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Glossary
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Adelboden Conference and Declaration
Over 200 representatives of mountain people from 57 countries participated in the International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountain Regions that took place in Adelboden, Switzerland, in June 2002. At the end of the conference, participants adopted by consensus the Adelboden Declaration, which calls on governments, international organizations and civil society to develop and improve sustainable agriculture and rural development policies and action for mountain regions in order to enhance the livelihoods of their populations. As a result of the Adelboden Conference, the Adelboden Group was established, including representatives from governments, civil society and the international community. The Adelboden Group is "a platform for discussion of policies and policy instruments, exchange of experience, and preparation of initiatives" for sustainable development in mountain areas.
Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is a 40-chapter statement of goals and potential programmes produced by delegates at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, known as the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro. By devoting Chapter 13 to mountains (Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development), Summit participants placed mountains on an equal footing with climate change, desertification and other issues of global importance.
Agrobiodiversity
Agrobiodiversity is that component of biodiversity that is relevant to food and agriculture production; it includes the variety and variability of animals, plants and micro-organisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture, including crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries. It comprises the diversity of genetic resources (vareieties, breeds) and species used for food, fodder, fibre, fuel and pharmaceuticals. It also includes the diversity of non-harvested species that support production (soil micro-organisms, predators, pollinators), and those in the wider environment that support agro-ecosystems (agricultural, pastroal, torest and aquatic) as well as the diversity of agro-ecosystems. (Source: FAO). The remoteness and isolation, as well as the cultural diversity in mountain areas, have helped to conserve a rich agrobiodiversity.
Agroforestry
Agroforestry is an ecologically-based natural resource management system in which trees are integrated in farmland and rangeland.
Biodiversity
The variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part. This includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. (Source: UNEP-WCMC). The steep gradients and ecological isolation of mountains support a higher diversity of ecosystems and a larger percentage of endemic species than found elsewhere. Mountains are therefore core areas of global biodiversity.
Bishkek Global Mountain Summit (2002)
The Bishkek Mountain Summit was the culminating global event of the International Year of Mountains (2002), held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The outcome was the Bishkek Mountain Platform, which aims to provide a framework for stakeholders and others to contribute to sustainable development in the world’s mountain regions and enable them to act together at all levels from local to global to improve the livelihoods of mountain people, protect mountain ecosystems and use mountain resources more wisely.
Capacity-building
Capacity-building implies the efforts aimed to develop the human skills or societal infrastructures necessary within a community or organization to reduce the level of risk. In extended understanding, capacity-building also includes the development of institutional, financial, political and other resources -- such as technology -- at different levels and sectors of the society.
Climate
The synthesis of weather conditions in a given area, characterized by long-term statistics (mean values, variances, probabilities of extreme values, etc.) of the meteorological elements in that area. (Source: The National Snow and Ice Data Center – NSIDC).
Climate change
Climate change refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity. This usage differs from that in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
which defines 'climate change' as: "a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods". (Source: FAO). Mountain regions are very sensitive to anthropogenic changes, including land use and land cover changes, acidic deposition, increasing CO2 concentrations and climatic change. Due to their fragility and diversity, mountain ecosystems register global environmental changes earlier and more clearly than lowland systems.
Conflict
Conflict in mountains has increased in the last 50 years, with serious violent conflict now almost twice as likely to occur at high altitude. With mountains covering one-quarter of the earth’s land surface and home to 12 percent of the world’s population, mountain people are affected by conflict which is out of all proportion to their numbers and the land they occupy. The underlying causes of conflict in the world’s higlands are poverty, unemployment, social inequality, constrained access to natural resources and isolation. Furthermore, many mountain regions are centres of illicit drugs production which can also lead to armed conflict. Conflict and war have devastating effects on mountain people who are often the poorest and hungriest in the world; conflict also frequently result in environmental degradation and habitat destruction. The causes and consequences of conflict in mountain areas were highlighted on International Mountain Day in 2004, with the theme:
‘Peace: key to sustainable mountain development’.
Conservation
The management of human use of the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest sustainable benefit to current generations while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations. Conservation is therefore positive, embracing preservation, maintenance, sustainable utilisation, restoration, and enhancement of the natural environment. (Source: UNEP-WCMC).
