Highland aquatic resources conservation and sustainable development

While the link between environmental degradation and increased vulnerability of poor communities is well known, only limited information is available concerning communities in highland areas, and even less regarding those dependent on aquatic resources and associated ecosystem services in such settings. Moreover, the role of aquatic resources is not well understood in relation to livelihoods among food-insecure households. This HighARCS project mobilizes the expertise of a multi-disciplinary research team from European and Asian institutions to better understand how to sustainably manage highland aquatic resources and to reconcile demands stemming from multiple-use. The research has been conducted at five sites in Asia: Guandong, China; Uttrakhand, India; West Bengal, India; Northern Vietnam and Central Vietnam. Our aim is to develop an understanding of the importance of aquatic resources in highland areas of Asia, and to formulate conservation, livelihood and policy action plans with local communities. Best practices aimed at conserving biodiversity and sustaining ecosystem services will be communicated to potential users to promote uptake and enhanced policy formulation. For further details see our project website: www.higharcs.org