In the developed world, water is so ubiquitous that the average person rarely thinks about it—unless he or she is thirsty, and then it is simply a matter of turning on a tap or reaching for a bottle of water. In the developing world, however, water is often an all-consuming preoccupation. Polluted water, droughts, and damaged ecosystems all pose serious challenges.

The contrast is dramatic. According to UNICEF, an average Canadian uses 30 times as much water as an average villager in Kenya. Millions of people in the developing world must walk miles each day for water, and it is often women’s or children’s work. The UN Development Programme says that two million children die each year because of the water and sanitation crisis.

The water problem is, of course, both human and ecological. The prolonged droughts in Africa’s Sahel region, at least partly due to global warming, are causing growing desertification. In a number of areas, freshwater ecosystems are rapidly declining in health, often faster than land or marine ecosystems. The 2nd United Nations World Water Development Report states flatly: “This is having an immediate impact on the livelihoods of some of world’s most vulnerable human communities. Effects include reduction in food protein levels, clean water, and potential income generation; the undermining of poverty reduction strategies; and extinction rates unprecedented in human history.”

The UN sought to draw attention to the global problems connected to this precious, life-sustaining resource by designating March 22 of each year as the World Day for Water. Known today as World Water Day, the event was first observed in 1993 and has grown steadily in importance since then. The list of projects and events marking World Water Day is inspiring. “Walk for Water” fundraisers are taking place around the globe. The NRDC and the UN Foundation are introducing important new water initiatives.

Rare's Commitment to Water Conservation
Rare and its partners have long made water conservation a priority for many Pride campaigns, which inspire environmental awareness. Rare would like to take this opportunity to thank its local partners for their dedication. Currently, Rare Pride campaigns are targeting water conservation in Indonesia, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Ecuador.

In Indonesia, Rare is conducting five Pride campaigns as part of a large watershed protection initiative led by USAID and Development Alternatives Inc. The environmental threats being addressed include illegal logging, forest fires, and forest conversion . The campaign sites, managers, and local lead agencies, are:

• Arjuna Mountain, East Java; Agus Wiyono; Kaliandra Sejati Foundation
• Seulawah Ecosystem, Aceh; Cut Meurah Intan; Mapayah Foundation
• Kueh, Lhoknga and Leupung Forest, North-western Subregion of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province ; Zakiah : PeNA Foundation
  
• Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve, South Aceh; Fransisca Araintiningsih; Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari/Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program
  
• Potorono Forest, Megelang, Central Java; Panji Anom; YBL Masta
  

In Mexico, water is an environmental issue of paramount importance. Threats include unsustainable farming practices, overuse of scarce water reserves, use of poisons, and pollution. Rare’s partners are the Mexican National Parks Service (CONANP) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Sites, with managers, local lead agencies, and partners, are:

• El Vizcaíno, Baja California Sur; Yazmin Yesenia Benitez Partida; CONANP
• Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila; Patricia Amanda Delgado Morales; CONANP
• Lagunas de Montebello National Park, Chiapas; Martín Castillo Paniagua; CONANP
• Valle de Bravo Protected Natural Area, State of Mexico; Mariana Mendoza Ayala; CONANP
• Janos Valley, Chihuahua; Albino Parra Herrera; Pronatura Noreste; TNC
• El Tokio Region, states of San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon, and Coahuila; Probatura Noreste; TNC

The Condór Bioreserve in Ecuador is the source of 70 percent of the potable water in Quito, the nation’s capital. Pride campaign manager Alejandra Paola Paredes Aguilar, working with TNC’s local partner, EcoCiencia, is combating unsustainable farming and logging in the reserve.

In Costa Rica, Rare partnered with local NGO Fundación Cuencas de Limón to support campaign manager Marilyn Veiman Echeverría to run a Pride campaign in the Talamanca mountain range. The Talamancas’ watersheds supply fresh water to the coastal city of Limón. Threats to the region include deforestation and pollution. Read more about Rare's water conservation efforts in Costa Rica.