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.
World Mountain Forum 2018eventUnder the theme “Mountains in a changing world: strengthening partnership and pathways towards a thriving mountain future”, the fourth World Mountain Forum will be held on 23–26 October 2018, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, hosted by the Government of Kyrgyzstan with support from the Government of Switzerland, the...
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Forum Carpaticum 2018eventThe Forum Carpaticum is an open meeting of the Science for the Carpathians (S4C) initiative that occurs every two years. The fifth Forum Carpaticum will cover a wide range of topics related to sustainability in the Carpathians, including land cover and land-use change, renewable energy, climate change vulnerability assessment and...
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New mountain research and development issuenewsThe newest issue of Mountain Research and Development,Vol 38, No 3 is now available online. Papers in this issue cover a broad range of topics including the foresight process as a means of conservation in a national reserve in Peru, local perception of a dam construction project in the...
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Our Journey 2017: Mountain Partnership SecretariatnewsThe Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) reflects on its key achievements in promoting sustainable mountain development last year in its 2017 annual report. “Our Journey 2017: Mountain Partnership Secretariat Annual Report”, the publication documents the Secretariat’s work in the areas of advocacy, communication and knowledge management, promoting International Mountain Day, brokering...
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Collaborative efforts on mountainsnewsThe Utah Valley University (UVU) delegation discussed the collaborative efforts with the Mountain Partnership at the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development, July 19 2018 in New York, USA. As a Mountain Partnership member, Utah Valley University (UVU) and its Utah-Russia Institute in the USA promote educational,...
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IPROMO 2018: Bio economy in the mountainspeak to peakIssue 117 – Month 7 – Year 2018 The July 2018 issue of Peak to Peak provides a brief overview of the International Programme on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas (IPROMO) that was held from 18 June to 2 July 2018 in Ormea and Pieve Tesino,... Download » |
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