Mountain Ecosystem News

Newsletter of the Mountain Ecosystems Thematic Group (METG)

April 2014 | Issue 2

Editorial Editors: Paul Egan, Martin Price

This issue of Mountain Ecosystem News includes cum laude with his Masters degree from McMasters diverse content from Group members from mountain University, and held a doctorate in Geography from the regions around the world, from , to , to University of British . He was a sustainable the Himalaya. We greatly appreciate all submissions, development consultant focusing on strategic and wish to strongly encourage content to be shared planning, institutional strengthening and capacity among our members. As we move towards the mid- development, participatory methods, project way point of IUCN’s current inter-sessional period management and monitoring and evaluation. Stephan (2013-2016), good progress continues to be made on was based in Canada but worked around the globe – in activities identified in our group Action Plan. Asia, Europe and Africa. Nevertheless, it is not certain that we will organise an METG Portal event at World Parks Congress, so if any of you are All members of the METG should have received details involved, please let us know. On the other hand, for the launch of the IUCN Portal (for your username planning for the major conference in autumn 2015 is and password please see email from the 28th Nov 2013, moving ahead well; it will be titled ‘Mountains of Our with subject: ‘IUCN Union Portal now live’). This is an Future Earth’, explicitly linking it to the Future Earth exciting time for the CEM, as the Portal will programme. In this issue, we take stock of one of the provide tools to allow more effective cooperation. major projects the METG has been involved in, on the From now on, news and announcements from the impacts of climate change on mountain ecosystem METG will be archived on the METG Portal, which will services. Over the next few months, we will also be be continually updated in between issues of Mountain rolling out development of the online METG Portal. Ecosystem News. METG Group members will have the Some ideas for its use are presented here in this issue – facility to comment on all updates. For networking and looking forward, we hope this may inspire a more purposes, you can already access a list of METG interactive dynamic for the Group. members and their profile/expertise information Martin Price, Paul Egan

METG News

Members Membership of the METG currently stands at over 50 mountain experts (one of the largest thematic groups of the CEM), spanning the globe. We wish to welcome some recently joined members, including William Fletcher (UK), Sahibzada Irfanullah (), and Sushila Nepali ().

We are also very sad to note the death of Stephan P. Fuller, a member of the METG since its establishment and well known in IUCN circles for his work on mountain environments. Stephan graduated summa

(available under the ‘People’ section of the METG The overall recommendations of the project will be Portal – for members who have opted to share their brought to the attention of governments and UN details), and update your own information. We agencies, and will feed into the processes of the Post- encourage you to log in and add the METG to your 2015 Development Agenda. Furthermore, the 'Favourites Groups', and if you have any suggestions of outcomes will contribute to other processes such as what you would like to see shared here, please feel the World Mountain Forum and UNFCCC COP 20, both free to get in touch. For any other issues with in this year. Further information on the project usernames and passwords, please contact can be found here. [email protected]

