The Fifth GEF Biennial International Waters Conference, co-hosted by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Government of Australia, gathered over 300 of the world’s leading water specialists to identify practical measures for coping with climatic variability.

The Conference, held from 24-29 October 2009, at the Australian Great Barrier Reef, featured new research results on protecting coral reefs, adapting to the accelerated warming of coastal oceans, and adjusting to the movement of fisheries away from warming, polluted waters.
During the event, a recent global assessment financed by the GEF was presented showing that Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) are warming much more rapidly than expected and are over-fished and over-fertilized. The study found that 61 of the world’s 64 large marine ecosystems show a significant increase in sea surface temperatures in the last 25 years, contributing to decreasing fisheries catches in some areas and increasing catches in others.
The Conference also cautioned that the impacts of climate change on land and water resources increases the relevance of groundwater as the world’s largest store of freshwater, and the primary source of drinking water for nearly half the world’s population. As most aquifers are transnational, the importance of managing them as shared transboundary resources was also emphasized.
Links to further information
GEF press release, 29 October 2009
GEF press release, 26 October 2009
GEF press release, 19 October 2009