Mountains: > 1000 m asl Occupying about one- quarter of the worlds - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mountains of the World:

Water Towers

for the Fragile Ecosystems

Mohammed Saif Al-Kalbani OWS Member

Mountains: > 1000 m asl (Himalaya, Andes, Alps)

Occupying about one-quarter of the world’s land surface area In Asia, cover 18.2% of the continent

 Providing a direct life-support

base for the 22% of the world’s population living in mountains

 Lowland people also depend

• n mountain environment

 Providing goods and services

to more than half of the world’s population

 Mountain systems are more

sensitive to global alterations

 Highly fragile ecosystems

Mountains: Fragile Ecosystems

 Chapter 13 of ‘Agenda 21’, the

main outcomes of the United Nations Conference

• n

Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro 1992, entitled “Managing Fragile Ecosystems- Sustainable Mountain Development”

 The incipit of Chapter 13 of

Agenda 21 states that “mountains are an important source of water, energy and biological diversity”

Mountains: UN Agenda

 Mountain environments are

essential to the survival of the global ecosystem

 World Summit on Sustainable

Development, Johannesburg: launch the ‘Mountain Partnership’ in 2002

 International

Year

• f

Mountains, 2002

 International

Year

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Freshwater, 2003

 Mountain

World Day, 11 December

Mountains: UN Agenda

1.

Water towers for an increasing world population and food production

2.

Biological diversity and protected areas

3.

Cultural diversity and sacred mountains

4.

Recreation areas for a rapidly growing urbanized world population

5.

Climate change and its effects on ecosystems and water resources – mountains as highly sensitive indicators

Most Important Topics for Mountains

▪ The greatest global value of mountains is as “water

towers”

▪ Water resources provided by the world’s mountains

are vital for both mountain and lowland people.

▪ Importance of mountains for the global freshwater

supply

▪ More than half of humanity relies on freshwater

for drinking, domestic use, irrigation, hydropower and industry (60-80% of freshwater in the world)

▪ In arid regions, mountains are the only areas with

sufficient precipitation

▪ Mountains account for 50-90% to total discharge

in arid areas

▪ Lower evapotranspiration rates at higher altitudes

help store water in reservoirs.

Mountains: Water Towers

▪ Increasing pressures on water resources ▪ Climate change and its impacts on water

resources

▪ Inadequate data and information on mountain

hydrology

▪ Insufficient knowledge on highland-lowland

interactions

▪ Poor dissemination of the limited existing data ▪ Inadequate water resource management ▪ Degradation of water quantity and quality ▪ Changes in the status of water resources in the

mountains will affect mountain dwellers, their livelihoods and welfare

Arid Mountain Water: Challenges

Oman Mountains

Theme Research/Studies Environment/biodiversity Victor 2003; Victor 2009; Al-Jamei 2004 Land use/vegetation change Luedeling and Buerkert 2008; Brinkmann et al. 2011a; Livestock production/grazing Brinkmann et al. 2009; Buerkert and Schlecht 2009; Moreau et al. 2009; Schlecht et al. 2009; Schlecht et al. 2011; Dickhoefer et al. 2010; Zaibet et al. 2004 Crops/irrigated soils Wichern et al. 2004a;b;c Luedeling et al. 2005; Siebert et al. 2007; Robinson and Al Nabhani 2009; Buerkert et al. 2005; 2009a; 2010a Agriculture/food production Gebauer et al. 2007; 2009; Luedeling 2007; Luedeling et al. 2009; Opara et al. 2009a;b; Buerkert et al. 2009b; Al-Busaidi 2010; Al- Rawahi 2012; Al-Rawahi et al. 2014 Crop protection Al-Sadi et al. 2009; Al-Raisi 2010 Tourism Chaudhuri and Ramanathan 2009; Ramanathan and Subramanian 2009; Buerkert et al. 2010b; Al- Balushi et al. 2011 Socio-economic Al-Azri 2005; Al-Busaidi 2012

• Oman Flora and Fauna Survey (Harrison 1975)
• hydrogeology (Stanger 1986)
• Mott MacDonald (1989)
• 1994: 29 small storage dams
• 1999-2005: German-Omani Cooperation Project: Oasis Settlements in

Oman

• Al-Jabal Al Akhdar Initiative: Conservation and Sustainable Development in

a Fragile Arid Mountain Ecosystem, 2004-2007 (Project workshop, 2006)

• Conference: Mountains of the World: Ecology, Conservation, SD, 2008
• 2014: Symposium on Oman Mountain: Environment & Agriculture

❖ Objectives:

➢ Exchanging knowledge, information, experiences,

networking, and best practices between researchers, governmental institutions, decision and policy makers, private sector, non- governmental organizations and other stakeholders

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water resources issues, strategies and management in the mountains.

➢ Identifying challenges and suggesting solutions and

• ptions to implement innovative technologies and

improve water use efficiency and sustainability of water resources in the mountains

➢ Raising awareness for the importance of mountain

ecosystems and implement integrated water resources management

Symposium on "Sustainable Water Management in Fragile Mountain Ecosystems“, 12-13 April 2017, Al Jabal Al Akhdar

❖Themes

✓ Hydro-geological characteristics and its

impacts on mountain water resources.

✓ Water resources utilization for different

sectors in the mountains.

✓ Conventional and non-conventional water

resources development and sustainability in the mountains.

✓ Environmental assessment and climate

change impacts

• n

mountain water resources.

✓ Technology application for sustainable water

resources management in the mountains.

Symposium on "Sustainable Water Management in Fragile Mountain Ecosystems“, 12-13 April 2017, Al Jabal Al Akhdar