METG participation in UNESCO project on climate change impacts in mountains Since February 2013, the METG has provided coordination and technical input for the UNESCO Climate Change Platform project ‘Climate Change Impacts in Major Mountainous Regions of the World’, led by UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme in cooperation with the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), UNEP, FAO-Mountain Partnership, and ICIMOD. The METG has provided key contributions to the project, through lead authorship of the project concept paper and policy brief (soon to Photo: Panel Session on Ecosystem Based Adaptation & be published by UNESCO). Practices – Cooperation, Partnership & Linkages in Mountain Regions (UNESCO, Paris). Pictured are Martin The programme, which is now in its final stages, has Price (session moderator), Angela Andrade and Paul Egan aimed to enhance knowledge of climate change (IUCN panellists), and METG member André Wehrli impacts on mountain ecosystem services and (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation). livelihoods, and featured three regional workshops in Asia (Kathmandu, Nepal, March 2013), Latin America Members’ Updates & Announcements (San José, , August 2013) and Africa (Nairobi, , September 2013). These workshops brought Creating the Quinde-Taminagá Community Forest together climate change and cryosphere experts, Reserve, Ecuador – Jefferson Mecham (Ecosystem hydrologists, policy makers, local stakeholders, and Consultant), Ecuador. Contact: [email protected] managers of Natural World Heritage Sites, with a goal This project will be initiated in March 2014, as a vital to help develop policy directives for climate-resilient link to consolidate the Choco Andean Biological development and ecosystem-based adaptation for Corridor (CABC). The Quinde-Taminagá Community mountain communities. Forest Reserve (6,692 ha) in the western Andes of To conclude the project, a Synthesis Science-Policy northern Ecuador (a Tropical Andes biodiversity Workshop was held in January 2014 at UNESCO hotspot) constitutes the largest undeclared forest area headquarters in Paris, to build on the outcomes of the in the region, and will help link the CABC to the regional workshops organized in 2013. METG Co-leads Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve (243,638 ha) and Martin Price and Paul Egan delivered presentations on several community and private reserves to the climate change threats to mountain ecosystem south. The project will conclude a decade of work by services; CEM Deputy Chair Angela Andrade also fulfilling requirements for declaration with the presented ongoing initiatives within IUCN concerning Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment, and strengthening ecosystem-based adaptation.

local capacity to implement a management plan. On December 11, 2013, the NGOs ‘Les Compagnons Project partners are the local government and Ruraux’ (The Rural Companions) and ‘la Plateforme communities of Selva Alegre, with technical support pour la Sauvegarde des Montagnes’ (Platform for from ALLPA Instituto de Regeneración Ecológica and Saving Mountains –PSM) organised a celebratory day Cornell University’s Department of Natural Resources, to reflect on this year’s IMD theme: "Mountains – Key with sponsorship from Rainforest Concern. to a Sustainable Future”. This workshop, in the village of Agomé-Yoh, brought together 40 people, including We invite colleagues to contact us (at above email local decision makers, traditional authorities and address) with relevant research or references related to Andean forests, or cloud forest ecosystems in general – to village development committees from four villages at help meet Environment Ministry requests to justify the the foot of Missahoe mountain. importance of the Quinde area as a 'hotspot'. The gathering was also joined by the Prefectural Directors of Environment and Agriculture, a representative of PSM- , and representatives of environmental associations in the region. The events of this day helped define plans and contributions from each village towards protection against mountain wildfires, and other actions beneficial to the mountain range.

Forum on Mainstreaming Mountain Biodiversity Conservation – Sejuti Basu (Research & Advocacy Team, Pragya NGO), . Contact: [email protected] Photo: Quinde mountain forest – Ecuador. Courtesy: Murray Cooper Celebration of International Mountain Day 2013, Togo/Ghana – Jules Adjima (Executive Director, Les Compagnons Ruraux – The Rural Companions NGO), Togo. Contact: [email protected]

Since 2002, the International Year of Mountains, 11 December every year has been International Mountain Day (IMD), organised by the FAO in its capacity as lead agency for mountains in the UN system. METG members and their respective organizations marked this day in various ways. Here, METG member Jules Adjima reports from Togo: The 7th CMS VATAVARAN International Environment & Wildlife Film Festival and Forum was held from 30th Jan to 3rd Feb 2014 in New Delhi, India. The event provided a platform to discuss various issues related to mountain biodiversity conservation, with Pragya serving as knowledge partner for the ‘Mountain Biodiversity’ sub-theme sessions. The participation of a number of community leaders from various Himalayan districts was facilitated by Pragya, whose views were shared at the event.

