Mountains provide key services and goods for all human-kind while also facing important challenges that threaten sustainable development at the global level. Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD) should have a place at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Develop-ment in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. Mountains

• cover27%oftheEarth’slandsurface

• arehometo12%oftheworld’spopulation,wholiveinanoftenstunningbutalsoharshandeveninhospitableenvi-ronment

• providefreshwatertooverhalfofhumankind

• provide key resources such as minerals, timber, and theplantgeneticresourcesofmajorfoodcrops

• are major destinations for tourism, the fastest growingindustryworldwide

• containmorethanhalfoftheworld’sbiodiversityhotspots.

Mountains Key players for global sustainable development

Moving Mountains to Rio 2012 and beyondAt the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 1992, mountains were recognized for the first time as major ecosystems important at the global scale. The intro-duction of Chapter 13 on fragile mountain ecosystems into Agenda 21 brought high-level political attention to moun-tains that contrasted with their usual marginalization. Twenty years later mountains matter more than ever but they are still treated as marginal. However, globalization and climate change have shown many political and eco-nomic leaders and humankind in general that mountains are crucial in providing ecosystem goods and services.

InviewofRio2012,mountainsneedtobeconsideredasakeycontext,bothforgreeningtheworld’seconomyandfordefining and implementing new institutional arrangementsthatwillhelptoachievetrueglobalsustainabledevelopmentforthesakeofabetterfutureonearth.Theroleofmoun-tainsandtheirrecognitioninkeyinstrumentsandprocesses–particularlyinthethreeUNconventionsonclimatechange,biodiversityanddesertification–needtobeemphasised.

Mountains also embody key global issues such as migra-tionandurbanisation,foodsecurity,landdegradation,con-flicts,watersupply,energyproduction,transportandwastemanagement, biodiversity conservation and protected ar-eas,extremeweatherevents(floods,droughts),andnaturalhazards.However,theirphysicalremotenessdoesnotmeanthat mountain people and their environments should beoverlookedbytherestofhumankind.Onthecontrary,with-outbettermutualunderstandingandcooperationregardingmountains,thechallengeofglobalsustainabledevelopmentwillnotbeachievable.

© W. Barthlott 1996, 2005

DZ 1 (<100)

DZ 2 (100 – 200)

DZ 3 (200 – 500)

DZ 4 (500 – 1000)

DZ 8 (3000 – 4000)

DZ 7 (2000 – 3000)

DZ 6 (1500 – 2000)

DZ 5 (1000 – 1500)

DZ 10 (> 5000)

DZ 9 (4000 – 5000)

Diversity Zones (DZ): Number of species per 10,000 km² (in brackets)

Mountains and highlands > 1,000 m a.s.l.without Greenland and Antarctica

Map scale: approx. 1:200,000,000

Map SourceW. Barthlott, G. Kier, H. Kreft, W. Küper, D. Rafiqpoor& J. Mutke 2005, Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn

Terrain data: resampled from GTOPO30, produced by US Gelogical Survey (UGS)Continental boundary: ESRI Data and Maps

Map projection: MollweideMap compilation 2011: Ulla Gämperli Krauer,CDE, University of Bern

20°N 20°N

0° 0°

20°S 20°S

80°N 80°N

60°N 60°N

40°N 40°N

40°S 40°S

60°S 60°S

80°S 80°S

GMBA C. Körner

However, mountains also

• includeone-quarterof theworld’spoorestandhungriestpeople,whodeserve thebenefitof special efforts to re-ducepoverty

• are among the regions most sensitive to and alreadyaffectedbyclimatechange; theirecosystemsactasearlyindicators,forexamplethroughrapidglaciermelting,withconsequencesfarbeyondmountainboundaries

• suffer fromwidespread landdegradation thatendangerslivelihoodsandtriggersdisasterswhichalsoaffectlowlandareas.

Why mountains matter

Mountains are hotspots of global biodiversity Mountains are focal points of global biodiversity, as they

host more than half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.

They are also important centres of agro-biodiversity, with

a great variety of locally adapted crops and livestock. This

represents an important genetic resource in assuring

food security for a growing world population. Mountain

biodiversity provides essential goods and services such

as timber, medicinal plants, and recreational landscapes.

Mountain biodiversity, a global heritage, is threatened by

unsustainable forms of land use, over-exploitation of re-

sources, and climate change.

• Tropicalandsubtropicalmountainsaremajorcentresofbiodiversity: MountKinabalu inSabah (Malaysia)har-boursover4000plantspecies.Thisismorethanaquar-terofallplantspeciesintheUSA.

• Mountainsarerichinendemicspecies,i.e.speciesthatoccurnowhereelse.InIran,over50%ofthemountainplantsareendemic.

• The proportion of protected mountain areas has in-creasedeight-foldinthelast40years.

