The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) mountains provide a range of services to people in Asia, including water, food, energy, and biodiversity. About 1.3 billion people living downstream of these mountains benefit from HKH water that serves vast irrigated areas in ten major river basins. The food produced from this water contributes to the food security of more than one-third of humanity. The mountains are home to treasured biodiversity, and include four of the world’s 34 global biodiversity hotspots. Mountain ecosystems have nourished diverse cultures over millennia, and resilient mountain communities have found ways to survive and thrive in these remote, fragile, and harsh environments.
