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.
Lucerne World Mountain Conference: Closing and Call for ActionnewsThe Lucerne World Mountain Conference closes with a "Call for Action" to bring a conjunct strong message to Rio+20 in June 2012. Twenty years after the Rio 1992 meeting, over 100 participants joined to meet in Lucerne, Switzerland to make a compelling case for mountains in international development discussions. A... Read more » |
Publication Launch - Highlands and drylands: Mountains, a source of resilience in arid regionsnewsDuring the tenth session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP10) - scheduled to convene from 10 to 21 October in Changwon City, Gyeongnam Province, Republic of Korea - an event will be held to launch a new publication entitled "Highlands and Drylands: Mountains, a source of... Read more » |
Mountain Research and Development - available online and open accessnewsIn the newest issue of Mountain Research and Development (MRD) three papers focus on water resources and water management issues in the Indus Basin—one of the largest watersheds in the world, with well over 200 million people in the lower basin depending on the water from headwaters shared by China,... Read more » |
"Environment for Europe" Ministerial Conference - KazakhstannewsThe Seventh “Environment for Europe” Ministerial Conference will take place from 21 to 23 September 2011 in Astana, Kazakhstan, convened by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Committee on Environmental Policy. The two main themes for the Conference are Sustainable management of water and water-related ecosystems; and Greening... Read more » |
Water issues in the Andes - CONDESAN radio broadcastsnewsFive short radio broadcasts on water issues in the Andes are now on the website of Consorcio para el Desarollo Sostenible de la Ecorregión Andina (CONDESAN). The broadcasts have been developed by CONDESAN with the support of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID) and of the... Read more » |
Glacier retreats in Teesta basin, India study saysnewsA study conducted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (India) in association with the Ahmedabad-based Space Application Centre of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has revealed glacier retreats in the Teesta basin (part of the Brahmaputra basin. According to the study in 1990, 34 glaciers once covered... Read more » |
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