The Fall of the Water

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research has also been compounded by the extreme di- versity of the region from tropical rainforests to deserts, steppe and high-altitude environments.

un-foreseen environmental impacts across most land- scape types and ecosystems and exacerbate a common policy deficit throughout the entire region. We present possible outcomes and overviews of what unchecked development may lead to for the water resources and biodiversity in the region given today’s policies.

In this report we present case studies revealing that piecemeal infrastructure development may produce

Objectives The purpose of this report is to assess the risk to the water resources and biodiversity of the Greater Asian Mountain region of large-scale piecemeal infrastruc- ture development. Specifically, the report intends to provide evidence for how unchecked infrastructure development across a broad range of ecosystems from tropical forests to alpine steppe may provide

serious environmental impacts as a result of associ- ated changes in land-use along road corridors. This information is used to present an overview of the cur- rent and possible future extent of threats to the water resources and biodiversity in the region in the context of growing populations, water shortages and climate change.