Aquatic Biodiversity, Human Rights, and Water for People’s Progress
Water security, biodiversity protection, and human rights are often discussed in separate rooms, by experts from different sectors, under separate frameworks. For World Water Week, we wanted to bring together experts from these different sectors in one session to bring these threads together, and the conversation made one thing clear: none of these fields can succeed working alone.
We recently co-convened the session Aquatic Biodiversity, Human Rights, and Water for People’s Progress along with IUCN, VITO, Water Research Commission and IWMI to highlight why aquatic biodiversity is central to water security, climate resilience and sustainable development, and why stronger collaboration across science, policy and practice is needed. This session explored how advancing the concept of aquatic biodiversity both as a foundation for human rights and through a Rights of Nature lens can strengthen water governance, climate adaptation, and sustainable development. Speakers examined emerging legal interpretations, policy frameworks, and practical examples that link ecosystem protection, equitable water management, and human well-being, while also considering how nature-centred rights frameworks can reshape governance paradigms. Here are some of the key takeaways from the session:
Science as the Starting Point
Stanley Liphadzi, Executive Manager for Research, Development and Innovation at South Africa’s Water Research Commission, opened the session by grounding the discussion in science before building toward rights. He shared work from South Africa on strategic water source areas and the programs built to protect them: river protection initiatives, citizen science projects, and efforts to maintain ecological flows.
His central message was advocating how we are all water stewards. Ecological health, water security, human well-being, and sustainable development are not separate goals — they need to be addressed together.
Should Biodiversity Be a Human Right?
Amanda Loeffen, CEO of Human Right 2 Water and Vice Chair of Water4All, pushed the conversation further by asking whether biodiversity deserves recognition as a standalone human right. Drawing on a methodology built around the principles of the Human Rights-Based Approach, Amanda argued that treating biodiversity as its own right — rather than folding it into existing environmental or water rights — could prevent the kind of fragmentation that leaves ecosystems protected on paper but unprotected in practice.
Losing Sight of What We Gain
James Dalton, Global Water Director at IUCN, offered a sharper critique of how we talk about nature-based solutions. Too often, the conversation focuses on what we lose when natural systems deteriorate, rather than what we stand to gain by investing in them. His prescription: bring communities to the table, and strengthen people’s rights to rely on healthy ecosystems. Concretely, that means protecting the ecological functions of river basins, building governance structures around nature-based solutions, and — crucially — making the environmental benefits of those solutions tangible and beneficial to the people living alongside them.
The Data Blind Spot
Ian Overton, Director of Water Data Science and Country Manager for Sri Lanka at IWMI, named a gap that ran underneath much of the discussion: there is no integrated approach connecting data, human rights, and water. Without recognizing that connection, results will keep falling short. His data agenda for closing the gap included investing in shared monitoring systems, defining indicators collaboratively rather than in isolation, embedding data into accountability structures, and learning from models that have successfully integrated these fields elsewhere.
Putting a Value on Nature
Karel Bagnoli, an Environmental Economist at VITO, brought the conversation to the question of incentives. Before nature-based solutions can be designed well, he argued, stakeholders need to be understood — their needs, constraints, and motivations. He introduced the economic dimension often missing from these discussions: natural capital accounting, or systematically valuing what we actually gain from nature, as a way of making the case for investment.
The Discussion
The open discussion that followed was lively both in-person and online, and it didn’t resolve neatly. Across every speaker and every point of debate, one idea kept resurfacing: water, biodiversity, and human rights are not competing priorities to be traded off against each other. They are interconnected systems that succeed or fail together — and the frameworks we use to protect them need to reflect that.
Learn more about the speakers
Speakers
Voices from across the water sector joining our sessions. Tap a name to read their full bio.
Amanda Loeffen
CEO, Human Right 2 Water · Vice-Chair, Water4All Governing Board
Amanda Loeffen works at the intersection of human rights, water governance, and innovation, turning global commitments into real-world impact. She is CEO of Human Right 2 Water, advancing rights-based, gender-responsive approaches to water governance, and serves as Vice-Chair of Water4All’s Governing Board.
Dr Amelia Marutle
Partnerships Professional, South Africa’s Water Research Commission
Dr Amelia Masechaba Marutle is a partnership-focused professional at South Africa’s Water Research Commission, where she has worked since December 2023 to build collaborations with stakeholders across the water and sanitation sector, addressing challenges affecting communities in South Africa and across the continent. She holds an MSc in Chemistry from Stockholm University, a PhD in Neuroscience from the Karolinska Institute, and postgraduate studies in Business Economics and Management from KU Leuven. She is especially focused on partnerships that strengthen institutions, support sector transformation, and create opportunities for students, young water professionals, and emerging researchers.
Antonio Lo Porto
Senior Researcher, Water Research Institute (IRSA-CNR)
Antonio Lo Porto is a Senior Researcher at the Water Research Institute (IRSA-CNR), specializing in water resources management, river basin management, and diffuse pollution. He holds leadership roles across major international initiatives, including the Water4All Horizon Europe Partnership, past Chair of EURAQUA, and Chair of the Water JPI Advisory Group, with research collaborations spanning the EU, China, India, and Iran.
Ian Overton
Director Water Data Science & Country Manager Sri Lanka, IWMI
Ian Overton is Director of Water Data Science and Country Manager for Sri Lanka at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and an Affiliate Professor at Adelaide University Business School. Recognised as one of Australia’s top 100 influencers driving a green economy, he brings a career spanning governance, science, and business, with expertise in water management, circular economy, spatial modelling, and complex systems, gained across government, academia, and industry in Australia, the UK, France, Sri Lanka, and Africa. He previously served as Chief Executive of Green Industries SA and has held board roles including Circular Australia, Regional Development Australia Adelaide, and the Conservation Council of South Australia. He holds a PhD, MBA, and multiple honours degrees.
James Dalton
Global Water Director, IUCN
James Dalton leads IUCN’s global work on water and wetlands, connecting basin governance, ecosystem resilience, and finance to deliver results for people and nature. His work spans transboundary water cooperation, water stewardship, and nature-based solutions across 25+ countries over 28+ years. He also serves on the Boards of the Alliance for Water Stewardship and the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation.
Karel Bagnoli
Environmental Economist, VITO
Karel Bagnoli is an environmental economist with an advanced master’s degree in economics from KU Leuven. He is currently an economist at the Flemish research institute VITO, where he works on the economic assessment and financing of water-related projects and policies. His expertise covers cost-benefit analysis, ecosystem service valuation, water pricing, and innovative financing mechanisms for water and nature-based solutions. He participates in the Water4All Partnership, where he works on the value proposition of living labs, and contributes to several Horizon Europe projects on ecosystem service valuation and the development of financing frameworks for Nature-based Solutions. His work also supports the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive through research on water pricing and financing, helping policymakers and practitioners develop economically sound and financially feasible water management strategies.
Stanley Liphadzi
Executive Manager: Research, Development and Innovation, Water Research Commission
Dr. Stanley Liphadzi is Executive Manager: Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) at South Africa’s Water Research Commission (WRC), where he leads the strategic direction of the RDI portfolio, driving knowledge, technologies, and innovations that advance sustainable water management and socio-economic development. He holds a PhD in Agronomy from Kansas State University and a Master of Business Leadership from the University of South Africa, and brings extensive multidisciplinary experience spanning academia, research management, and institutional leadership, including roles as adjunct professor, lecturer, and research manager, along with service on multiple organizational boards. A Fulbright Scholar, he has authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles in international journals.
