Watch how investing in natural infrastructure, such as restoring forests, re-vegetating river banks, protecting and managing natural floodplains, can optimise performance of engineered features e.g. dams and reservoirs, whilst providing system-wide adaptation and local benefits.

Nature-based Solutions for Water: Infrastructure at your service
'Natural Water Infrastructure' refers to services nature provides for free, such as mangroves protecting shorelines from storms, peatlands sequestering carbon, wetlands filtering contaminated water, lakes storing large water supplies, and floodplains absorbing excess water runoff. These natural water services perform an infrastructure-like function and are part of what is termed 'Nature-based Solutions'.

Building River Dialogue and Governance: Hydrodiplomacy in Action
A new Shorthand explains how The BRIDGE programme works towards building river dialogue and governance in transboundary river basins. Implemented by IUCN and regional partners, BRIDGE works at the interface of hydrodiplomacy and local governance to promote new approaches in transboundary water management.

Visual storytelling: The Future of Dams: Viable Options or Stranded Assets?
This Shorthand This feature is part of a series of three on 'Future of Dams': Part 1: Viable Options or Stranded Assets? Part 2: Smart Dams - Smart Financing Part 3: Energy Options, Determining our Freshwater Future

Nature in the City - Green solutions for sustainable, healthy and resilient Cities
This Shorthand gives an insight into the 21st Century urban challenge, the work implemented by the IUCN GrowGreen project, and includes interviews with GrowGreen conference participants on implementing Nature-Based Solutions in European cities.

World Women's Day 2019: Better the balance, better the world
In 2019 the theme of World Women's Day ‘Better the balance, better the world’ focuses on celebrating women's achievements, raising awareness against bias, and taking action for equality

Water, Energy and Food Security - Fostering a Nexus Dialogue in Central Asia
A new visual story feature Fostering water, energy and food security in Central Asia explains what the Water-Energy-Food Nexus project is and how it is relevant to the Central Asian region.

State of Wetlands - World's most valuable ecosystems rapidly declining
A visual story prepared for the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP13), held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 21-28 October 2018.
Latest blogs
Spare a thought — and some money — for the world’s environmental conventions this holiday season
What we all need now is people in positions of real influence in government, private companies and financial institutions to prove that we can trust them to do what is necessary. And it’s not just about money, although a bit more for the world’s environmental conventions would be a great gift for this holiday season: it’s about really striving to hit all the already-agreed targets.
Latest news stories
The Chad Basin, a lifeline for people, nature and peace
The Chad basin, centred around Lake Chad, covers almost 8% of the African continent and is home to over 30 million people. Over half of this population carves a living out of farming, herding and fishing thanks to the basin. Yet it is shrinking at an alarming rate, the lake now covering less than a tenth of the area it was in 1960. Dams, increased irrigation, and climate change are reducing water levels. Additional tension from the rise of Boko Haram are adding further pressures on the region.
Focus on visual graphics

Our infographics illustrate key messages and complex concepts from our projects in a clear and visual way.
In the spotlight

Learn some interesting facts about water resources, their use and management worldwide.
Spotlight events

26-31 August 2018, Stockholm will host the annual World Water Week. Click here for more information about the week, and all the events IUCN is organising and is involved with.
IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature
IUCN is a membership Union composed of both government and civil society organisations. It harnesses the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1'300 Member organisations and the input of more than 16'000 experts. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.