HSBC, one of the world’s largest financial services organizations, and WWF’s eco-partnership will support sustainable river management in Brazil, China, the USA, and UK with a US$18.4 million programme. This is part of HSBC's US$50 million 'Investing In Nature' programme which supports Botanical Gardens Conservation International and Earthwatch in addition to WWF. It aims to clean up three of the world's major rivers to the benefit of 50 million people.

The project not only aims to improve the long-term availability of water for people in these regions, but will do so in a way that also conserves and restores nature. In addition, HSBC and WWF will work together with other members of the financial community to develop an international protocol for the financing of projects that may have an impact on freshwater systems, to ensure they are sustainable.

'Companies as well as individuals have a responsibility for the stewardship of this planet, which we hold in trust for the future,' said HSBC Chairman Sir John Bond. 'If we don’t act now, by 2025 over 60 per cent of the world’s population could face a water shortage. We are also facing a global extinction crisis with thousands of species and habitats under threat.

In China, US$2.1 million of HSBC’s donation will go toward conservation of the Central Yangtze region, the 'Land of Fish and Rice.' The River Yangtze is very important in the culture and history of China but for recent generations it has become more difficult to appreciate the Yangtze as a living river, it is now more of an engineered channel. Intensive land reclamation has sited agricultural and urban settlements on former floodplains and lakes whilst thousand of kilometres of dykes have cut off the river’s links to lakes which used to form a complex wetland network, fulfilling important natural functions such as spawning and feeding for fish.

Not only are many unique species endangered such as the Yangtze dolphin and Chinese sturgeon, but the engineering has not prevented Yangtze floods. Over 2000 people died in the 1998 floods. WWF advocates a natural management solution for the Yangtze, finding a way to work with rather than against the river. With existing successful pilot wetland projects flourishing, WWF is using the HSBC grant to embark on exciting new demonstration sites and to work at the policy level towards restoration of the balance of nature and people in the Central Yangtze.

Objective

To restore the balance between people and nature in the Central Yangtze by 2025 by:

• Establishment of an effective River Basin Management (RBM) Commission to restore a Living Yangtze.



• Prosperity of farmers and businesses in demonstrations sites.



• New breeding areas for fish and nesting areas for waterfowl such as the White Naped Crane demonstrating recovery of ecosystem



• Restoration of 1000 sq km of wetlands to unblock the arteries of the Central Yangtze freshwater system, restoring the natural connections to selected wetland areas in Anhui, Hubei and Hunan provinces.



• Flooding levels reduced by 0.5-1m in the Central Yangtze, directly benefiting 30 million people

The WWF-HSBC freshwater initiative, which began in China in late 2002, is focusing on three lakes near Wuhan in Hubei Province - Zhangdu, Honghu and Tian’e-Zhou. Its aim is to heal the freshwater system in the Central Yangtze. To achieve this, WWF is using four main approaches - demonstration projects, policy advocacy, public education initiatives and building cooperative networks. The programme is working in close collaboration with the local government and communities at the demonstration lakes, and employing the following countermeasures to recover the wetland ecology. Following the demonstration project, we aim to see our work expanded across the entire central Yangtze region.

• River-lake re-linkages


As the core of 'restoring of the web of life,' WWF seeks to engage key local organizations to explore an effective way of re-establishing river-lake linkages and has encouraged the introduction of a mechanism for controlling the sluice gates taking environmental considerations into account whilst still fulfilling its flood prevention functions and reducing the negative environmental impact of water management measures, especially on seasonal flows.

The project has resulted in the opening of dyke gates in four Central Yangtze lakes in 2005, restoring their natural links with the Yangtze’s main waters. The move is the first step in restoring natural processes that will not only heal the ecosystem, but, if further expanded in the central Yangtze, will reduce flood risk across the region.

In total, 285.6 million cubic meters of water - an amount equivalent to 71,400 Olympic-size swimming pools - from the Yangtze have flowed into the lakes, benefiting 448 square kilometers of wetlands. Water levels in the four lakes - Zhangdu Lake, Lake Hong, Baidang Lake and Tian’e-Zhou Oxbow - have risen an average of 100cm. In Zhangdu Lake, measures to prevent the invasion of snails that carry schistosomes (snail fever), which constitutes a considerable health risk, have been successful. In addition, also in Zhangdu lake, two fish species (icefish and pseudolaubuca engraulis) have been successfully re-introduced.

• Working with local communities


We’re working with local people to develop alternative, sustainable livelihoods, particularly for those who once farmed the areas around the lakes. By providing seed funds, we’re helping kick-start new initiatives, including bamboo nurseries, sustainable fishing, aquatic vegetables, and some ecotourism ventures. These 'revolving funds' are then paid back into a pool, to enable yet more new businesses get off the ground. In addition, we’re funding research and helping to build staff capacity in wetland conservation, as well as raising public awareness of the importance of working with, rather than against, the region’s environment.

We’re also working with local communities to reduce agricultural pollution. One of the main pollutants of the Yangtze is a fertiliser used to nurture zooplankton, on which big head carp feed. But this method isn’t sustainable. So WWF has been working with carp farmers to develop more sustainable practices, such as the introduction of premium value fish which feed on artificial fish pellets. In just one year, this technique has enabled fish farmers to pay off their loans and earn nearly four times what they did raising big head carp. More than 100 local farmers have applied for funding to change to premium value fish.

• Protected areas networking


Insufficient financial resources, lack of training or incentives for reserve staff, inadequate information about the resources to be protected, and lack of control by reserve authorities over many human activities or resource uses are the main obstacles hindering the effective management of existing nature reserves. To address this, WWF is helping to develop a protected area network which provides a platform for information sharing, experience exchange and learning among nature reserves.

Our ‘Small Grants’ project aims to offer support to wetland reserves and related organizations to effectively enlarge protected wetland areas, promote wetland research, build the capacity of wetland reserve and related agencies’ staff, and raise public awareness on wetland conservation. There are now with 24 member reserves and 53 projects have been supported by the microfinance fund set up under the program.

To demonstrates the value of natural wetland management using reedbeds, WWF has restored successfully part of Lake Hong by working with local communities. The lake is one of the seven largest freshwater bodies in China, and has been destroyed by unsustainable fishing practices with 70% of lake area covered in poles and fishing nets. In less than a year the water quality has improved significantly, and is now drinkable once more – a great benefit to people living around the lake. The return of the globally endangered oriental white stork to Lake Hong for the first time in 12 years is already an indication of how water pollution has been successfully reduced.

As a result of these successes, the local government has now committed itself to restoring the whole of the 412 sq km lake.

• Policy Work:


To support this exciting demonstration work WWF is working at the national government level to influence policies related to freshwater and help to restore the living Yangtze as a whole.

In April 2005, provincial governors and key ministers from China’s water, environment, forest and agriculture sectors in the Yangtze River basin met to develop a common strategy and action plan for protecting the entire basin.

Participants attending the Yangtze Forum, which took place in Wuhan, China from 16–17 April, discussed sustainable ways to ensure that the region’s development is not at the expense of the health of the basin. WWF, which has collaborated with the Chinese government since 1980 in the conservation of the Yangtze River basin, is a key initiator and supporter of the Forum.

At the conclusion of the Forum, participants signed the Yangtze Declaration, demonstrating their consensus on the urgent need to sustainably develop the Yangtze basin.

As the next step, key ministers, with technical guidance from WWF, will take the lead in developing a master plan for the integrated management of Yangtze resources. The Hunan provincial government has also agreed to host the 2nd Yangtze Forum in 2006.

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