Water management impacts on mountain rivers: Insights from tropical, subtropical and Mediterranean-climate basins

Abstract

Concern for mountain river conservation science in tropical, subtropical, and Mediterranean-climate areas has lagged behind the better-studied cold temperate systems. This chapter outlines some distinctions among these nontemperate mountain rivers and provides a review of anthropogenic pressures and impacts, particularly as they affect biodiversity. Mountain rivers and streams face multiple anthropogenic pressures and these are foreseen to intensify in the future, especially in the developing countries. Conservation and management challenges expose the cultural and societal complexities inherent in both assessing conservation values and applying effective conservation management. Solutions to protecting mountain waters and their landscapes are not simply technological or relegated to protected area management; they require ecological understanding and complex social, cultural, and political change. In terms of the scientific framework, a change from reductionist research traditions to more holistic approaches should also assist greater public awareness and conservation effectiveness.