Those of us here, and conservationists around the world, have realized that clean water, ecosystems and human activities are not separate realms. If we can spread the idea that social well-being, economic stability and the natural environment are interdependent, and degradation of any one endangers of all three, even those who have not made the environment a priority will see that we can no longer overuse and misuse our water resources. Keeping ecosystems alive should be a guiding principle in the decisions we make. This is of course no easy task. Different parts of the world have their own reasons for ignoring environmental needs.
Wealth breeds indifference, while poverty breeds desperation.
In the developed North, abundance in both money and natural resources, insulates the inhabitants from the consequences of water wastage. In the developing South, where the worst natural shortages occur, poverty makes survival the priority and pushes environmental concerns to the fringes. It is unfair to place the bulk of the burden of ecological preservation on those very countries already staggering under supreme shortages of resources, education, infrastructure, and money. We have to assure the preservation of ecosystems and biological diversity, yes, but we must also help secure the livelihoods of communities around the world. And those who use the lion s share of the world s water must share with those who have less they must share their resources, their expertise, and their understanding that the challenges faced in other parts of the world must be recognized as their own challenges as well.