Future Mountain Groundwater Resources – Waterwise side event on International Year for Glaciers’ Preservation launch day

Feb 5, 2025

On January 21st Waterwise had the privilege of leading a side event at the International Year for Glaciers’ Preservation launch day organized by WMO and UNESCO.   

As glaciers retreat, groundwater will increasingly become the critical resource sustaining river flows and ecosystems. However, our understanding of mountain groundwater systems and their interactions with the cryosphere remains limited by significant data and knowledge gaps. These uncertainties significantly hinder our capacity to develop effective adaptation strategies in the face of rapid environmental changes.

 valley with a stream in the middlePhoto courtesy of Pr. Bettina Schaefli 

Pr. Bettina Schaefli, Dr. Nicolas Oestreicher and Dr. James Thornton took part in a rich panel discussion about “Future Mountain Groundwater Resources”, sharing their research on glacier retreat and its profound impacts on mountain groundwater resources and the ecosystem services they sustain. Their discussion showed that, while advancements in research and monitoring at local pilot sites are enabling us to better understand these impacts, integrating the hidden groundwater resources into regional-scale management strategies remains a significant challenge. Addressing this requires a holistic vision—one that brings together scientists, stakeholders, and policymakers to collaboratively shape sustainable water and land management practices and adaptation strategies.   

Thank you to our panelists for sharing their inspiring research work and thank you to the event organizers for having us. Waterwise will continue to work together with the academic community and the local administrators to share awareness about this pressing issue and to co-design innovative solutions together.   

The event was chaired by Clément Roques, University of Neuchâtel and Monica Tolotti, Fondazione Edmund Mach.