A river’s cycle of high and low flows is much like our blood pressure: a vital indicator of overall ecosystem health.

If we wish to maintain the many social, cultural and economic benefits that rivers provide then we must maintain the flows that support them, says World Wildlife Fund-Canada (WWF-Canada) in a report titled Canada’s Rivers at Risk.

Despite significant challenges facing Canada’s rivers, Canada, unlike many other countries, still has the opportunity to avoid a national freshwater crisis, but only if we take three critical actions to keep the country’s rivers flowing.

Take aggressive action on climate change
Be part of the global solution to stopping climate change by helping to create and implement a fair, effective, and science-based global agreement, while reducing Canadian emissions and protecting rivers as the climate changes.

Keep water use within nature’s limits
Maintain water withdrawals within each watershed’s sustainable limits and prohibit interbasin transfers that move water from one watershed to another.

Change the flow
Design and operate dams and other instream infrastructure to better balance nature’s needs with human needs for hydropower, navigation, flood control and water storage.

World Wildlife Canada-Canada
Oct.,2009