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.