The IUCN Bulletin Number 1 2002 World Conservation Mountain high CONTENTS Mountains on the agenda When the United Nations declared 2002 International Year of Mountains, its aim was to celebrate the biological and cultural diversity of our planet’s mountain regions and the human cultures they nurture, and to draw the world’s attention to the importance of these fragile and vulnerable ecosystems on which so many human lives and livelihoods depend. The international community is responding with a multitude of events and celebrations, in the hope of putting mountains firmly on the world agenda. This special issue of World Conservation is an IUCN contribution to those efforts. 1. MOUNTAIN VALUES 3. TAKING ACTION 3 For the love of mountains PROTECTING NATURE Yolanda Kakabadse AND CULTURE 4 Why mountains matter 21 EcoAméricas: a bold vision IUCN/JIM THORSELL Lawrence S. Hamilton Mario A. Boza Masherbrum, Central Karakorum National 6 WATER • Lifeblood of nature and 22 Protected landscapes: need for Park, Pakistan. society Bruno Messerli innovation Jessica Brown 7 Mount Kenya: vital water for a semi- 23 Cultural landscapes: World Conservation arid region Hanspeter Liniger and Kyrgyzstan’s crown jewel (formerly the IUCN Bulletin) Stephan Doempke Francis Gichuki A publication of 8 BIODIVERSITY • Our natural IUCN – The World Conservation Union wealth Lawrence S. Hamilton and LIVING SUSTAINABLY Rue Mauverney 28 Shengji Pei 25 Ecotourism: minimizing impacts CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland 9 CULTURE • Fountains of Chandra P. Gurung Tel: +41 (22) 999 0000 inspiration Edwin Bernbaum 26 China’s model counties Fax: +41 (22) 999 0002 11 WORLD HERITAGE • Mountains Hu Yuanhui Website: http://iucn.org galore Jim Thorsell 27 Pohnpei: power to the people Editor: Nikki Meith Bill Raynor Contributing editor: Peter Hulm 2. UNDER SIEGE REDUCING TENSIONS Mountains issue Contributing editor: 28 Parks are for peace 12 ENCROACHMENT • Danger in Lawrence S. Hamilton Lawrence S. Hamilton the clouds Sampurno Bruijnzeel and 30 Resolving conflicts in Mt Elgon Lawrence S. Hamilton Executive Editor: Elaine Shaughnessy Sean White 13 POLLUTION • Rain of destruction Managing Editor: Deborah Murith 31 Linking communities in Maloti- Jiri Flousek © 2002 International Union Drakensberg Trevor Sandwith 14 CLIMATE CHANGE • Can we for Conservation of Nature 32 Kangchenjunga: a tri-national cope? Martin F. Price and Natural Resources approach Mingma Norbu Sherpa 16 REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES Volume 33, No. 1, 2002 33 Maritime Alps: nature without ON CLIMATE: borders Patrizia Rossi ISSN: 1027-0965 The future of the fynbos Cover concept: L’IV COM Sàrl Guy Midgley Design/layout: Maximedia Ltd. Alpine plants as early warning 4. KEY PLAYERS Produced by: systems Michael Gottfried IUCN Publishing Division 17 TOURISM • Promise and peril 35 IUCN • Inspiring action Gland, Switzerland and Sanjay Nepal David A. Sheppard Cambridge, UK 18 RESOURCES • Managing 36 FAO • Mountain Agenda Printed by: Sadag Imprimerie demand Mahesh Banskota Doug MacGuire Opinions expressed in this 19 CONFLICT • Priorities for 2002 36 ICIMOD • Learning from the publication do not necessarily reflect and beyond An interview with people Gabriel Campbell and the official views of IUCN Jack D. Ives Greta Rana or its members. 37 MOUNTAIN FORUM • A Annual subscriptions (3 issues per year): knowledge network Alejandro $45 (non-members) Camino and C.P. Jayalakshmi Cover photographs: including airmail postage 37 BANFF CENTRE FOR MOUNTAIN Centre: Pilgrim to Mt Kailas, a CULTURE • Appreciation and For subscription information, sacred centre for both Hindus and please contact: inspiration Debra Hornsby [email protected] Buddhists in Tibet. Edwin Bernbaum 38 OTHER PARTNERS • Working in Please address all other queries to: Sides: Sagarmatha/Mount Everest concert Lawrence S. Hamilton [email protected] between Nepal and China (detail). 39 IUCN • Focusing our strengths or at the address above. IUCN/Jim Thorsell Achim Steiner 40 IN PRINT 2 World Conservation 1/2002 1. MOUNTAIN VALUES For eons mountains have supplied their inhabitants with the resources essential for self-sufficient lifestyles, and the rest of humanity with water, timber, recreation and inspiration. As we enter a period of transformation and changing demands, our challenge is to adapt to these new conditions while preserving both the natural and cultural values of mountain environments. For the love of mountains Yolanda Kakabadse In the Andes of Ecuador where I was born, people consider mountains as gods and goddesses. We grew up close to the nature of the mountains, and aware of As a major ecosystem representing the complex and the intimate and unbreakable bonds between our interrelated ecology of our planet, mountain environment and our