Water Quality for Ecosystem and Human Health

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Categories: Publication | Water quality | Water and Health

Publication Title	Water Quality for Ecosystem and Human Health
Publication Type	Assessment
Author(s)	UNEP’s GEMS Water
Publication Date	2007
ISBN-ISSN-EAN
Publication URL	http://www.gemswater.org/freshwater_assessments/index-e.html#
Contact

1 Summary
2 Content
3 References
4 See also
5 External Resources
6 Attachments

Summary

"Water Quality for Ecosystem and Human Health" is the first report of its kind produced by UNEP’s GEMS/Water Programme. Drawing on examples from around the world, the report presents assessments of current status and trends in water quality. It also provides an introduction to a diverse range of issues of concern in global water quality, and approaches to their detection, analysis, and resolution. The target audience includes academia, research scientists, and water practitioners. It is intended to be particularly useful and encouraging for our colleagues and their constituents in developing and transitional countries.

It is difficult to obtain a global picture of water quality as different countries and regions struggle with a range of environmental pressures and the reality of limited resources available for monitoring, assessment and remediation. However, the report highlights five key messages:

Human-driven processes often have the greatest negative impact on the quality of water resources, even in remote environments;
Impaired aquatic ecosystems can lead to impaired human health and socio-economic decline;
There are new threats to the health of aquatic ecosystems for example, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, requiring immediate attention by regulatory authorities at local, national and global levels;
Successful procedures have been developed for the restoration of aquatic ecosystems including damage caused by acidification and eutrophication, and
Baseline monitoring data for aquatic ecosystems is a priority. Long-term monitoring is also required to track the effectiveness of policies and interventions.