Whether it comes from melting snow high in the Colorado Rockies, monsoon rainfall on the foothills of the Tibetan Plateau, or the grassy páramos of South America's tropical Andes, fresh water is the building block for all life outside oceans.

Salmon, otters, hippos and aquatic plants call lakes and rivers home, and like us, every species needs water to survive.

Yet as humans further deplete these supplies to water cities and farms, the challenge of supporting the growing human population— while sustaining healthy rivers and lakes— is becoming increasingly difficult.

That's why the Conservancy has made freshwater conservation a global priority.

From Colorado to China to Ecuador, Conservancy staff and partners are working to identify the most effective ways to protect lakes and rivers, and they are sharing and applying those strategies around the globe.

A Conservancy-initiated program to encourage major water users in Quito, Ecuador, to pay for reforestation efforts upstream is informing similar efforts elsewhere in South America, as well as in China and the United States.

Likewise, our experience working with dam operators along the Colorado River to restore natural flow regimes for native fish and forests is helping us apply similar strategies along the Yangtze.

Humankind's need for fresh water has always united us— now, the Conservancy's innovative solutions do too.

Hear from our partners working to protect lakes and rivers around the world.

Read more about the real people who are making a difference in lakes and rivers:

• David Harrison shares the benefits to rivers around the world.
• Dr. Qiaoyu Guo is finding ecological solutions surrounding dams in China.
• Maria and Adelaida Aigaje defend and protect the Oyacachi River.

Photo: A freshwater stream in the Colombian Andes. Photo © Diego Ochoa/TNC