Rockies a key water resource, need protection

“These mountains are so important for the water resources and we have to take care for this upland watershed management,” Bruno Messerli of the University of Bern said after presenting a case study at an international water forum.

Mountains need to be thought of as rocky water towers and protected by government, Messerli said. That must involve more of an effort to implement the Kyoto accord to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Mountains account for 20 to 50 per cent of runoff in humid-temperate regions. In semi-arid and arid areas that contribution rises to between 50 and 90 per cent of the water supply.

Chronicle Herald