The Glacier Action Network (GAN) is an IUCN-led, Member-driven initiative that unites governments, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, scientists, financiers and civil society to agree and take action on the transitions unfolding in glacier and post-glacial ecosystems.

Our commitment to glacier futures

Glaciers are retreating at unprecedented speed. By the end of this century, melting outside Antarctica and Greenland is expected to expose a new area of land and water somewhere between the size of Nepal and Finland, creating vast post-glacial ecosystems such as rivers, lakes, coastal zones and terrestrial habitats. These emerging ecosystems will influence biodiversity, freshwater availability, natural hazards and local economies, from Alpine tourism and mountain sports to hydropower and downstream agriculture. Yet less than half of today’s glacier areas lie within protected areas, and most countries still lack coherent strategies to govern and safeguard these future ecosystems.

IUCN with its vision of “a just world that values and conserves nature” is uniquely equipped to act on this challenge. As a membership Union of over 1,500+ government and civil society organisations and 17,000 experts, IUCN provides a trusted, safe space for dialogue and negotiations at the interface of science, policy and practice.

The IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology recognises ice- and snow-influenced systems across terrestrial, freshwater and marine realms, while the Red List of Ecosystems offers a global standard to assess the risk faced by glacier and post-glacial ecosystems. Furthermore, decades of experience in mountain ecosystem-based adaptation and transboundary water cooperation, places IUCN in a strong position to convene Alpine and European actors and connect them with glacier regions worldwide. IUCN is convening the Glacier Action Network as the Union’s practical response.

Building on IUCN’s global reach, GAN works as a network of regional and thematic nodes of action that translate the realities of glacier retreat into coordinated science, policy and investment decisions for water, energy, food and disaster risk management. In doing so, GAN channels support to the people and places most exposed to glacier and post-glacial change and strives to ensure that these transitions are governed with resilience and justice at their core.

IUCN with its vision of “a just world that values and conserves nature” is uniquely equipped to act on this challenge. As a membership Union of over 1,500+ government and civil society organisations and 17,000 experts, IUCN provides a trusted, safe space for dialogue and negotiations at the interface of science, policy and practice.

The IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology recognises ice- and snow-influenced systems across terrestrial, freshwater and marine realms, while the Red List of Ecosystems offers a global standard to assess the risk faced by glacier and post-glacial ecosystems. Furthermore, decades of experience in mountain ecosystem-based adaptation and transboundary water cooperation, places IUCN in a strong position to convene Alpine and European actors and connect them with glacier regions worldwide. IUCN is convening the Glacier Action Network as the Union’s practical response.

  • Equip countries with Glacier Transition Profiles that combine integrated assessments of glacier change, downstream exposure and vulnerability, and translate these into concrete options for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), hydropower and land-use planning, and selected transboundary water agreements.
  • Strengthen multi-hazard disaster-risk reduction, early warning systems and insurance/contingency finance instruments that reflect the real
    exposure and vulnerability of downstream communities.
  • Catalyse public–private partnerships and investments for nature-based solutions, developing bankable portfolios (e.g. restoration, resilient infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture).
  • Elevate youth, Indigenous Peoples and local innovators as glacier stewards, through small grants, creative campaigns and digital tools that build glacier literacy.
Why is the Glacier Action Network needed?
Social equity and security are at stake in glacier-fed basins

From high mountain farming communities in the Alps to densely populated downstream plains in Asia and Latin America, people are already experiencing water stress, livelihood disruption and growing climate-related hazards linked to cryosphere change. Without deliberate, inclusive planning, transitions in post-glacial ecosystems risk deepening existing inequalities, marginalising Indigenous and local knowledge and fuelling tensions over water, land and minerals.

Mountain economies and identities are already under pressure

In the European Alps, glaciers have lost around half their volume since 1900, with melt accelerating in recent decades. This is shortening ski seasons, altering summer hiking routes and eroding the iconic landscapes that underpin local economies, jobs and regional identities.

Disaster risk from glacier-related hazards is outpacing governance

Glacial lakes are expanding worldwide, and an estimated 15 million people are exposed to potential glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) impacts, with danger hotspots in High Mountain Asia and the Andes. Yet most countries lack clear governance arrangements for post-glacial ecosystems, basin-wide risk assessments and integrated early warning systems linking high mountain lakes to downstream communities, infrastructure and utilities.

Insurers, utilities and investors lack forward-looking glacier risk information

Hydropower operators, municipalities, transport agencies and insurers still rely on historical hydrology and outdated risk models. Few contracts or plans account for accelerating glacier mass loss, shifting seasonality of runoff or emerging post-glacial hazards, creating hidden liabilities in energy planning, water supply, transport corridors and insurance portfolios.

Get involved

For more information contact: water@iucn.org

Other ongoing initiatives

  • Source to Sea Action Platform

    The source-to-sea approach recognizes that what we do on land and in rivers, lakes and aquifers can have impacts further downstream, along coasts and in the ocean. By taking these linkages into account, the approach applies a holistic view of the source-to-sea system, which will result in greater benefits for the entire system.

  • Freshwater Challenge

    The Freshwater Challenge (FWC) is a country-led initiative, launched at the UN Water Conference in New York in March 2023 by the governments of Colombia, DR Congo, Ecuador, Gabon, Mexico and Zambia. It is part of the Water Action Agenda and under the auspices of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.

  • Al-Murunah

    Al Murunah is a five-year project funded by the UK Government that IWMI implements in partnership with IUCN. It aims to enhance water security in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories by integrating nature-based solutions for water and agricultural water management.