Strengthen the resilience of mountain communities.

 

Glaciers are more than frozen landscapes — they are lifelines. Mountain glaciers and other cryosphere components are crucial for agricultural production, livelihoods and water and food security with about 70 percent of the Earth’s freshwater existing as glaciers and ice caps. Climate change is a major driver of cryosphere change, including the melting of glaciers. Mountain water flows are therefore becoming more uncertain and variable, affecting the quantity, timing and quality of water for agriculture. When managed sustainably, mountain agriculture is not a driver of degradation but a solution, one that restores degraded ecosystems safeguards soil and water, enhances biodiversity and strengthens the resilience of mountain communities This brief, published by the Mountain Partnership on International Mountain Day, is a contribution to the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025 and it provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the vital role of glaciers and other cryosphere components both within mountain settings and downstream, and offers several considerations for policymakers and practitioner