• 6ofthe8centresofagro-biodiversityfordomesticatedplants(‘VavilovCentres’)arefoundinmountainareas.

Examples of policy implications

• TheUNConventiononBiologicalDiversity,withitsWorkProgrammeonMountainBiodiversity,providesaframe-workforaction.ItsimportancewasconfirmedbyCOP10in2010.

• TheInternationalTreatyonPlantGeneticResourcespro-videsrulesthatgovernaccessto,use,andbenefit-shar-ingofgeneticresources,includingthoseinmountains.

• Atthenationallevel,policyactionforbiodiversitycon-servationshouldincludesensitisation,capacitydevelop-ment,andparticipation.

• Benefitsharing iscrucialandcanbeachievedthroughpayment for environmental services (PES), communityconservation,ortheestablishmentofconservationland-scapes.

ThisiswhytheSwissGovernment,throughtheSwissAgen-cy forDevelopmentandCooperation (SDC), is fundingthepreparation of regional reports and a global synthesis onachievementsandexperiences inSustainableMountainDe-velopment(SMD)sinceRio1992.Thesereportswillalsoiden-tifygaps,upcomingissues,challenges,andopportunitiesforSMD.Draftsofthereportswillbepresentedanddiscussedatthe‘LucerneWorldMountainConference’initiatedbySDC,to be held in Lucerne, Switzerland on 11 and 12October2011.ThiseventwillprovideinputstoRio2012andtothenextCSDbiennium,wheremountainswillbeoneofthefivekeytopics.

TheseinitiativesareacollaborativeeffortundertakenintheframeworkoftheMountainPartnership(MP)Initiative.TheyarebeingcarriedoutbyanumberofMPmembers includ-ing (inalphabeticalorder) theCentreforDevelopmentandEnvironment(CDE),theCentreforMountainStudies(CMS),theConsorcioparaelDesarrolloSostenibledelaEcorregiónAndina (CONDESAN), the Food and Agriculture Organiza-tionoftheUnitedNations(FAO),theInternationalCentreforIntegratedMountainDevelopment(ICIMOD),theMountainResearchInitiative(MRI),theSultanQaboosUniversity(SQU),theUniversityofCentralAsia(UCA),theUnitedNationsEn-vironment Programme (UNEP), and the Zoï Network. Thisgroupisopentootherinterestedparties.

Contacts

MountainPartnershipSecretariat: info@mountainpartnership.org

Conference: mountains_lucerne2011@deza.admin.ch

Ideasandmaterialforthisleafletwereprovidedby:CDE,CMS,CONDESAN,FAO,GMBA,ICIMOD,MP,MRI,SQU,UNEP,UNESCO,UNWTO,andZoïNetwork.

Concept:D.Maselli&Th.Kohler/Layout:S.Kummer/Printing:Schläfli&Maurer,Switzerland

Coverphoto:D.Maselli Copyright:CDEandSDC,2011

CONDESAN R. Burtscher D. Maselli CDE M. Giger D. Maselli

UNEP M. Verghelet S. Brühschwiler-Muster SQU R. Victor

Mountains provide opportunities for regional and global collaboration

© CDE, University of Bern 2011

0 – 10 %; with important mountain area

10 – 25 %

Percentage of mountainous area per country Map SourceTerrain data: resampled from GTOPO30, produced by US Gelogical Survey (UGS)Administrative: ESRI Data and Maps

Map authors: Sebastian Eugster, Thomas Kohler and Kristina Imbach 2002, CDE, University of Bern Map compilation 2011: Ulla Gämperli Krauer, CDE, University of Bern25 – 50 %

50 – 100 %

Map scale: approx. 1:200,000,000

Map projection: Mollweide

80°N 80°N

60°N 60°N

40°N 40°N

40°S 40°S

60°S 60°S

80°S 80°S

20°N 20°N

0° 0°

20°S 20°S

Countries with mountain regions have different back-grounds in terms of population, economy and culture, but they often face similar challenges. Mountain systems fre-quently cross several country borders and thus present many opportunities for trans-boundary collaboration. Co-operating and speaking with one voice will make it possible to address more effectively the challenges and opportu-nities of mountains in the context of global and climate

change.

• 53countrieshaveoverhalfoftheirterritoryinmountains.

• A smaller but still important proportion of mountainlands(25-50%)isfoundinanother46countries.

• Manycountrieshaveamuchsmallerproportionofmoun-tainsbutarecriticallydependentonmountaingoodsandservicessuchasfreshwaterandcleanair.

• Transboundarycollaborationhasbecomemoreimportantinrecentyearsforroadandrailconstruction,waterman-agement,biodiversityconservation,andestablishmentofregionalknowledgecentres.

Examples of policy implications

• Promotedialogueamongdifferentmountainareas,actorsandstakeholders.

• Share knowledge and experience amongmountain re-gionsandwithlowlandareas.

