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 Ecuador, to Togo, to University of British Colombia. 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 (Pakistan), and Sushila Nepali (Nepal). 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 Peru 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, Costa Rica, August 2013) and Africa (Nairobi, Kenya, 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- GHANA, 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), India. 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