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Objectives
The purpose of this report is to assess the risk to the
water resources and biodiversity of the Greater Asian
Mountain region of large-scale piecemeal infrastruc-
ture development. Specifically, the report intends to
provide evidence for how unchecked infrastructure
development across a broad range of ecosystems
from tropical forests to alpine steppe may provide
serious environmental impacts as a result of associ-
ated changes in land-use along road corridors. This
information is used to present an overview of the cur-
rent and possible future extent of threats to the water
resources and biodiversity in the region in the context
of growing populations, water shortages and climate
change.
un-foreseen environmental impacts across most land-
scape types and ecosystems and exacerbate a common
policy deficit throughout the entire region. We present
possible outcomes and overviews of what unchecked
development may lead to for the water resources and
biodiversity in the region given today’s policies.
research has also been compounded by the extreme di-
versity of the region from tropical rainforests to deserts,
steppe and high-altitude environments.
In this report we present case studies revealing that
piecemeal infrastructure development may produce