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.
43rd Meeting of the Pacific Islands ForumeventThe 43rd meeting of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF 43) will take place from 27-31 August 2012. The meeting will be preceded by a Smaller Islands States (SIS) Leaders’ Meeting and Pacific African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States Leaders’ Meeting. PIF 43 will include a Formal Session, Leaders’...
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Water scarcity in the tropical Andes: Population growth outweighs climate changenewsAs the Earth’s surface warms, climate models predict that the amount of fresh water for human consumption will likely decrease in parts of the globe. While that prospect looms for many cities around the world, a new study finds a more imminent threat to water supplies of cities in the...
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MRD: Call for papers on "Water Governance in Mountains"news2013 will be the International Year of Water Cooperation. For its August 2013 issue, the Mountain Research and Development (MRD) is seeking papers presenting well-validated policy and practice-oriented insights for supporting improved water governance in mountains (Mountain Development section), and papers that analyze water governance, its implications on people and...
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Tibetan Glaciers Shrinking Rapidly: comprehensive survey reveals influence of prevailing windsnewsThe majority of glaciers on the Tibetan plateau - 100,000 square kilometers of glaciers that supply water to about 1.4 billion people in Asia - and in the surrounding region - are retreating rapidly, according to a study based on 30 years of satellite and field measurements. The research by...
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Water from glaciers for the arid regions: monitoring the BaltoronewsIn the arid climate of northern Pakistan, glacial melt water represents nearly all water usable by the population. Monitor the evolution of the Baltoro, is the objective of the project, elaborated by the researchers of Polytechnic and of the University of Milan and coordinated by EvK2Cnr, within the Seed and...
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 Fig 16-02.jpg "Future Andean Community legislation on illegal mining")
Future Andean Community legislation on illegal miningblogJuly 10, 2012. Last week, during a meeting held in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombia, the countries who are member of the Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador) analyzed and agreed on the final text of future community legislation on illegal mining. Please see the complete information in...
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