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 summer course in Italy to openpeak to peakIssue 106 – Month 7 – Year 2017 The July issue of Peak to Peak begins with an announcement of the opening of the 2017 International Programme on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas (IPROMO) on 5 July in Ormea and Pieve Tesino, Italy. The newsletter... Download » |
Mountain summer course in Italy to opennewsParticipants of the 2017 International Programme on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas (IPROMO) will meet on 5 July in Ormea and Pieve Tesino, Italy to begin a two-week training programme on sustainable mountain development. About 30 professionals from the fields of Agriculture, Economics, Forestry, Biology, Geology...
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Mountain Research and Development issue onlinenewsArticles in Mountain Research and Development (MRD) often relate to the climate change debate at the core of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) process currently gearing up for the 6th Assessment Report. Two papers in this open issue offer contrasting positions: one is critical and advocates a stronger...
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FAO's Work in Sustainable Mountain Development and Watershed Management—A 2017 UpdatepublicationThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) provides an update on its activities related to sustainable mountain development and watershed management in this 2017 platform statement published in Volume 37, Issue 2 (May 2017) of Mountain Research and Development. Download » |
High-level mountain conference announcedpeak to peakIssue 105 – Month 6 – Year 2017 The June issue of Peak to Peak announces the high-level conference on mountains “Mountains under Pressure” that will be held on 11 December 2017 at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy. The newsletter continues with... Download » |
CinemAmbiente Environmental Film FestivaleventSince its inception in 1998, the “CinemAmbiente” Environmental Film Festival has presented some of the best in environmental films. The festival seeks to address the myriad issues related to the environment, including pollution, consumerism, food, waste production and management, genetically modified organisms (GMO), sustainable development and climate change, with a...
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