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The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment has shown that despite their importance to human well-being and biodiversity, the world’s freshwater ecosystems as well as water-related ecosystem services are rapidly being degraded. In order to stop this development and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in particular the MDG 7 to ‘ensure environmental sustainability’, governments and international processes are searching for the most effective way to govern water-related ecosystem services. In this context, two approaches exist: the traditional strategy of command and control, and the use of economic or market-based instruments

In November 2007 and November 2008, we conducted a bird and mammal survey on Wallis and Futuna. We found two non-native bird species on Wallis: the Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) and the Chestnut-breasted Munia (Lonchura castaneothorax), and one on Futuna: the Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus). We also recorded Black Rats (Rattus rattus) on Futuna, a recent introduction to this island. The introduction of 3 bird species and Black Rats in the last decade denotes a lack of preventive measures and demonstrates that the issue of invasive species has not received sufficient priority.

An environmental flow is the water regime provided within a river, wetland or coastal zone to maintain ecosystems and their benefits where there are competing water uses and where flows are regulated. Environmental flows provide critical contributions to river health, economic development and poverty alleviation. They ensure the continued availability of the many benefits that healthy river and groundwater systems bring to society. It is increasingly clear that, in the mid and long term, failure to meet environmental flow require-ments has disastrous consequences for many river users. Addressing the water needs of aquatic ecosystems will often mean reducing the water use of one or more sectors. These are tough choices, but they have to be made to ensure the long-term health of the basin and the activities it encom-passes.

Over the six years since the third edition was prepared, the Draft Covenant has continued to serve as an authoritative reference and checklist for legislators, civil servants and other stakeholders worldwide in their endeavours to ensure that principles and rules of international environmental law and development are thoroughly addressed when they are drafting new. or updating existing, policies and laws. The ever-greater consideration of the environment at the highest political levels is a welcome sign of the role that environmental law and policy has in maintaining international peace and security.