Water
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.
Mountain environment protects endangered fishnewsAn endangered species of trout is returning from the brink of extinction in the mountains of the Monti Sibillini National Park. The Salmo macrostigma, or Mediterranean brown trout, is an autochthonous trout found in central and southern Italy. The reasons for this trout becoming endangered were two-fold: water management in...
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6th International Symposium for Research in Protected AreaseventNational Parks Austria and Hohe Tauern National Park will host the 6th International Symposium for Research in Protected Areas at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Salzburg, Austria. Researchers and protected areas managers, as well as individuals from government, business, non-governmental organizations and the public who are interested in...
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Mountains to be featured at UNFCCC COP 23peak to peakIssue 110 – Month 11 – Year 2017 The November issue of Peak to Peak announces the two side events organized within the framework of the Mountain Partnership that will take place during the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the United Nations Framework... Download » |
An article inspired by Mount Chirripó, Costa RicanewsMountains have, over the centuries, inspired humanity artistically, spiritually and culturally. Oscar Esquivel Garrote, a biologist and worker in the Amistad Pacífico Conservation Area of the Costa Rican National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), was inspired by Chirripó National Park to write the article “Turismo insólito en las...
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New programme and course on mountain EbAnewsThe Mountain Institute (TMI) launched its new Mountain Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Programme, which seeks to increase the use of ecosystem-based approaches to help mountain communities adapt to climate change. The three-year programme will expand the use of nature-based solutions in key mountain areas of Nepal, Peru and Uganda...
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Eighth meeting of rural Andean peoples closesnewsMore than 100 rural leaders, researchers and development partners from Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Nigeria and Peru met in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile on 12-15 October 2017 to exchange their experiences on the lifestyles of Andean communities, agriculture and water harvesting. The eighth International Meeting...
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