Highlights from the event included the inaugural Mountain News & Research Highlights session on the ‘Uniqueness and Richness of Mountain

Biodiversity of the Himalaya’, which highlighted that Mountains Post-2015 mountains, apart from being repositories of biological The current Millennium Development Goals are due to and cultural diversity, provide vital services with expire at the end of 2015. Discussion and debate is tangible economic value to both mountain ongoing on what should constitute the post-2015 communities and the heavily populated plains at their development agenda, in the form of the Sustainable base. Session discussions centred on the need for Development Goals (SDGs). To assist in this task, the special focus on a number of unique habitats, including UN’s Open Working Group on the SDGs has hosted cold deserts, which are a distinct habitat in rainshadow consultative sessions in which major groups have put zones of the Himalayas, known to harbour a unique forward their case and vision for the SDGs. flora and fauna. In addition, mountain lakes and marches/marshes provide several ecological benefits in The Secretariat of the Mountain Partnership (which terms of local water resource management, and represents a voluntary alliance of partners, including habitat for a range of plants, animals, birds, reptiles IUCN) has been in attendance at a number of these and amphibians. sessions, to actively promote the case for mountains,

and why inclusion of mountains within the SDGs is Alongside conservation issues, deliberations focused vital. As part of its contributions, the Mountain on the socio-economic and cultural relevance of Partnership has released a series of policy briefs biodiversity, and how a balance could be struck focusing on mountain forests and biodiversity, energy, between conservation and economic prosperity to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. support for sustainable livelihood practices. While Further information and downloads of policy briefs are significant development activities are taking place to available online here. address security concerns; natural landscapes and habitats at locations of strategic importance (e.g.

Siachen glacier, Pangong-Tso) require specific focus to help maintain ecological balance. It is critical that all stakeholders (local communities as protectors of these resources; downstream beneficiaries; high per capita resource users in urban centres) recognise their common responsibility for safeguarding mountain biodiversity. Rigid and non-inclusive regulations often curb the rights of indigenous communities; hence legal frameworks must be more conducive to addressing the primary needs of communities, while protecting sensitive mountain ecosystems.

Left: Wrapped in pink – Valley of Flowers, Uttarakhand, India. Right: Pastoralism – a mountain way of life. Courtesy: Sejuti Basu.

Uplands can underpin lowland flood defence  Dusan Djordjevic (2014). International agreements The integral importance of upland management has and region-building in the mountains of South East been brought to the fore recently in the UK, which Europe. Mountain Research and Development, witnessed widespread flooding during the wettest 34(1): 4-12. January in almost 250 years. In response to the urgent need for risk-reducing measures, a number of The globalization of environmental issues is innovative schemes have sought to demonstrate how characterized by representations and initiatives at the management intervention in upland areas can global level, but is also present in the processes of institutionalization of new local and regional scales of supplement expensive conventional flood defences in urban centres. These measures have focused on action. Over the past decade, following the promotion actions designed to slow down and reduce the peak of mountains as a global common good, growing attention has been paid to the mountain regions of flow of rivers, such as through promotion of natural debris formation, and encouragement of flood South East Europe. The objectives of this article relate to the emergence of mountains as a growing reference formation along upper catchment paths, where there for the regionalization of environmental initiatives; and is greater buffering capacity. to understand how, in relation to South East Europe, However, while pilot projects have indicated the regions for environmental governance are being usefulness of such management approaches, a number defined in a broader context (scaling), and for what of challenges remain in formulating best practice – kinds of issues (framing). especially in relation to financial support for upland farmers, in return for implementing flood prevention Member Focus and risk-reducing measures of benefit to lowland Jules Adjima, Executive Director, Les Compagnons urban areas. Ruraux (The Rural Companions – NGO), Togo. Research Highlights – Recent research on The member focus in this mountain ecosystems issue is on Jules Adjima, a native of Togo, whose work  Bradley Z. Carlson, Christophe F. Randin, Isabelle Boulangeat, Sébastien Lavergne, Wilfried Thuiller, stretches throughout Philippe Choler (2013). Working toward integrated mountainous West Africa. models of alpine plant distribution. Alpine Botany, Jules’ attachment to

123(2): 41-53. mountain environments is instinctively second nature, given his upbringing in a small mountain village

