Protecting resources at the top of the world

The water that flows from the Hindu-Kush Himalayas and Tibetan plateau region affects the lives of nearly half the world’s popula­tion. Despite the vast supply, water in the mountains is increasingly scarce for both drinking and farming. The region’s water authorities must address land and water use policies to ensure future stability.

Research from the United Nations Environment Programme provides evidence of serious environmental damage to the water resources and biodiversity of the Greater Asian Mountain region. This is caused by a range of unplanned development activities. The report also looks at how the impacts of these developments are made worse by the growth in local populations and climate change, which speeds up the melting of glaciers.

Ineffective governance of cross-boundary projects has led to poor environmental management and damage to biodiversity, wildlife and water sources. In 2000, infrastructure development and the exploitation of natural resources damaged 46 percent of the region’s biodiversity. The researchers argue that this may reach as high as 73 percent by 2030.

Despite this, less than three percent of the region’s watersheds are currently protected against unplanned development. The research highlights:

• Unregulated land use along major road corridors has greatly increased the access of industry to forest products, minerals, hydropower, oil and gas, leading to both deforestation and desertification.
• Overgrazing and the loss of traditional migration practices has led to soil erosion, dust storms and land slides, all made worse by climate change.
• The over-consumption of water and deterioration of wetlands have resulted in increased vulnerabil­ity for the local populations, in particular rural communities.
• There has been a substantial growth in the poaching of endangered wildlife.
• Environmental threats now include nuclear waste and toxic pollution from mining.
• There are few, if any, effective regional poli­cies in place to prevent the degradation of resources and damaging environmental impacts.

Protecting mountain ranges and high altitude plateaus may be the most rapid and effective way to reverse the loss of biodiversity and water resources. Many of the countries in the region, particularly Bhutan, Nepal and China, have begun to meet these environmental challenges. However, if new policies are not successfully enforced and funds made available, the ability of the region to provide water for nearly three billion people will be severely reduced.

Policymakers must:

• increase funding and resources for long-term planning to stop and reverse uncoordinated development
• go beyond local participatory programmes, which have suc­cessfully reversed some local degradation, but are not large enough to achieve major changes
• develop and enforce protected areas, learning from the successful experiences of Tibet
• strengthen collaboration between scientists and research institutions from different fields of expertise
• provide adequate resources (particularly funding and personnel) and coordination to reverse and combat desertification and deforesta­tion, learning from the successful programmes carried out in Nepal and China
• implement policies that specifically address the pressures from expanding land use and population growth alongside road networks.

Source(s):
‘The fall of the water’, GRID-Arendal, United Nations Environment Programme, edited by Christian Nellemann, November 2004 Full document.

Funded by: United Nations Environment Programme; the World Conservation Programme

id21 Research Highlight: 31 March 2006

Further Information:
Christian Nellemann
GLOBIO United Nations Environment Programme
GRID-Arendal
C/O NINA
Fakkelgården, Storhove
N-2624 Lillehammer
Norway

Tel: +47 738 01 616
Fax: +47 934 66 713 
Contact the contributor: christian.nellemann@nina.no

United Nations Environment Programme

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