culture, between our pursuit of environments are essential to the survival of the global the practical necessities of life and the spiritual mean- ecosystem. ing that makes life worthwhile. The natural and cultural diversity of the Andes – Agenda 21, Chapter 13, “Managing fragile spans glaciers, high grasslands (paramo), cloud for- ecosystems: sustainable mountain development” ests, other montane forests, volcanoes, lakes, market towns and indigenous settlements. As a result, the Andes are the most visited region in the country and a pillar of our tourist industry. We are but one of many countries of the world to be blessed with mountains – and to find them threat- ened. Therefore I was particularly gratified when, in 1998, the UN General Assembly declared 2002 the In- ternational Year of Mountains. This action responded directly to Agenda 21 – the major outcome of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro – Chapter 13 of which highlights the need for urgent action to achieve sus- tainable mountain development. IUCN can be proud of the role it played, before and since the Earth Summit, in getting mountain issues onto the world agenda. But there is still much to do. The International Year of Mountains is a timely event for the Union and its members, and part of a series of international events in which mountain is- sues take centre-stage (see box on page 5). This special issue of World Conservation is dedi- cated to our mountains, so rich in resources and cru- cial to life on Earth. It is equally dedicated to mountain peoples – so often the poorest of the poor yet so rich in culture, who face such enormous obstacles to de- IISD/FRANCIS DEJON velopment and prosperity. Perhaps the last hope for IUCN was well represented at the launch of the International many of them, and our great challenge over the next Year of Mountains (IYM) on 11 December 2001 at UN few years, is to make our political leaders and our Headquarters in New York, USA. Both Yolanda Kakabadse, President of IUCN, and Larry Hamilton, Vice-Chair collective public realize the need to protect mountain (Mountains) of the IUCN World Commission on Protected environments and cultures, and to develop them Areas (WCPA), took part in panel discussions on the equitably, wisely and sustainably. conditions for sustainability in mountain development. Read the IISD report at http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/sd/mountains/ Yolanda Kakabadse is President of IUCN. World Conservation 1/2002 3 MOUNTAIN VALUES Why mountains matter Lawrence S. Hamilton What is a mountain? There are technical definitions, precious to lose. They add richness to our world fab- though not everyone agrees with them, and most peo- ric, and they harbour priceless traditional knowledge ple would say they know one when they see one. about how to live sustainably in these fragile envi- My own operational definition is that a mountain ronments. is conspicuous, steep sided, having altitudinal plant Third, mountains are the water towers of the world, zonation, and at least 700 m (2300 feet) in relative re- receiving the bulk of the planet’s precipitation. Enor- lief. This covers a range from Mount Everest to the mous quantities are stored as snow and glaciers, Scottish Highlands. which then feed the watercourses on which we all An easier question to answer is: Why are moun- depend and generate from 60 to 95% of the freshwa- tains so special to us? ter of the planet (see page 6). For instance, the Nile First, mountains invariably have and the Indus from their sources in the mountains deep cultural significance for the peo- nourish the life and economies, respectively, of Egypt Mountains are ple who live in and around them. The and Pakistan. Elsewhere, mossy, lichen-draped important because world’s major religions have sacred mountain cloud forests capture moisture which oth- or venerated mountains. Artists, po- erwise would not reach the ground. ➤ they inspire cultural values ets, writers, and alpinists have given Finally, biological diversity is very great in the ➤ they provide a home to one- us ample evidence of their special mountains. This species richness is due largely to the tenth of the world’s people metaphysical relationships to moun- extreme heterogeneity of mountain climates and ➤ they serve as water towers tains. And mountains are able to lift soils, the rapid elevational changes, variable direc- ➤ they harbour much of the the spirits of even the weariest hik- tional aspects, and abundant microhabitats. More- world’s biological diversity ers or jaded tourists. over, a great share of the world’s endemic species are Second, mountains are home to at found in mountains due to the isolated island nature least one-tenth of the world’s human beings, includ- of mountain massifs. They are often the last bastions ing the