A Shimmering Example of Watershed Management on World Water Day

Productive agricultural landscapes, healthy communities and resilient livelihoods are all dependent on the sound management of freshwater resources. 2014 World Water Day gives us the opportunity to recall that integrated watershed management is an important factor in realizing sustainable ecological and social systems.

The Pokhara Valley of Nepal holds Rupa Lake, where an agricultural biodiversity conservation project is bringing together the many communities reliant upon agriculture and fish farming throughout the watershed. The Rupa Lake Rehabilitation and Fisheries Cooperative, made up of farmer groups  and local organizations, has implemented benefit sharing mechanisms that provide incentives for upstream and lake communities to protect ecosystem services through land use diversification, conservation and biodiversity management.

Watch a video on how the cooperative earned money from ecosystem services that paid for their upkeep.

Read more about the project, including a recently released brief on its progress and achievements.

What other initiatives are bridging the gap between water, agriculture and forestry? Share one for #WorldWaterDay in the comments section below.