Conflict
The most significant barrier to sustainable development in the mountains are the many armed conflicts that here take place. Mountainous areas – ranging from Afghanistan to the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Andes, parts of the Near East and Africa – are the flash points of conflicts afflicting the world today.
The reasons for this are complex and varied, but the effects on mountain people are universally devastating. In such situations, death, injuries, destruction and emotional trauma of war devastate individual lives and national advancement. Fighting prevents mountain families from fundamental life-sustaining tasks ranging from collecting water to planting and harvesting crops.
The remoteness of mountain regions can make it difficult to create a universally accepted set of rules and regulations regarding resource management – and their enforcement next to impossible. This creates opportunities for disputes over resources, territory and political jurisdiction. In the absence of a clearly defined and authoritative system for settling disputes, local conflicts can degenerate into long-standing conflicts between neighbouring communities and countries.
Conflict in mountain areas often arises when mountain communities are denied a voice in how local resources are used. Local clan affiliations may be the only systems isolated mountain communities feel they can trust to legitimately represent their interests.
MPS Coordinator urges action on mountainsnewsA paradigm shift is needed in recognition of the global importance of mountains and the ecosystem services they provide, Thomas Hofer, Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) Coordinator told United Nations Radio in May 2016 ahead of a meeting with diplomats about hunger in the mountains. “There is a mismatch. There is...
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Submissions for UN report on mountainsnewsThe Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) is currently compiling summaries of the most important results of mountain development activities since July 2013 for the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) Report on Sustainable Mountain Development. Now requested every three years, the MPS and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations,...
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Transnational Working Table 1eventThe first of two workshops on the results of projects in mountainous European countries and on the development of the Alps will allow participants to share knowledge and experiences on Alpine Space Projects. The meeting will also discuss WikiAlps, an encyclopaedia-like online platform, and its potential use in policy design...
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Multimedia on policy recommendations for SMD in the AndesnewsDuring the Regional Workshop Post-Rio +20 "Sustainable Mountain Development: Building the future we need" held on November 12-14 in Lima, Peru, the Consortium for Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN) launched a multimedia which containing key information and policy recommendations for sustainable mountain development in the Andes. The...
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 Fig 16-02.jpg "Future Andean Community legislation on illegal mining")
Future Andean Community legislation on illegal miningblogJuly 10, 2012. Last week, during a meeting held in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombia, the countries who are member of the Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador) analyzed and agreed on the final text of future community legislation on illegal mining. Please see the complete information in...
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The retreating Himalayas: disaster in slow motionnewsIf the unprecedented rate of glacial retreat in the South Asian region is not checked, countries in the area are likely to turn highly food-insecure. Pakistan’s latest Climate Change Policy clearly indicates that freshwater resources in Pakistan are dependent on snow and glacial melting and monsoon rains; all of which...
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