The Third Pole of the Planet:The Mountain Research
Initiative
Dr. Gregory GreenwoodMRI Executive Director
mriMountainresearch initiative
Outline
1. What is the MRI?2. The Importance of
Mountains in Global Change Research
3. GLOCHAMORE4. Real Projects in
Real Places (RP2)
1. What is MRI?
• Origins in IGBP/IHDP (MRI as mountain GLP)
• Endorsements: MAB, GTOS
• Supported by SNSF as expression of Swiss foreign and scientific policy
MRI and the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment are cooperative and complementary programs
What is MRI?: Synthesis and Networks
2. Why Are Mountains Important in the Context of Global Change Research?
• Future climate changes will be amplified in mountain regions
• Mountains are marginal environments, sensitive to change
• Changes affecting mountains are felt far beyond mountain regions
• Population pressures exacerbate environmental changes in mountain regions
• Significant knowledge gaps hinder our ability to assess changes in mountain regions and to develop adaptation and mitigation strategies
• Mountains are places where global change will have important repercussions on PEOPLE.
-50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Latitude
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
m
1.00
1.25
1.50
1.75
2.00
2.25
2.50
2.75
3.00
3.50
°C
IPCC model simulations with 2x CO2 show temperature increases with altitude
°N°S
Climate change is amplified in mountain regions
Example: The American Cordillera
Mountains are important for water supply
• ALL flow is from mountains
• Seasonal low flow is all from mountain regions
Outside of the tropics, mountains cover 24% of the surface, but yield 46% of the runoff.
(% of watershed)
Mountains are important for water supplyThese river basins frequently provide essential water to semi-arid and hyper-arid regions, many tropical
70 % of humanity lives between 30° N and 30° S...
Mountains are important for biodiversity
Mountain ranges have some of the highest levels of biodiversity on earth
3.glochamoretranslating “concerns” into “strategy”… establish a framework for long-term research efforts by taking advantage of the infrastructure and ongoing research activities in UNESCO MAB’s Mountain Biosphere Reserves in European countries with the explicit goal of implementing the strategy in mountain Biosphere Reserves around the world, in both developed and developing countries (DoW 2003).
• Funded under EU Framework Program 6
• November 2003 to October 2005 (2 years)
• Consortium: 13 European, 1 Indian partner
• Scientific project management : MRI
• Coordination Office: University of Vienna
glochamorefacts
glochamoreapproach
Global change scientists
UNESCOMountain Biosphere Reserves
GLOCHAMORE research strategy
UNESCO MABMountain biosphere reserves
glochamoreactivities
1) Global environmental and social monitoring May 2004, Vienna, Austria
* Global Change Research in Mountain Biosphere Reserves Nov 2003, Entlebuch, Switzerland
2) Projecting Global Change impacts in Mountain Biosphere Reserves (modeling) Nov/Dec 2004, Gran Sasso, Italy
4) Sustainable land use and natural resource management in Mountain Biosphere Reserves Mar 2005, Sierra Nevada, Spain
3) Process studies along altitudinal gradients Jul 2005, Samedan, Switzerland
GLOCHAMORE results:Research Strategy by December 2005
but also: Strong community of global change researchersand Mountain Biosphere Reserves
glochamore
Glochamore Open Science Conference: PerthScotland - http://fp3demo.mediasite.com
Climate
Land Use
HydrologicalSystems
Terrestrial EcosystemsStructure and Function
Hazards
Pests and Diseases
Economies
Institutions
Cryosphere
1) Decide on the objectives together
glochamoreprinciples of research partnership*
4) Share responsibility
2) Build up mutual trust
5) Create transparency
3) Share information; develop networks
6) Monitor and evaluate the collaboration
7) Disseminate the results
8) Apply the results
9) Share profits equally
10) Increase research capacity
11) Build on the achievements*KFPE 2003
1) Decide on the objectives together
glochamoreprinciples of research partnership*
2) Build up mutual trust
10) Increase research capacity
*KFPE 2003
.
