Advancing Sustainable <strong>Water</strong> Policy for ecosystems <strong>and</strong> Livelihoods Smart water policy is needed to help ensure lasting protection of freshwater resources for people, nature, <strong>and</strong> business. Coca-Cola collaborates with local <strong>and</strong> global partners, external water stakeholders, <strong>com</strong>munities, other corporations, <strong>and</strong> public agencies on policies <strong>and</strong> practices that help governments in many parts of the world manage water to meet <strong>com</strong>munity, economic, <strong>and</strong> ecosystem needs. Global Partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) In the Mekong River basin, the Coca-Cola <strong>and</strong> WWF partnership is working in Tram Chim National Park in Vietnam, one of the last natural wetl<strong>and</strong>s of the once vast Plain of Reeds ecosystem. The team advocated for wetl<strong>and</strong> policy reform <strong>and</strong> helped to pass a new statute that allows for park management in accordance with the particular wetl<strong>and</strong> ecosystem. This first-of-its-kind statute is poised to change how wetl<strong>and</strong>s are managed across the country. As a direct result of the statute <strong>and</strong> other partnership habitat restoration efforts in Tram Chim, bird numbers have increased dramatically. The number of endangered Sarus crane has stabilized, <strong>and</strong> the critically endangered Bengal florican was sighted for the first time in nearly a decade. Successful policy advocacy ensured that partnership priorities, such as Left: Work in the Mekong River Delta has included restoring the natural flow of water by removing internal dykes <strong>and</strong> adjusting water levels to mimic the natural flood pulse of the river. © Katherine Neebe / WWF-US Right: This multi-year project in partnership with UNDP in rural China is expected to bring clean drinking water <strong>and</strong> basic sanitary facilities to 320,000 people in pilot schools <strong>and</strong> rural <strong>com</strong>munities. wetl<strong>and</strong> restoration <strong>and</strong> sturgeon conservation, were included in key European Union policies <strong>and</strong> management plans for the Danube basin. In Mozambique, the partnership helped to establish the Lake Niassa Reserve, the country’s first protected freshwater lake, covering 47,800 hectares adjoined by a buffer zone of another 89,300 hectares. In addition, 12 new <strong>com</strong>munity fishing councils <strong>and</strong> 10 fishery associations have improved fishing yields <strong>and</strong> helped <strong>com</strong>munities manage the lake <strong>and</strong> its resources. Transformational Policy in India We also effect important policy change through the World Economic Forum 2030 <strong>Water</strong> Resources Group. For example, the group engaged the government of Karnataka, India to sign a memor<strong>and</strong>um of underst<strong>and</strong>ing for a transformational water policy that will enhance irrigation efficiency, agricultural productivity, dem<strong>and</strong> management, <strong>and</strong> water use efficiency in the municipal <strong>and</strong> industrial sectors—a significant breakthrough we anticipate will serve as a valuable model in other areas. Throughout 2011, we supported economic analyses, stakeholder engagement planning, <strong>and</strong> identification of efficiency solutions in Karnataka. We have since extended this work to governments in Jordan, Mexico, <strong>and</strong> South Africa.
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