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.
Stepping up for mountains in 2016peak to peakIssue 107 – Month 8 – Year 2017 The August issue of Peak to Peak shares with readers the Mountain Partnership Secretariat 2016 Annual Report. The newsletter continues with stories about a week dedicated to mountains hosted by Bogotá, Colombia that included an International Congress of Paramos and Mountain... Download » |
New issue of eco.mont journal now availablenewsThe latest edition of “eco.mont – Journal of protected mountain areas research and management” is now available online and in print. The papers in the July 2017 issue draw readers’ interest to the floristic features of Mount Cavallo in Italy; introduce us to the white-clawed crayfish in Italy, and to...
|
Andean tourism hotspot faces water challengenewsChivay, a tourism hub and the provincial capital of the Colca Valley in Peru, is situated at approximately 3 600 metres (m) above sea level. With around 7 000 inhabitants, Chivay is the largest community in the Colca Valley, located in the Arequipa Region in the southern part of the...
|
Stepping up for mountains: Mountain Partnership Secretariat Annual Report 2016publicationThe Mountain Partnership Secretariat outlines its key achievements in promoting sustainable mountain development last year in its 2016 annual report. The publication documents the Secretariat’s work in the areas of advocacy, communication and knowledge management, promoting International Mountain Day, brokering joint action and leading capacity development initiatives. The 60-page publication... Download » |
UN days celebrated across the Indian HimalayasnewsThe Centre for Environmental Education (CEE Himalaya) actively raises awareness about the international days that are observed by the United Nations. In the months of May and June 2017, CEE Himalaya with the support of partners organized celebrations of the International Day of Biological Diversity and World Environment...
|
Mountain village alliance holds annual meetingnewsThe Alliance of Central Asian Mountain Communities (AGOCA) convened an annual meeting that brought together 15 members for three days of intensive exchange about the progress accomplished on projects and the remaining challenges of Territorial Public Self-Governances (TPS). The meeting was held on 15-17 June 2017 in ‘Kun-Elek’ village,...
|
Mountain Partnership
| Our work
| Focus areas
| Follow Us
Subscribe to Peak to Peak Newsletter
|
