Each day, one of every two people on the planet quenches his thirst with water that originates in mountains. And as the world population swells to an estimated 9.6 billion by 2050, the worldwide demand for freshwater will continue to soar.
More than half of humanity relies on mountain freshwater for everyday life. The ten largest rivers originating in the Hindu Kush Himalayas alone supply water to over 1.35 billion people. Some of the world’s largest cities, including New York, Rio de Janeiro, Nairobi, Tokyo and Melbourne, are dependent on freshwater from mountains.
Climate change is already causing more than 600 glaciers to disappear, resulting in springs and rivers drying up. Greater frequency of extreme weather events, droughts and floods, including flash floods and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), are also expected to increase in mountains, causing imbalance between current water supply and demand.
Given the importance of mountain water resources worldwide, the careful management of mountain water resources is a global priority. Water management practices need to be adapted to different climatic zones, using locally adapted soil and water management techniques. Most importantly, watershed management must take into account the needs of all those who depend on mountain water, including those who have the greatest stake in preserving healthy mountain ecosystems – people who live in mountain areas themselves, who are often marginalized from the decision-making processes.
![]() Landscape Blog launched on 30 January 2012newsAs part of the three-year collaborative Landscape for People, Food and Nature Initiative, the new Landscapes Blog has now been launched. The Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative, which officially commenced in November 2011, aims to scale up successful strategies for integrated landscape management that simultaneously support, improve food... Read more » |
![]() System of Rice Intensification (SRI) increases high-altitude rice yields in MadagascarnewsThe SRI method was developed in the 1980s by the French Jesuit priest Henri de Laulanié. Challenging traditional rice production, SRI farmers transplant young seedlings with greater spacing on soil that is moist but not flooded. Proponents of SRI claim this system uses 25-50 percent less water, requires 80-90 percent... Read more » |
![]() Thawing permafrost reduces river runoff, say Chinese researchesnewsResearchers at the Chengdu-based Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have revealed that the amount of water entering the Yangtze River near its source on the Tibetan plateau has fallen by 15 percent over the past four decades, despite a 15... Read more » |
![]() CIPRA report "Water in climate change" now releasednewsThe latest CIPRA background report on "Water in climate change" has been released. The publication includes reports showing the effects from climate change to water utility, as well as political instruments and good practice examples. Water streaming down from Alpine rivers supplies more than 170 millions of people.... Read more » |
Climate Summit for a Living HimalayanewsClimate change poses severe threats to Himalayan nations. With 24 of its 2674 glacial lakes considered unstable, the Kingdom of Bhutan alone is preparing for an increase in "mountain tsunamis", as the phenomenon is often referred to. The one occurred in 1994 caused dozens of people dead. Further to the... Read more » |
Highlands and Drylands: Mountains, a Source of Resilience in Arid RegionspublicationRecognizing the crucial role of Dryland Mountains - water towers for surrounding dry lowland areas, global change laboratories for monitoring the combined effects of climate and socio-economic changes - in the global discourse on how to redefine and implement a truly sustainable development, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the... Download » |
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