In 2008, UNESCO International Hydrological Programme launched an expert panel on water and cultural diversity, with a January 2008 concept meeting in Paris, France followed by a July 2008 policy and planning meeting in the United Kingdom, March 2009 World Water Forum conference presentations and panel meeting, and a September 2009 scientific conference hosted by RIHN, UNESCO-IHPP and UNU-TKI in Kyoto Japan. CPE fellow Barbara Rose Johnston was appointed the US representative to the UNESCO expert panel, attended meetings and, beginning in 2009, took the lead for developing an international, interdisciplinary textbook exploring water, cultural diversity and global environmental change issues, trends, and sustainability concerns. The resulting book was copublished by UNESCO/Jakarta and Springer/Netherlands in 2011, with content developed through a formal partnership between UNESCO International Hydrological Programme, the United Nations University Traditional Knowledge Initiative and the Center for Political Ecology. In 2012, the book became available as a free pdf download through an open access agreement in the publication contract.