Environment
World´s Large Rivers Initiative kicks off in Vienna
rising demands, population growth,
industrialization and urbanization.
Changes in land-use in and around the
great rivers, combined with climate
change, are causing ever more frequent
and severe floods and droughts,
increasing pollution, degrading aquatic
habitats, and rapidly reducing biological
diversity and the availability of clean
freshwater. All these issues are affecting
the most vulnerable segments of the
population.
The resources provided by large rivers
are often shared by several states, as
many as 18 in the case of the Danube
River Basin, for example, which is why
a multilateral approach is required to
improve the management of the world’s
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