Rio+20 Portal

The sustenance of the incredible variety of species and biodiversity on planet Earth throughout millennia has been largely dependent on the abundance of water that exists here. Water covers more than three quarters of the Earth’s surface but only 3% of it is fresh water. Of this 2% is found in ice caps and glaciers and 1% in underground sources, rivers, streams, lakes and the atmosphere. However due to numerous factors, fresh water has become and is being seriously depleted worldwide. Countries all around the world, including those whose rainfall was, until only recently very high, are experiencing drought. Millions of lives are being lost and many are suffering from severe conditions due to it. Mountain regions cover approximately 25% of the Earths’ land surface and source between 60% and 80% of Earths’ fresh water. All of Earths ‘rivers have their headwaters and origins in them. They are also known as the ‘Water Towers’ of the world. They provide critical storage of fresh water in the form of glaciers, ice and snow. Many streams and rivers would cease to flow entirely if their headwaters and watersheds were not fed by the seasonal melting of these snows. Such valuable storage of fresh water is vital for all life on Earth.

However nowadays glaciers and mountain snows are retreating, shrinking and thinning rapidly in all regions of world, threatening the fresh water and food supply for all. Unlike resources such as coal, oil and gas the fresh water system is a renewable and regenerative one. It has the ability of being replenished. Nonetheless this cycle is utterly dependent upon indigenous mountain forests and plants. They play a major role in protecting the watersheds, which all rivers depend upon. However, worldwide too much of these indigenous forests have been cut or replaced with monoculture plantations, which do not do the same fundamental job. To protect and regenerate Earth’s fresh water cycle these indigenous forests need replanting on a vast scale throughout mountain regions worldwide imminently. We at Active Remedy Ltd have formulated a method for doing this. It is a combination of several modern and traditional conservation techniques that address the diverse requirements of this challenging task. The principal is to create many community managed forest patches, within close proximity to mountain communities and to link these with green corridors. Thus creating a network by which biodiversity can spread over great distances, in a short period of time and with minimum resource expenditure. The green corridors would consist of mixed plants, specifically chosen for their environmentally beneficial properties. These corridors could then also provide resources and cottage industry opportunities for local communities.

This is a way of working in a supportive manner with local mountain communities, recognising that they play a fundamental role as stewards of natural resources that maintain global stability. This could be a way of joining many diverse groups and communities together in an interconnected endeavour, for the common purpose of safeguarding environmental sustainability.