7th January 2026
How do we protect and preserve fresh water supplies – part 2
Land use changes, especially things such as deforestation and urbanisation, have aggravated the problem –
“Deforestation, agriculture, and urban expansion have greatly changed the way land stores and moves water. When forests are cleared or soils are sealed under concrete, they lose their ability to hold green water — the moisture that plants rely on. This weakens local rainfall, increases runoff, and can intensify both floods and droughts. Changes to land systems also affect regional weather patterns, such as monsoons, and create feedback loops that further influence the climate.” (1)
Reducing or indeed eliminating such land use changes is clearly beneficial for the wellbeing of the planet. We can go further by reversing the changes by both protecting and increasing land uses that capture and store – eg through reforestation, restoring peatlands and wetlands, re-wriggling rivers (ie allowing them to flow freely and more slowly across a greater expanse of the flood plain, re-establishing water meadows, limiting the extraction of water to protect lakes and aquifers etc.
These nature based solutions not only protect supplies of fresh water, they also protect and enhance biodiversity and reduce the risk of flooding, creating a better environment for us to enjoy.
(1) https://www.planetaryhealthcheck.org/boundary/freshwater-change/
The Green Tau 