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38
Freshwater ecosystems
25%
In south
AsIA, 25% oF
the WoRLD’s
PoPuLAtIon
DePenDs on
ABout 4.5% oF
the WoRLD’s
AvAILABLe WAteR
ResouRCes
FReshWAteR eCosYsteMs
Freshwater ecosystems vary enormously across the Asia and Pacific
region, from major tropical river basins with their headwaters in the
Himalayas, to the inland wetlands of Australia’s Lake Eyre Basin.
Wetland ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, marshes, rice fields, and
coastal areas, provide many services that contribute to human wellbeing
and poverty reduction.
While the Asia and Pacific region has the world’s largest share of
renewable freshwater resources, it has the lowest availability of water
per capita. The region accounts for 38% of the world’s water resources,
while supporting about 60% of the world’s population. In South Asia,
25% of the world’s population depends on about 4.5% of the world’s
available water resources. Therefore, in many areas around the region
there is intense competition for available water supplies, including for
the many valuable ecosystem services provided by water (e.g., habitats
for native species, recreational and commercial fisheries, maintenance
of deltas, and natural floodplain fertility).
On average, about 11% of the region’s total renewable resources are
withdrawn annually, one of the highest rates in the world (Leadership
Group on Water Security in Asia 2009). Seasonal shortfalls in the
availability of water constitute another growing crisis in many parts
of the region. While effective water sharing arrangements will become
increasingly important, in many places, such as in countries in South
Asia and some states, as in India, sharing water has long been a
sensitive issue.
Water shortages are having severe ripple effects, given that roughly
70 percent of all water is consumed by agriculture and 12 percent by
energy production. In many places, more intense agricultural activity
may help meet food demands in the short term, but intensive farming
techniques may also drive up regional demand for water, further
impacting water security in some places.
In addition, the amount of water needed to produce energy is increasing
along with energy demand. For instance, in the PRC, declining water
availability has emerged as a major problem for the energy sector,
which uses one fifth of the PRC’s water consumption (Ivanova 2011).
Also, large-scale dams on Asia’s major river basins, such as the Yangtze
in the PRC and the Mekong River Basin, alter natural water flows, trap
nutrients and sediments, and block the passage of many freshwater
and marine species. The need to balance economic and environmental
flows has been gaining increasing recognition.