local NGOs, communities in ments. City authorities will use a combination of NBS
the area constructed small-scale water harvesting and grey infrastructure to reduce urban water-logging,
structures combined with the regeneration of for- improve local ecosystems, and retain urban runoff for
ests and soils, particularly in upper catchments, to eventual reuse.
help recharge groundwater resources.
By 2020, the 16 pilot cities will implement a range of
Water supplies were re-established in 1,000 villages measures, such as green roofs and walls, permeable
across the state; five rivers that used to run dry af- pavements, and bioswales (constructed filtration chan-
ter the annual monsoon season began flowing again nels) to capture water and divert it back into revitalized
and fisheries in them re-established; groundwater natural storage for irrigation and cleaning purposes dur-
levels rose by an estimated six metres; productive ing periods of drought.
farmland increased from 20% to 80% in the catch-
The project’s objective is for 70% of rain water to be ab-
ment area; crucial forest cover, including in farm-
sorbed and reused through improved water permeation,
lands, which helps to maintain the integrity and wa-
retention and storage, purification and drainage, as well
ter-retaining capacity of the soil, increased by 33%;
as water saving and reuse. This goal should be met by
and the return of wildlife such as antelope and leop-
20% of urban areas by the year 2020 and by 80% of ur-
ard has been observed.
ban areas by the year 2030.
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(1) Noting that the 196 Parties to the CBD have agreed in decision XIII/5 on guidance for integrating biodiversity considerations into ecosystem restoration to “Avoid
the afforestation of grasslands and ecosystems with naturally low tree cover.”
(2) Built elements that interact with natural features to enhance water-related ecosystem services. Source: Adapted from UNEP-DHI/IUCN/TNC (2014, table 1, p. 6).

WORLD WATER DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2018 AND THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH

For in-depth detail on nature-based solutions for water, please see the World Water Development Report
2018 that is released on 22 March 2018. While there is a great deal of exciting progress to report, the publi-
cation acknowledges the need for more research into key areas around the performance, impact and scala-
bility of NBS, among other issues.