World Water Day 2025: glacier protection vs. natural retention

We are warming the climate in many ways – through greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels or agricultural production, but also by draining peatlands. The fact that current adaptation efforts remain insufficient is evident, for instance, in how, despite the drought that has persisted in Poland since 2015, many parts of the country still underestimate the role of natural wetlands in mitigating extreme weather events and their consequences.

Understanding the processes

It is worth explaining how degrading wetlands contributes to global warming. A wet peatland – a bog – is composed of carbon and absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere. When it is drained (for example, by digging a ditch that removes water), the carbon comes into contact with air, oxidizes, and is released into the atmosphere as CO2. This is, of course, a very simplified explanation, but it aims to emphasize that a peatland, which regulates the water and carbon cycle, becomes a source of greenhouse gases when its natural state is disturbed.

Climate change is accelerating the melting of glaciers around the world. Although there are no glaciers in Poland, meteorological observations clearly indicate a trend of warmer winters and a reduced snowpack in the mountains. Can this be seen as an equivalent of disappearing glaciers? In our geographic region, snow in the mountains is crucial for replenishing water resources mainly through a slow melting process. Without a snow cover, the recharge of groundwater is limited. This disrupts the natural water cycle, and as a result, experts from IMGW-PIB have already been warning of a hydrological drought since the end of February this year.

World Water Day as an opportunity to talk about natural retention

On the occasion of World Water Day 2025, we highlight the potential of nature and landscapes to support better water management and climate change adaptation. We emphasize that the most effective and long-term natural reservoir is the landscape: forests, fields, wetlands, water bodies, rivers and their valleys, as well as other green areas.

That is why advisory and educational activities should stress the importance of protecting and restoring natural retention, slowing runoff, and managing rainwater wherever possible. It is important to remember that water management begins in the landscape, in the catchment, where each drop of water falls. Rivers play a unique role in this process, as they are the lowest point and recipient of water from the landscape. Therefore, we should ensure that water remains in them as long as possible.

Understanding these interconnections and seeking solutions based on contemporary knowledge and scientific facts offers a real chance to improve water management in a way that is appropriate for our changing environment. A shift in our approach to water management is key to improving the natural water cycle. Instead of quickly removing water from urban areas, built-up zones, or the landscape, we should redirect it back into the cycle.

Infiltrate, slow down runoff, and store water, minimizing the flow of rainwater into the sewer system and rivers. Solutions to increase water retention do not necessarily lie in artificial reservoirs, which often have only local impacts and do not address the larger issue of water management across the entire catchment area. Protecting and restoring areas of natural retention within the landscape is an opportunity to reduce the vulnerability of local communities and governments to the effects of climate change.

Expert knowledge translated into clear language for local governments and residents

The Zdrowa Rzeka Foundation, together with the Małopolska Marshal’s Office, developed two eco-guides in December 2024 as part of the LIFE Małopolska project for implementing the Regional Climate and Energy Action Plan for the Małopolskie Voivodeship. These guides aim to support the climate adaptation of municipalities, local eco-advisors, and through them, farmers, developers, investors, and building managers:

– Guidelines and good practices for managing rainwater in public buildings and by residents
– Adapting agriculture to climate change. National and international good practices for climate-friendly farming

The publications present practical solutions – Polish and international ideas for managing rainwater and restoring natural retention (keeping water in the landscape), as well as tools to support their implementation. They also showcase examples of agricultural best practices that support climate change adaptation in farming.

The authors of the eco-guides are experts and scientists who share the latest knowledge, supported by experiences from numerous projects carried out by interdisciplinary teams in Poland and abroad.

More information is available at zdrowarzeka.pl.