Water is the world’s most precious resource and protecting it requires organizations and individuals to come together. Around the world, WWF engages all sectors of society to create a water-secure future.
This power of collective action is on display in the Rio Grande (known as the Rio Bravo in Mexico), an iconic river of the American Southwest and northern Mexico. Flowing over 1,885 miles through the Chihuahuan Desert, it provides fresh water to more than 16 million people across both countries.
Preserving the flow of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo is challenging in a changing climate. Agriculture, invasive species, industries and cities are all vying for this scarce resource, and the waters are severely over-allocated. Non-native species and human activity compound these threats and have significantly changed the river’s natural shape and flow.
As populations continue to grow, demand on the river will increase. Over the next 50 years, water needed to support industry is expected to rise by 40 percent and double for cities. Climate change experts predict the region will become hotter and drier, further straining the water resources.
To combat these challenges, WWF and The Coca-Cola Company brought together organizations from the United States and Mexico to collaborate on activities from field work to governance. Together, we are working toward the same goal: restoring and building the resiliency of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo basin.
Our work is already making an impact. To date, we have restored nearly 35 miles of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo and returned more than 3 billion liters of water to the environment.
We are proud that this project and others around the world have helped make our waterways cleaner, our drinking water healthier and nature more protected while contributing to Coca-Cola’s goal of safely returning to communities and nature an amount of water equal to what they use in their finished beverages and production.
Most importantly, we hope that by engaging local communities and new partners, we are empowering all to protect and manage our shared water resource for generations to come.
Learn more about the importance of freshwater conservation, and what WWF and our partners are doing to make an impact:
WWF's Work on Fresh Water
WWF and Coca-Cola's Partnership to Conserve Water
WWF’s Replenish Paper
Water Security in the Chihuahuan Desert Infographic
Climate-Smart Conservation along the Rio Grande