.
.
1) Decide on the objectives together
glochamoreprinciples of research partnership*
2) Build up mutual trust
10) Increase research capacity
*KFPE 2003
.
.
.
1) Decide on the objectives together
glochamoreprinciples of research partnership*
2) Build up mutual trust
10) Increase research capacity
*KFPE 2003
.
.
.
• Premise: implementation of a research program will require adaptation to conditions and issues in each reserve: a generic research strategy will remain “on the shelf”
• Observation: workshops insufficient to gather information from reserves
• First step: a survey of individual MBRs
glochamoresurvey of mountain biosphere reserves
The Questions
• Which different groups care about the reserves and why?• Which resources and which interest groups are likely to be
affected by global change, especially climate change as it affects the reserve?
• Will climate change exacerbated any existing or create any new natural hazards?
• What are the contentious scientific issues associated with your reserve?
glochamoresurvey of mountain biosphere reserves
• Top Five:• Active Recreation
(16/20)• Water supply or
quality (16/20)• Tourism (16/20)• Forests, timber,
fuel wood (15/20)• Grazing lands,
meadows (13/20)
glochamoresurvey of mountain biosphere reserves
Theme
No. of MBRsciting theme
(out of 20 total)Tourism and associated infrastructure 16Water supply, water quality, transboundary water issues 16Active recreation 16Forests, forest restoration, timber, fuel wood 15Grazing lands, meadows 13Fire 12Earth movements 12Research site 12
Resource conflict, governance, population movements,sustainable harvest 11Endangered species 11Floods, lake outbursts 11Snow cover 11Avalanches 10Glaciers 10Hunting and fishing 10Invasive species 8Lakes, wetlands 8Charismatic species, wildlife, migratory waterfowl 8Pests and diseases 7Medicinal plants, non-timber forest products, bees andhoney 6Vegetation (other than forests or meadows) 6Hydroelectric power 5Agriculture 5Permafrost 6Spiritual site 4Mining 2Desertification, soil erosion 2Coastal resources 2Severe winters 1
• Next Seven:• Fire (12/20) • Earth movements
(12/20)• Research or education
(12/20)• Resource conflict,
governance (11/20)• Endangered species
(11/20)• Floods (11/20)• Snow cover (11/20)
glochamoresurvey of mountain biosphere reserves
Theme
No. of MBRsciting theme
(out of 20 total)Tourism and associated infrastructure 16Water supply, water quality, transboundary water issues 16Active recreation 16Forests, forest restoration, timber, fuel wood 15Grazing lands, meadows 13Fire 12Earth movements 12Research site 12
Resource conflict, governance, population movements,sustainable harvest 11Endangered species 11Floods, lake outbursts 11Snow cover 11Avalanches 10Glaciers 10Hunting and fishing 10Invasive species 8Lakes, wetlands 8Charismatic species, wildlife, migratory waterfowl 8Pests and diseases 7Medicinal plants, non-timber forest products, bees andhoney 6Vegetation (other than forests or meadows) 6Hydroelectric power 5Agriculture 5Permafrost 6Spiritual site 4Mining 2Desertification, soil erosion 2Coastal resources 2Severe winters 1
• MRI effort to define “real projects in real places with real people that really work”
• MRI seeks involvement of not just MBRs but any sites
• RP2 seeks to move from “research priorities” to “who will do what, where, when and for how much?”
4. RP2
real projects in real places
RP2
real projects in real places A final strategy
would show• What (the
themes and the levels) will happen in
• Which MBRs and• WHAT OTHER
SITES• Inside each cell,
Who will do monitoring, modeling, etc.
• RP2 sites which might be appropriate for SHARE-Asia?•Existing or proposed high-elevation sites appropriate for RP2?•IGBP/IHDP context for observational studies?•Planning for impact principles
RP2 and SHARE-Asia
Thank you
A Program for the Third Pole
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