How much do you know about walruses and the threats they face?
Walruses are easily recognised by their sheer size. But they are also eye-catching for their magnificent tusks, which they use to keep breathing holes in the ice open, to haul themselves out of the water onto an ice floe, and to fight with others.
They play a critical role in ocean ecosystems in the Arctic but their future is uncertain. Once threatened by commercial hunting, the biggest danger the walrus faces today is climate change. Find out more about the walrus scene in Our Planet. |
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|  | Why should we care about freshwater ecosystems? Read the fascinating blog by WWF freshwater experts Dean Muruven and Dave Tickner. |
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 | While planned hydropower dams continue to cast their shadow over many of the world’s remaining healthy, free-flowing rivers, and new research has pointed to the true scale of declines in the Earth’s insect populations, we have also witnessed 16-year-old Greta Thunberg inspiring millions of children around the world to demand action to limit climate change.
Fans of aquatic wildlife have had other reasons to cheer recently. Otters have returned to almost every English county. Beavers have come back to Italy after a 500-year absence. The world’s biggest dam removal project — on the Elwha River in the US — has seen salmon revisiting spawning grounds that had been off-limits for almost a century.
When we give Mother Nature a chance, she can bounce back. This is especially so in our rivers and wetlands.
And thriving freshwater species are an indicator of healthy rivers and wetlands, which are crucial to anyone who drinks water or eats food. Which would be all of us. So you would think that freshwater habitats and species would feature prominently in global environmental agreements, however, current policies aren't strong enough.
For those concerned that freshwater ecosystems have not received its due, we now have a golden opportunity. In 2020, key inter-governmental meetings will review countries’ progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris climate agreement.
It is an unprecedented opportunity to secure a New Deal for Nature and People — and this could be a new deal that includes a freshwater focus. |
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Dave Tickner is WWF-UK’s Chief Freshwater Advisor,
Dean Muruven is Global Policy Manager in WWF’s global Freshwater Practice. |
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| From the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment and new hope for restoring our planet's forests, to curbing wildlife trafficking in Africa and a global initiative to transform the rubber market, we've secured stronger protection and laws for nature and people. Discover our recent wins. |
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