RAIN supported sustainable water resources management and increased water supply access in and around the Mt. Mulanje protected area - of national economic importance and global environmental significance for its rich biodiversity. Mt. Mulanje produces abundant water resources that are critical to surrounding populations and businesses, including tea estates of high economic value. These water resources are now seriously threatened. Encroachment into both natural and plantation forest areas, uncontrolled burning and illegal logging, and unsuitable smallholder farming practices on the steep lower slopes of the mountain have adversely affected local water quantity and quality. RAIN activities in the region worked in diverse ways to respond to these challenges. RAIN partners improved access to water for household use and small-scale irrigation by rehabilitating system infrastructure in targeted areas. The Mt. Mulanje watershed and its biodiversity were also conserved and rehabilitated through better management of agricultural lands and increased public participation in watershed conservation efforts.