ABSTRACT
In March 2005, the UN proclaimed the ‘Water for Life’ decade in an attempt to draw attention to the rapidly emerging water problems around the world. Providing sufficient and safe water to all users while maintaining sufficient water for aquatic biota and ecosystems is probably one of the greatest human challenges we face in this century. Since the major freshwater sources originate in mountains (Viviroli et al, 2003), it is essential that we sustain and protect the water resources in mountains. This can only be achieved with the introduction of innovative approaches to watershed management. In view of increasing land-use intensification and climatic variability, it is clear that traditional management approaches are no longer adequate.