Species distribution models (SDMs) have been (Kouma – Konda) in Togo, where navigating steep frequently employed to forecast the response of alpine topographic terrain formed a mere part of daily plants to global changes. Recent evidence, however, activities in schooling, fetching water, and farming. highlights the shortcomings of correlative SDMs, especially in alpine landscapes where plant species Jules’ desire to “protect our mountains and make them tend to be decoupled from atmospheric conditions in a sure source of revenue generation” and to “empower micro-topographic habitats and are particularly rural communities both socially and economically”, led exposed to geomorphic disturbances. The authors him to university studies, including an MSc in Science propose a methodological framework aimed at of Education from the University of Lomé-Togo. developing an integrated model to better predict Supplementing his grounding in educational topics, he alpine plant distribution. received extensive training in sustainable and participative management of forests with institutions such as the Association for the Promotion .. Continued

Mountain Media

A 40-year timeline of mountain research, in a global context. Illustration copyright and used with permission of Astrid Björnsen Gurung (MRI and Illusastrid)

…continued: Agroforestry, Events & Resource Listing and the International Listings Tropical Timber Organization (Japan).  World Mountain Forum, Peru

For CEM members of METG, if you are planning to Back in Togo, he has attend, please contact your Thematic Group worked with the Office de Lead Martin Price ([email protected]). Développement et CEM may be able to assist you with some funding depending on your contribution. d’Exploitation des Forêts on assessment criteria and indicators for sustainable management of tropical Photo: Rehabilitation and forests, and on ‘analog promotion of community- forestry’ – a system of based ecotourism, Togo. forest management that Mountains. seeks to establish a tree-dominated ecosystem Forthcoming events analogous in architecture, structure and ecological function to the original climax or sub-climax vegetation  Second International Congress on Terraced community. With support of the Turing Foundation Landscapes, Cusco, Peru – 14-22 May 2014 and the Netherlands Committee of IUCN, Jules and his  World Mountain Forum, Cusco, Peru – 23 & 24 May NGO have been successful in implementing a pilot 2014 Analog Forestry project for West Africa in the Missahoé  Global Fair and Workshop on Long-Term Mountain region of Togo. Jules sees a bright future Observatories of Mountain Social-Ecological “through participatory approaches, where mountain Systems, Reno, USA – 16-19 July 2014 community beneficiaries are involved and committed”.  The Ninth European Mountain Convention, Bilbao, He specifies that “although the concept of analog – 22-24 October 2014 forestry is relatively new, it basically serves as a  The IUCN World Parks Congress will take place in valuable tool to create or restore forest, in favour of Sydney, Australia – 12-19 November 2014 mountain communities’ livelihoods”.  The ‘Perth III’ conference on ’Mountains of Our Future Earth’ is scheduled for autumn 2015 Such interventions appear increasingly necessary in mountainous areas of the region; Jules points to the Members’ publications case of Kpimé Séva Mountain, a ‘water tower’ for an estimated 85,000 people, which is losing its forests due If you are interested in listing a recent publication to uncontrollable bush fires. In this vein, he has (research article, management report, project recently been instrumental in coordinating the proposal etc.) in future issues, please send details advocacy group “Platform of Civil Society Organizations (preferably with a copy attached) and any URL to for the Protection of Mountains”, which seeks to lobby [email protected] in favour of mountains and their biodiversity and sacred sites, amongst other causes. It is evident that Reports (METG members highlighted in bold): Jules’ continued passion and commitment to mountain  Mohammed Sghir Taleb & Mohamed Fennane. ecosystems in Togo and West Africa will be critical to a Flora of the Biological and Ecological Interest Site sustainable future in these areas. We wish him all the (BEIS) of Tichoukt Mountain – Middle Atlas, best in his endeavors, and thank him for his time in (2014). Institut Scientifique, Université sharing his experiences. Mohammed, Rabat, Morocco.