A voluntary network is giving communities and policymakers the evidence they need to ensure water security
The Challenge
- In the Andes, shrinking glaciers and other climate change impacts are endangering
the supply of water to downstream ecosystems and millions1
of people. - There is little data about the flow of water in Andean catchment areas, and whether
adaptation measures are working. - Many sites in the Andes are difficult to access, which makes monitoring and
maintaining equipment challenging. - A network of low-cost, community-maintained sensors is filling this information
chasm and driving collaboration, evidence-based decision-making, and adaptation
in the region.
Authors
Professor Wouter Buytaert
Professor in Hydrology and Water Resources,
51³Ô¹ÏÍø, UK
Dr. Bert De Bievre
Director of Quito Office,
Fund for the Protection of Water (FONAG), Ecuador
Dr. Boris Ochoa-Tocachi
Chief Executive Officer,
ATUK Strategic Consultancy,
Ecuador
Katya Perez
Wildlife Conservation Society,
Ecuador and 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, UK