ABSTRACT
Mountains are the main world water suppliers. Their counterparts – valleys and fl ood plains – have been experiencing human interventions that jeopardize the integrity of the entire ecological system by mismanagement of land and water resources. The nature of this problem is global for two reasons. First, many of the upland water resources feed transboundary water systems (systems that span more than one country); and second, climate change directly and indirectly affects the performance of the mountains-fl ood plains system. The various chapters in this book cover management options to address the sustainability of upland water resources, using approaches that rely on hydrological, ecological, institutional, and economic disciplines. The book also integrates experiences from many developed and developing countries around the world, covering examples of arid and wet regions, and low and high latitudes.
