Publication Name

Preface by the Executive Director of UNEP and the

Director General of IUCN

Water means life. Nowhere else on this planet is the

dependence of the population on mountains for the

water resources they provide as high as in Asia. Here,

on the “Roof of the World”, nearly half of the world’s

population relies on the health of mountain ecosystems

to supply clean water for drinking, sanitation, food pro-

duction, livestock and biodiversity.

This report is a result of a collaborative effort between

the United Nations Environment Programme, IUCN

– The World Conservation Union and local experts

across the Himalayan region. It demonstrates that

continued unrestrained “piecemeal” development

of these vulnerable mountain areas undermines the

future availability of water resources to both people

and nature. Recent floods have also shown how cru-

cial sound watershed management is to livelihoods

and – ultimately – the survival of millions of people

throughout Asia.

Satellite images in the report reveal significant changes

over the past decades, including deforestation, erosion

and salinization. It is therefore of particular concern

that only a few percent of these watersheds are current-

ly protected. The report makes a powerful statement

that if we fail to assess the impacts of uncontrolled

large-scale development, we may indeed lose what we

gain locally. This is especially important as the human

and financial costs of reversing established settlement

and infrastructure development in environmentally

sensitive regions are very high.

While there are many promising steps towards im-

proved environmental governance in the region, for

example in Nepal and in parts of China, much more

is needed. Options for action include increasing the

number and extent of protected areas and providing

adequate financial resources and enforcement to safe-

guard these critical habitats and the indigenous com-

munities they shelter.

We hope that this report will help the involved govern-

ments and people in the region understand the con-

tribution of conservation to watershed management.

UNEP and IUCN welcome increased local and inter-

national collaboration on shared water resources and

emphasize the need for all governments in the region

to expand protected areas in the catchments and basins

of the great rivers and seize a unique opportunity for

peacefully reaching common goals. We all share a deep

personal responsibility and obligation to ensure that

future generations can also benefit from the fall of the

water from the world’s tallest mountains.

Klaus Toepfer

Executive Director, UNEP

Achim Steiner

Director General, IUCN