Conservation of biodiversity
The management of human interactions with genes, species, and ecosystems, so as to provide the maximum benefit to present generations while maintaining their potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations. Conservation encompasses elements of saving, studying, and using biodiversity. (Source: WCMC-UNEP)
Culture
“Culture... is ... the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or social group. It includes not only arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human being, value systems, traditions and beliefs." (Mexico City Declaration 1982, Source: UNESCO)
Cultural landscapes
Cultural landscapes represent the "combined works of nature and of man"(...). They are illustrative of the evolution of human society and settlement over time, under the influence of the physical constraints and/or opportunities presented by their natural environment and of successive social, economic and cultural forces, both external and internal. (...)The term "cultural landscape" embraces a diversity of manifestations of the interaction between humankind and its natural environment. (World heritage terms, UNESCO 1996).
Deforestation
Deforestation is defined as the conversion of forest to another land use or the long-term reduction of the tree canopy cover below the minimum of 10% threshold. (Source: FRA; FAO).
Ecology
Ecology is a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environment. (Source: UNEP-WCMC).
Early warning
Mountains are early warning systems. Due to their fragility and diversity, mountain ecosystems register global environmental changes earlier and more clearly than lowland systems. Consequently, this high sensitivity provides unique opportunities to detect, model and analyse global change processes and their effects on the socio-economic condition of mountain areas. This allows identified institutions to provide timely and effective information that permits individuals exposed to a hazard to take action to avoid or reduce their risk and prepare for an effective response.
Ecotourism
Designed to counter the trend towards mass tourism, ecotourism is widely regarded as a valuable tool for protecting ecologically sensitive areas and species as well as providing sustainable economic help for often impoverished communities.It is particularly suited to developing countries, with their abundant natural resources, and especially to mountains, which are increasingly attractive to tourists, but also highly vulnerable to their impact. The year 2002 was declared the International Year of Ecotourism, which aptly coincided with the International Year of Mountains. According to the Quebec Declaration on Ecotourism (May 2002), ecotourism "embraces the principles of sustainable tourism... and the following principles which distinguish it from the wider concept of sustainable tourism:contributes actively to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage; includes local and indigenous communities in its planning, development and operation, contributing to their well-being, interprets the natural and cultural heritage of the destination to visitor, lends itself better to independent travellers, as well as to organized tours for small size groups".
Endemic species
A species is endemic when it is found only in a certain strictly limited geographical region, i.e. restricted to a specified region or locality. Mountains comprise a large percentage of endemic species.
Energy
Mountains are sources of many different forms of energy. Hydropower provides 19% of the world’s total electricity supply, of which a substantial portion is supplied by mountains. Wood, the most important source of energy for mountain people, is used for cooking and heating but also for artisans and small-scale industries. In many mountain regions, the demand for fuelwood exceeds sustainable supply which leads to deforestation. Modern technologies are needed to take advantage of solar and wind power in order to substitute fuelwood and in that way preserve mountain forests and their decisive protecting functions.
Environment
The complex set of physical, geographic, biological, social, cultural and political conditions that surround an individual or organism and that ultimately determines its form and the nature of its survival. (Source: World Bank)
Environmental degradation
Processes induced by human behaviour and activities (sometimes combined with natural hazards) that damage the natural-resource base or adversely alter natural processes or ecosystems are defined as environmental degradation. Potential effects are varied and may contribute to an increase in vulnerability and the frequency and intensity of natural hazards. Examples include land degradation, deforestation, desertification, wild-land fires, biodiversity loss, climate change, sea-level rise, ozone depletion and land, water and air pollution. (Source: United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks- IRINNEWS.org).Mountain ecosystems are threatened by the effects of deforestation, climate change, land degradation and migration in and out mountain areas.
Food insecurity
Food insecurity is a situation that exists when people lack secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development of an active and healthy life. Food insecurity may be caused by the unavailability of food, insufficient purchasing power, inappropriate distribution, or inadequate use of food at the household level. Food insecurity, poor conditions of health and sanitation, and inappropriate care and feeding practices are the major causes of poor nutritional status. Food insecurity may be either chronic, seasonal or transitory. (Source: SOFI, FAO 2000). There is evidence that mountain people are more susceptible to food insecurity and malnutrition than lowland people.
