From Restoration to Resilience: How the UN Decade Can Safeguard Water

Preserving riparian ecosystems – the areas on the banks of rivers or streams – is essential to protecting biodiversity and stewarding our increasingly scarce water resources. Indeed, these extended areas next to rivers or other water bodies serve as unique habitats for biodiversity. In addition, they provide important ecosystem services by helping to maintain water quality, prevent erosion, and provide habitat for wildlife.