Key regional players are pooling efforts to reverse the disappearance of springs. “The data is clear. Spring loss is outpacing spring revival. We need to promote spring restoration at scale and with speed.” Sanjeev Bhuchar, Senior Intervention Manager – Springs, ICIMOD The springs of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) aren’t just drying. They’re dying. This is a crisis we can no longer afford to ignore, and one that no single organisation can tackle alone. Earlier this month, key non-government organisations, academia and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), took the first steps towards forging a lasting alliance to bring springs back to life. The collaborative alliance will seek to bind together science, practice and Indigenous Knowledge to drive positive change across the region. To find out more and learn how you can be a part of the alliance, click here: https://www.icimod.org/event/landscapes/hindu-kush-himalaya-springs-alliance/ (fb)

“Earth’s frozen places — ice sheets, glaciers and permafrost — are melting: A clear sign of climate change and a planet quickly exiting the stable state that gave rise to human civilisation,” writes Sean Mowbray in this article in Mongabay. “This great thaw is having far-reaching consequences for communities and individuals across the globe — from polar and mountainous regions to coastal areas,” he states. A new report for UNESCO states that: 🔹 Cryosphere melt is putting freshwater accessibility at risk for more than one billion people living in mountainous regions and a further two billion living downstream as glaciers and snowpacks melt away and decline; most of those individuals live in developing countries. 🔹 Cryosphere melt is endangering two-thirds of irrigated agriculture across Mowbray interviewed Abid Hussain, economist and food systems specialist at ICIMOD, who said, “a snow melt situation with either too much, (or) too little water is causing declines in agricultural production and a move away from farming traditional subsistence crops, such as barley, local beans, and vegetables, with a shift towards cash crops that could cause nutritional deficiencies and adverse public health impacts.” “It’s estimated that the region could reach 'peak water' around 2050; after that, supplies are projected to decline, with implications for health, livelihoods and key infrastructure such as hydropower,” he says. Read the full article by Sean Mowbray on Mongabay.com: https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/with-climate-change-cryosphere-melt-scales-up-as-a-threat-to-planetary-health/ #Glacier2025 #SaveOurSnow #Cryosphere #FoodSecurity (fb)