Food security
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. (FAO 1996)
Gender
Gender refers to the social roles of women and men (not to biological sex). Female and male roles are strongly determined by the social, political, cultural and economic organisation of a society and vary within a society depending on family, economic and political status, ethnicity, caste, religion, etc. Each individual “learns” and constantly adapts her/his gender role. Gender roles are open to negotiation and can change from one generation to the next. Gender roles are value-laden, as they are linked with rights, access to resources, opportunities to make choices and decisions, etc. In most societies the distribution of such rights, resources, etc. is to the advantage of men. (Source: Centre for Development and Environment-CDE, University of Berne, Switzerland).
Gender equality
Gender equality requires equal enjoyment by women and men of socially valued goods, opportunities, resources and rewards. Gender equality does not mean that men and women need to become the same, but that their opportunities and life chances are equal. (Source: Centre for Development and Environment-CDE, University of Berne, Switzerland). There is an urgent need to foster gender equity and equality in mountain development by encouraging women’s involvement in decision-making and by recognizing the crucial role women play as guardians of local resources and knowledge.
Hotspot
A hotspot is an area on earth with an unusual concentration of species, many of which are often endemic to the area. Due to their steep gradients and ecological isolation, many mountains are hotspots of biodiversity.
The Tropical Andes, for example, is one of the richest and most diverse regions on Earth: it contains about a sixth of all plant life in less than one percent of the world’s land area. (Source: Conservation International).
Indigenous knowledge
Indigenous knowledge (IK) is the local knowledge – knowledge that is unique to a given culture or society. IK contrasts with the international knowledge system generated by universities, research institutions and private firms. Indigenous knowledge is the basis for local-level decision making in agriculture, health care, food preparation, education, natural-resource management, and a host of other activities in rural communities. (Warren 1991) (Source: World Bank, http://www.worldbank.org/afr/ik/basic.htm). Until recently mountain areas were less exposed to the outside world due to their remoteness and difficult access. In many places indigenous knowledge about traditional land use systems, agricultural practices and traditional medicine is still passed from generation to generation.
Indigenous people
People whose ancestors inhabited a place or country when persons from another culture or ethnic background arrived on the scene and dominated them through conquest, settlement (or other means) and who today live more in conformity with their own social, economic, and cultural customs and traditions than with those of the country of which they now form a part. Mountains are places of rich cultural heritage, diversity, languages and indigenous knowledge. There is comparatively still a high percentage of indigenous people living in mountain areas.
Infrastructure
The basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions including schools, post offices, and prisons. (Source: World Bank). As a result of remoteness and difficult access, mountain people are often economically and politically marginalized and have little access to modern infrastructure.
International Mountain Day
At the close of the International Year of Mountains (2002) the UN General Assembly declared 11 December, from 2003 onwards, as International Mountain Day. FAO, the designated lead coordinating agency for the International Year of Mountains, is the Organization mandated to lead observance of International Mountain Day. Every year, the Day day observed with a different theme relevant to sustainable mountain development. In 2003 and 2004, the themes were 'Mountains - Source of Freshwater' and ‘Peace: key to sustainable mountain development’, respectively. The theme chosen for International Mountain Day in 2005 is: ‘Sustainable Tourism for Poverty Alleviation in Mountain Areas’.
International Year of Mountains (2002)
In 1998, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2002 as the International Year of Mountains (IYM) and invited FAO to serve as the lead coordinating agency. IYM built on the 1992 Earth Summit’s Chapter 13 of Agenda 21, which focuses on mountain issues, and was dedicated to protecting mountain ecosystems and improving the well-being of mountain people. The Year was successful as it raised awareness of the importance of mountains to life, fostered the establishment of 78 national committees and reinforced partnerships with stakeholders in mountain issues which culminated in the launch of the Mountain Partnership at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD, Johannesburg, September 2002). FAO now hosts the Secretariat to support the Mountain Partnership.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is an abnormal physiological condition caused by deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in energy, protein and/or other nutrients. There is evidence that mountain people are more susceptible to food insecurity and malnutrition than lowland people.
