As a partner organisation with the UNFCCC in the Nairobi Work Program we are looking at the vital importance mixed forests and sustainable mixed mountain forests play in the function of the global water cycle.
“Given their important role in water supply and regulation, the protection, sustainable management and restoration of mountain ecosystems will be essential.” (UNESCO, 2013, ‘Climate Change impacts on Mountain Regions of the World’)
http://www.activeremedy.org/time-for-a-fresh-look-at-the-water-cycle-and-forests/
“Biodiversity is critical to the maintenance of both the quality and quantity of water supplies and plays a vital but often under-acknowledged role in the water cycle.” (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2013). Water and Biodiversity – Natural Solutions for Water Security)
Foof security and nutrition cannot be adequately adressed without also addressing global water security as having an adequate quantity of fresh water is absolutely essential for food varieties and hence nutrition and food security.
In March 2013 the UN Water Task Force created an Analytical Brief to guide governments on how to address global water security. It states:
“Ensuring that ecosystems are protected and conserved is central to achieving water security – both for people and for nature. Ecosystems are vital to sustaining the quantity and quality of water available within a watershed, on which both nature and people rely. Maintaining the integrity of ecosystems is essential for supporting the diverse needs of humans, and for the sustainability of ecosystems, including protecting the water- provisioning services they provide.” (U.N Analytical Brief, 2013)
Stella Joy