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Rivers, lakes, wetlands: could water become the world's biggest market?

People are payed all around the world to protect water sources. How does it work out? Read along.

 Uganda, Kenya, China. These countries seemingly don't have much in common, but if we take a closer look, we'll see at least one "little thing" that connects them: their projects to protect their water sources. Beer brewers, hotels, flowering companies, even the government-backed programmes pay communities to protect wetlands.

The number of projects that pay communities in any kind of way has risen up in the past four years- according to an online portal named 'Ecosystem Marketplace', which tracks the development of markets for "ecosystem services".  If you want to know more about what these services are, click here.

The market-based progression is expanding very quickly but so are concerns about who benefits from it.

Michael Jenkins, the president of  US non-profit organisation 'Forest Trends' that oversees 'Ecosystem Marketplace' said that we were witnesses of nature's response which might change our valuation of water and that these responses were way more intense than when they'd begun tracking.

Most projects involve deals between downstream and upstream cities. Where the water sources are more commodified, trading systems have been set up.

30% of these projects were identified in China. 73 other programmes are under development in various countries like Malawi, Romani etc.

Supporters argue that the payments for these projects will get us to a new "green economy" and these "green" incomes will help us support the poor.

Though some see cons in this situation, too. Commentators say that this is just commodification and privatisation of water and it'll get us nowhere.

 

 Another thing that makes us think is that these projects have listed some social issues as priorities yet they've done very little about it or nothing at all.

Nathaniel Caroll, one of the report's authors thinks that there are noticable changes and benefits.

All these happenings plant thousands of questions and needs for explanation in our brains. The most appropriate answer and explanation would be some visible evidence.

Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/jan/18/rivers-lakes-wetlands-water-market?intcmp=122