Green economy

Covering 27 percent of the earth's surface and home to nearly 15 percent of the global population, mountains provide globally significant goods and services vital for the well-being of humanity as well as ecological health of the planet.

Roughly 60-80 percent of the world's freshwater resources for domestic, agricultural and industrial consumption originate from mountains. By providing vital ecosystem, provisioning and supporting services, mountains contribute directly and indirectly to the economic development, environmental protection, and human well-being to populations living in mountainous areas and in the downstream regions.

Mountains are crucial for the green economy due to myriad of goods and services they provide to upstream and downstream populations. A significant share of world’s resources coming from mountains for mining, forestry, water for drinking and irrigation directly contribute to the economic development. Mountain products and services form the basis for many economic sectors – food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture, forestry and rangeland production, hydropower generation, tourism and others.

Economic growth and sustainability in the  uplands and lowlands is directly linked with ensuring sustainable supply of mountain ecosystem resources that support livelihoods of a billion people living in mountain regions.

In the face of global challenges, such as climate change, the sustainable management of the ecological wealth of mountains is key to ensuring the wellbeing of people and the planet.