• Provideavoicetomountainpeople,particularlymargin-alizedgroups.

• Promotetheestablishmentofmountain-specific institu-tions, lawsandmechanismstofostersustainabledevel-opment.

• Enhance global political, economic and societal commit-mentstomountaindwellersandmountainecosystems.

Extremly important

Very important

Important

Less important

Lowland area

Large river basin Map sourcesDaniel Viviroli et al. 2007, Institute of Geography, University of Bern Map projection: MollweideMap compilation 2011: Ulla Gämperli Krauer, CDE, University of Bern

Map scale: approx. 1:200,000,000

Ice sheet

20°N 20°N

0° 0°

20°S 20°S

80°N 80°N

60°N 60°N

40°N 40°N

40°S 40°S

60°S 60°S

80°S 80°SImportance of mountain areasfor lowland water resources

Mountains are a home, a source of income, and a place of diverse cultural heritage

Almost a billion people live in mountains. Their specific and diverse cultures are a world heritage, increasingly threat-ened by globalisation. Many mountains have long been re-garded by mountain people and others as sacred places and as a manifestation of spiritual energy, meaning, and orientation. They provide space for recreation and have become important destinations for tourism, creating new opportunities as well as challenges for sustainable moun-tain development.

• Mountains have a disproportionally high share of poorpeopleonaglobalbasis.

• Mountainpeoplehavedevelopedagreatdiversityoflanduse systems that have helped to create impressive andlabour-intensive cultural landscapes, e.g. terracing onslopes.

• Mountains are considered sacred inmany parts of theworld;MountKailash inChina, for example, is consid-ered themost sacred place by over a billion people inAsia.

• Mountainshaveanestimatedshareof15-20%ofglobaltourism,theworld’sfastestgrowingindustry.Tourismisanincreasinglyimportantsourceofgrowthandemploy-mentinmanydevelopingcountries,includingLeastDe-velopedCountries(LDCs),manyofwhicharemountaincountries.

Examples of policy implications

• Giventhehighpoverty rate inmanymountain regions,effortsarerequiredtoincreasetheincomeofmountaindwellers; diversification of livelihoods is an option forachievingthisend.

• Policiesandinstrumentsneedtobedevelopedthatstim-ulateinvestmentinmountaininfrastructure,promotelo-calcapacitybuilding,andcreate linkswiththenationalandglobaleconomies.

• In tapping the potential of tourism for employment,economic growth, and poverty alleviation, a fair shareofincomemustbesecuredforthelocalpopulationandrespectmustbeshownforlocaldevelopmentagendas.

• Particular attention needs to be given to preservingmountainecosystems,astheyarethekeylivelihoodcapi-talforfuturemountaingenerations.

Mountains are the water towers of the world

The world’s major rivers originate in mountains. More than half of humanity relies on freshwater from mountains for drinking, domestic purposes, irrigation, industry, and hydropower. Water is the world’s most important source of green and renewable energy, supplying rapidly growing cities and centres of population in and around mountains. Due to climate change, less water will be available at times when it is needed most, while floods may increase in some places. These large-scale processes will impact on the de-velopment of mountain regions and have a negative effect on food security in many places.

• Inaridareasmountainscontribute80to100%ofthetotal runoff fromriverbasins; in these regions,moun-tainwaterisextremelyimportantforeconomicdevelop-ment;however,mountainwatersarealsoimportantinareasofhigherrainfallduringsummer.

• 1.35billionpeople–20%oftheglobalpopulation–liveinthebasinsofthe10largestriversintheHinduKush-Himalayamountains. Rapid economic development inthisregionincreasinglydependsonmountainwaters.

• Despite increasing water scarcity, cooperation overwaterhasbeenfarmorecommonthanconflict;ofallgovernment interactions concerning the world’s 263transboundaryriversoverthe last50years,67%werecooperativeandonly28%wereconflictual.Effortsareneededtosustainorimprovethissituation.

Examples of policy implications

• Recognizethatcarefulmanagementofmountainwatersisaglobalpriorityinaworldheadingtowardsawatercrisis.

• Undertakemajoreffortstoimprovethemanagementofmountainwatersby:

– usingwatermoreefficientlyfordomesticandindus-trialpurposesandforirrigation

– increasingwaterstoragecapacityatalllevels

– strengtheninginstitutionalarrangementssuchaswa-tertreaties,conventions,orcollaborativebasinman-agementprotocols,inordertosharewaterequitablywithinorbetweennations

– capitalisingon lessons learnt fromexisting arrange-mentssuchastheRhineCommissionortheMekongRiverCommission.

CDE S. L. Mathez-Stiefel D. Maselli CDE T. Kohler ICIMOD S. Sharma ICIMOD S. Walkerman CDE HP. Liniger CMS M. Price CDE Archive D. Maselli

CMS M. Price CDE J. Krauer GMBA E. Spehn