Mining
Mountains store rich reserves of minerals and metals. Today, increasing demand and advances in technology have made even the most remote mountain areas accessible and profitable for mining. Mining can bring large benefits to mountain communities; but it can also be devastating to fragile mountain ecosystems, mountain cultures and the environments and communities both above and below. The challenge is to balance mining opportunities with environmental and social responsibility, and to ensure the protection of traditional mountain cultures.
Mountains
Mountains cover one quarter of the Earth’s surface. Mountains are variously defined on the basis of elevation, relief, steepness and other landscape features; climatic features are also relevant. UNEP-WCMC revised an empirical definition of mountains, elaborated by Kapos et al. (2000). This definition classifies mountain regions into 7 different classes, depending on a combination of altitude and slope.
Class
- elevation > 4500m
- elevation 3500-4500m
- elevation 2500-3500m
- elevation 1500-2500m and slope >= 2o
- elevation 1000 – 1500m and slope >= 5o or local elevation range(7km radius) > 300m
- elevation 300-1000m and local elevation range (7km radius) > 300m
- isolated inner basins and plateaus less than 25km2 in extent that are surrounded by mountains but do not themselves meet criteria 1-6
Mountain ecosystem
An ecosystem is a dynamic and complex system of plant, animal and microorganism communities and their non-living environment, all interacting as a functional unit within a defined physical location. Mountain ecosystems are considered high-risk environments that occur in all climatic zones of the earth. They are characterized by verticality, highly differentiated climatic conditions and often by an abundance of water and rich biodiversity. Most mountains exhibit distinctive vegetation belts with specific temperature and moisture conditions.
Mountain climates
Mountain climates are characterized by a rather distinctive combination of temperature, radiation, wind and rainfall patterns, as well as a larger variability of climate, both spatial and temporal (at scales from days to seasons), compared with lowlands at the same latitude. (Source: SD/FAO)
Mountain communities
Mountain communities are groups of people living in mountain areas (see definition ‘mountains’). Mountain communities have developed a rich cultural diversity and have adapted to life in steep and harsh conditions. As a result of remoteness and difficult access, mountain peoples are often economically and politically marginalized and have little access to modern communication, infrastructure, sanitation or education. Over the course of their history, they developed sophisticated techniques for farming, water use, forestry and communication. However, mountain communities are among the most vulnerable in the world. In the FAO multidisciplinary study, 'Towards a GIS-based analysis of mountain environments and populations', it is estimated that as many as 245 million rural mountain people in developing and transition countries may be at risk of, or actually experiencing hunger.
Mountain farming
In many mountain areas subsistence agriculture remains the core of the household economy. Food consumption is therefore both the driving force and the outcome of mountain livelihood systems. In terms of agricultural production, mountains have a low carrying capacity and the exploitation of natural resources is limited. Due to relatively poor soil quality and harsh climate conditions, crop diversity and vegetation growth rates are restricted. In addition, the inaccessibility and remoteness of mountain areas are obstacles to both the supply and marketing of agricultural inputs and production.
Mountain fisheries
Fisheries play an important role in providing food and income to mountain communities. The prevention of habitat degradation and the rehabilitation of inland fish habitats and migration are therefore crucial for sustainable mountain development. Inland fisheries must be included in rural development and water resource development initiatives.
Mountain forests
About one quarter of the world’s forests are in mountain areas. Due to highly differentiated climatic conditions, mountain forests typically have higher biodiversity per unit area than adjacent lowland areas. Forests play a crucial role for mitigating risks of natural disasters by stabilizing soil and therefore preventing the valleys from landslides and avalanches. In addition, mountain forests are fundamental for securing a balanced flow of water and thus limiting floods, as well as maintaining the quality of freshwater. Equally, mountain forests supply timber, fuel and many non-wood products to mountain people and lowland communities. Yet in many parts of the world mountain forests are under threat from climate change and a wide range of human activities. Protecting these forests and making sure they are carefully managed is an important step towards sustainable mountain development.
