CHRISTOPHER SCOTT*1
1. University of Arizona - Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy
Water security in headwaters basins responds to complex and uncertain climate and economic-growth drivers within mountain areas. Additionally, highland regions are often subject to the political and economic dominance of lowlands, including from transboundary riparians. Achieving water security in headwaters is contingent on the capacity to transition from reactive management to proactive and anticipatory governance that attempts to foresee and prepare for a range of future changes. This presentation presents and compares current experience in the eastern Himalayas (Nepal, Bhutan, India, and downstream Bangladesh) and the central Andes (in Argentina, Mendoza and downstream La Pampa provinces). Prospective future governance schema and strategies for water security in headwaters basins are distilled.