Valuing rivers: how the diverse benefits of healthy rivers underpin economies

WWF has published a report that highlights the capacity of healthy rivers to help mitigate natural disasters, among other less valued benefits. The publication provides a framework for improving how societies measure, value, and promote rivers’ diverse benefits. It also offers solutions to support better decisions and management. Titled, ‘Valuing Rivers: How the Diverse Benefits of Healthy Rivers Underpin Economies,’ the publication notes that the traditional view of rivers as primarily sources of water and power puts other critical benefits at risk, such as freshwater fisheries, natural flood protection for cities, and sediment flows that keep the world’s deltas above the rising sea levels. The publication underlines that these benefits tend to be overlooked and remain a low priority for decision makers until they either disappear, or crises arise.