Healthy freshwater ecosystems play an important role in providing society with a large number of services such as water purification, carbon sequestration, food provision and flood protection. And yet, freshwater ecosystems (such as wetlands, lakes and rivers) are experiencing the biggest loss of wildlife on the planet. Freshwater species populations have declined by 83% globally since the 1970s.

Why this coalition? 

The implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), the EU’s main legislation governing the management of its freshwater resources, has led to some dramatic improvements in water ecosystems and the wildlife that depend on them. However, the objective of the WFD of achieving "good status" for all Europe’s waters by 2015 has been missed by a long shot. Today, only 40% of Europe’s waters are estimated to be in good condition. Unsustainable agriculture, hydropower, flood defence and navigation are recognised as the main pressures preventing Europe’s waters from recovering. 

This is why WWF has joined forces with five environmental and fisheries organisations to form the Living Rivers Europe coalition. The coalition includes the European Anglers Alliance, the European Environmental Bureau, the European Rivers Network, The Nature Conservancy, Wetlands International and WWF representing a movement of over 40 million European citizens.
 

Our aim

First and foremost, we are here to advocate for the defence, maintenance and implementation of the EU’s strong, ambitious water law – the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) – in its current form. We strongly believe that it is the only way to protect Europe’s rivers, lakes and wetlands from further destruction, and to restore those which have already been damaged back to good health.

This is why, in October 2018, we launched the #ProtectWater campaign. The campaign, supported by 130+ civil society groups, inspired 375,386 citizens to take part in the European Commission’s public consultation on the WFD (which ran from October 2018 to March 2019 and was the only opportunity for the public to have its say during the evaluation) to express their opposition to changing the law. This made the public consultation on the WFD the third largest in the history of the EU. 

WWF campaigned together with more than 130 organisations for two years, and, at last, the European Commission announced that the EU Water Framework Directive would not be opened for revision. However, Living Rivers Europe will continue to ensure that the Water Framework Directive is fully implemented and enforced until most of Europe’s waters are brought back to life.
 

Policy Asks

In the long-term, we are campaigning for:

• A better implementation and enforcement of the Water Framework Directive;
• An effective integration of water management aspects into relevant sectoral policies, particularly agriculture, energy, flood risk management and transport; and
• The maintenance of the Water Framework Directive’s high standards of water resources and ecosystem protection.
• Legally binding restoration targets in the upcoming EU Nature Restoration Law that would advance the restoration of freshwater ecosystems and reverse the steep decline of freshwater biodiversity - read our key asks.