Mountain Partnership
The Mountain Partnership is an international, voluntary alliance of partners dedicated to improving the lives of mountain people and protecting mountain environments around the world. Launched at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in 2002, the Mountain Partnership taps the wealth and diversity of resources, information, knowledge, and expertise of its members to support positive change in mountain areas. The Mountain Partnership is being supported by a Secretariat, hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Mountain products
Mountains store a wealth of biological diversity – food crops, medicinal plants, and animal species – found nowhere else. There are numerous types of mountain products, including: foods, such as edible nuts, mushrooms, honey, cheese, fruits, herbs, spices and condiments, aromatic plants, bushmeat and fodder; fibres, like bamboo, silk, rattan and raffia used in construction, furniture, clothing or utensils; exudates, such as latexes, gums and resins; and medicinal and cosmetic products, derived from plant and animal sources.
Mountain soils
Soils in mountainous zones are often strongly influenced by the relatively steep slopes on which they occur, resulting in soil losses superior to the rate of soil formation. This process leads to relatively shallow soils in which a surface horizon, more or less rich in organic matter and of varying thickness, rests immediately on rock or parent material. These eroding uplands are marked by the occurrence of unstable rocky slopes and outcrops of bedrock. In these landscapes, Leptosols and Regosols dominate. Both are characterized by a very limited soil forming processes, due to constant wind and water erosion. Another quite typical soil type for volcanic landscapes are the Andosols.
Leptosols are characterized by their shallow depth (less than 30 cm of soil over hard rock or ironpan) or by their very high gravel content. Their limited soil volume make them subject to drought, as well as to waterlogging and run-off. It has been estimated that about 545 million hectares of these soils occur in mountainous areas. (Source SD/FAO).
Natural hazards
Natural hazards are natural processes or phenomena occurring in the biosphere that may constitute a damaging event. Natural hazards can be classified according to their geological, hydrometeorological or biological origins. (Source: United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks- IRINNEWS.org). Mountains are areas prone to natural hazards, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and avalanches.
Natural heritage
Natural heritage are natural features consisting of physical and biological formations or groups of such formations, which are of outstanding universal value from the aesthetic or scientific point of view. Natural heritages comprise geological and physiographical formations and precisely delineated areas which constitute the habitat of threatened species of animals and plants of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation; and natural sites or precisely delineated natural areas of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty. (Source: UNESCO). Many UNESCO Nature Heritage Sites are situated in mountain areas, e.g. Mount Kenya National Park in Kenya; Simen National Park in Ethiopia; Jungfrau, Aletsch and Bietschhorn in Switzerland; and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA.
Natural resources
In its glossary of environmental terms, UNEP distinguishes between renewable natural resources and non-renewable resources. Renewable natural resources are defined as resources (e.g., tree biomass, freshwater, fish) whose supply can essentially never be exhausted, usually because it is continuously produced. Non-renewable resources are natural resources that are not naturally replenished once they have been harvested. Non-renewable resources can be used up completely or else used up to such a degree that it is economically impractical to obtain any more of them. Fossil fuels and metal ores are examples of non-renewable resources found in mountains. (Source: Glossary of environmental terms, UNEP)
Non-wood forest products
Mountain forests provide rural people with a wide range of non-wood forest products (NWFPs). Non-wood forest products have been defined as "all goods of biological origin other than wood in all its forms, as well as services derived from forest or any land under similar use." Examples for NWFPs are fruits, berries, nuts, honey, game meats, mushrooms, etc. Fodder and Forage (grazing and range). (Source: FRA, FAO). In many parts of the world, especially in mountain areas, these products still play an important biological and social role in local food systems. They can contribute substantially to nutrition, either as part of the family diet or as a means to achieve household food security. They can also improve health through the prevention and treatment of diseases. (Source: ES; FAO).
Pastoralism
The husbandry of domesticated grazing animals on natural rangelands.
Policies and laws in mountains
Mountain-specific policies and laws are vital to protect mountain ecosystems and support mountain people. Mountains constitute about one-quarter of the world’s landmass, but few countries have created the enabling environment and developed specific policies to address the needs of these mountain regions and peoples. Governments often apply policies and laws created for lowland areas that do not take into account the fragility of mountain environments nor the singular needs, interests and priorities of mountain people.
Poverty
Poverty is a human condition characterized by the sustained or chronic deprivation of the resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. (Source: UNHCHR).
Mountain people are among the world's poorest and most disadvantaged.
