Progress on Water-related Ecosystems – 2024 Update

Target 6.6 is: “By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.”

Indicator 6.6.1 tracks changes over time in water-related ecosystems. Earth observations are used to determine changes to surface water bodies, such as lakes, large rivers, flooded wetlands and reservoirs. Recent advances in analysing satellite imagery have also enabled global data sets on lake water quality, coastal mangroves and inland wetland areas. Knowing if and why changes in the extent of water-related ecosystems are occurring is important for water managers to ensure that ecosystem services continue to be provided.

This report presents the global status on water-related ecosystems and acceleration needs to achieve target 6.6 by 2030, based on the latest data on indicator 6.6.1.

Some key findings:

• A global aggregated analysis of water-related ecosystem data reveals that in 50 per cent of countries, currently, one or more water-related ecosystem types are in a state of degradation. This equates to more than 90 of the 185 countries reporting on indicator 6.6.1. These degraded ecosystems deserve utmost attention in protection and restoration policies.
• River flow has significantly decreased5 in 402 (of 12,572) river basins worldwide. This is a fivefold increase from 15 years ago. An estimated 107.5 million people live in the 402 river basins impacted by reduced river flow.
• Surface water bodies, such as lakes, are shrinking or being lost entirely in 364 (of 13,894) basins worldwide. An estimated 93.1 million people live in the 364 river basins where permanent water has been receding.
• The world has lost 5 250 km2 of mangrove area, a net decrease of 34 per cent since 1996. The decline underscores the significant loss of these critical ecosystems worldwide.

Explore the latest data on 6.6.1, by country, region and for the whole world. 

Full Report

Progress Report on Water-related Ecosystems, English

Visual Summary

Visual Summary: Progress on Water-related Ecosystems, English