Investing in Water and Natural Resources Management

USAID works to protect river and watershed ecosystems to ensure adequate water quality and a healthy habit to support biodiversity.

Richard Volk/USAID

Water is a vital resource not just for humans, but also for a variety of aquatic ecosystems, including wetlands, watersheds, rivers, estuaries, and coastal areas.  These critical habitats supply surrounding communities with a variety of valuable goods and services, such as:

• Moderating floods and droughts
• Filtering water-borne contaminants
• Sustaining forests and living creatures
• Forming the foundation of dry land, coastal and aquatic food chains 

The misuse and over-exploitation of water resources is hastening their degradation, and threatening human settlements and the natural resources they depend on.

USAID’s efforts in water resources management focus on sustaining watersheds and aquatic ecosystem services as the foundation for sustainable development.  The Agency explores opportunities to restore and protect natural systems while using science to inform decision-making and helping to strengthen governance frameworks. 

USAID activities in water-related natural resources management include:

• In Kenya, the Rehabilitation of East Aberdare Forest has planted two million trees, restoring 4,250 acres of forests and 60 formerly dried-up streams.
• In Ecuador, USAID helped improve management of 240,000 acres of key watersheds, trained 799 people and park guards on natural resources management, and provided envi­ronmental education to 6,600 children during fiscal year 2010.
• In Southeast Asia, USAID is helping the six countries involved in the Coral Triangle Initiative to sustain the enormous natural wealth of their region through improved management of marine protected areas, strengthened capacity to adapt to climate change, and incorporating an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.