Though the HCV approach originated in forestry and focused on terrestrial flora and fauna, most production activities have an important impact on freshwater systems.

A paper by Abell, Morgan and Morgan discusses fresh water conservation and management in the context of commodity standards and the HCV approach. Though the HCV approach originated in forestry and has tended to focus on terrestrial flora and fauna, most production activities (especially agricultural) have an important impact on freshwater systems and the species and services they provide.

The authors propose a set of freshwater "elements" for each of the six HCVs and suggest an approach for identifying HCV areas that considers the wider hydro-geographical scope linked to production activities. Raising the awareness level of both producers and HCV assessment teams to include freshwaters in HCV assessments will be necessary to ensure that freshwater HCVs are properly identified and maintained.

Download paper here.