Sacred mountains
Mountains are sources of spiritual inspiration, healing and renewal to millions of people around the world. Mount Kailas in the Himalaya, for example, is sacred to millions of Hindus and Buddhists. Mount Sinai in the Middle East is sacred to Jews and Christians. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is sacred to the Masai. But unlike temples and other human-made sacred sites, sacred mountains are most often not recognized as worthy of conservation and legal protection. Consequently, sacred mountains are vulnerable to the effects of inappropriate and unsustainable development.
SARD-M project
The FAO SARD-M project provides a bridge between Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD) and mountain issues. The project recalls the importance of these issues, both discussed at the Rio Conference in 1992, identifies the many challenges of Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in mountain regions, and calls for coherent policies, instruments and programmes. (Source: SARD-M website, FAO, 2004).
Sustainable development in mountain areas
Sustainable development is the management and conservation of the natural resource base, and the orientation of technological and institutional change in such a manner as to ensure the attainment and continued satisfaction of human needs for present and future generations. Such sustainable development (in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors) conserves land, water, plant and animal genetic resources, is environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable. (FAO). Since the Earth Summit (UNCED, 1992), the awareness of the global importance of sustainable mountain development has grown significantly. Chapter 13 of the Agenda 21, ‘Managing fragile ecosystems: sustainable mountain development’, which arose from the Earth Summit, has provided the opportunity to focus attention more directly on mountain populations and ecosystems and thus to foster sustainable mountain development.
Sustainable Livelihoods
‘A livelihood comprises people, their capabilities and their means of living, including food, income and assets. Tangible assets are resources and stores, and intangible assets are claims and access. A livelihood is environmentally sustainable when it maintains or enhances the local and global assets in which livelihoods depend, and has net beneficial effects on other livelihoods. A livelihood is socially sustainable which can cope with and recover from stress and shocks, and provide for future generations.’(Source: FAO; UK Department for International Development-DFID).
Sustainable resource management
Sustainable resource management ensures that the effects of human actions do not diminish, and may even enhance, the quality of life as it relates to the environment for present and future generations. Sustainable resource management includes focusing on human behaviour that encourages resource conservation activities and resource management activities that maintain both natural resources and the continued functioning of the ecosystem from which it is derived. It focuses on physical production practices that would encourage the use of resources in such a way that allows the humankind to utilize those resources indefinitely. And it
requires both short- and long-term decision-making that ensures that watersheds, plants, wildlife, people, and economic and social systems are protected and enhanced for future generations. (Source: Auduboninternational.org).
Sustainable Tourism
‘Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of the present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing the opportunity for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled, while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems’ (WTO). (Source UNEP). Tourism, the world’s largest industry, has become a primary source of revenue for many mountain areas, including in the developing world. It brings in cash in the short term -- an attractive prospect given that mountain dwellers are among the world's poorest and hungriest. Yet, in the longer term tourism can cause irreparable damage to the environment, and the revenues it generates often do not benefit mountain communities. Sustainable tourism strives to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate income and employment for local communities.
Sustainable Use
Use of an organism, ecosystem or renewable resource at a rate within its capacity for renewal.
Water resources
Mountains are the source of the world’s major rivers and streams and comprise a high proportion of the world’s freshwater reservoirs. Both mountain people and lowland populations depend on these precious resources.
Watershed
A watershed is defined as the area which supplies water by surface or subsurface flow from rain to a given point in the drainage system.
Watershed management
Watershed management is an iterative process of integrated decision-making regarding uses and modifications of land and water within a watershed. This process provides an opporttunity for stakeholders to balance diverse goals and uses for environmental resources, and to consider how their cumulative actions may affect the long-term sustainability of these resources. (Source: University of Michigan, Department of Environmental Quality)
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, South Africa, September 2002) brought together heads of State and Government, national delegates and leaders from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses and other major groups from around the world to focus the world's attention and direct action toward improving people's lives and conserving natural resources in a world that is growing in population, with ever-increasing demands for food, water, shelter, sanitation, energy, health services and economic security. (Source: www.johannesburgsummit.org). The International Partnership for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions’, or the ‘Mountain Partnership’, was launched as a type-2 outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD, Johannesburg, September 2002) and is a voluntary alliance of partners working towards improving the lives of mountain people and protecting mountain environments around the world.
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