Languages menu:
January 2010
'Peak to Peak' is an
opportunity to keep you up-to-date with the latest news, activities
and events related to the Mountain Partnership. This newsletter,
prepared by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, is sent by e-mail
to all members and other interested partners and can be read on-line
at www.mountainpartnership.org
We wish to welcome two new members who have
recently joined the Mountain Partnership: CAMP Alatoo and
Fundepáramos.
CAMP Alatoo is a non-profit and
non-governmental organization founded in 2005 promoting sustainable
development in the mountain regions of Kyrgyzstan. CAMP Alatoo is a
successor organization of the Central Asian Mountain Partnership
(CAMP), a programme financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation. Jointly with its partner organizations in Kazakhstan
and Tajikistan, CAMP Alatoo forms part of the CAMP Network.
Fundepáramos, established in 2003, is a Colombian non-profit
and non-governmental organization which works in high altitude
ecosystems, especially in the area of Páramo. The Foundation
promotes research, environmental education and planning, the fight
against poverty, and the protection of endangered species.
As of
January 2010 there are 166 members of the Mountain Partnership, 50
countries, 16 intergovernmental organizations and 100 major groups
organizations (i.e. civil society, NGOs and the private sector). For
more information on their activities and contact details visit the
members section of the Mountain
Partnership web site.
Update on Partnership activities
United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
The side event “Mountains of the World:
Addressing Climate Change through Sustainable Mountain Development”
was organized by the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Swiss Agency
for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Mountain Partnership and
the Mountain Research Initiative during the recent COP 15 of the
UNCCD that took place in Copenhagen last December. This side event
highlighted the vulnerability of mountain regions and communities to
climate change, and presented adaptation experiences and priorities
from these regions. Felix Näscher, Director General, Office of
Forests, Nature and Land Management, Liechtenstein, opened by noting
his country’s commitment to sustainable management practices in its
vulnerable alpine environments. Anton Hilber, SDC, noted that
mountain regions are already experiencing the effects of climate
change and that Cooperation Agencies should support mitigation and
adaptation measures. Wilfried Haeberli, World Glacier Monitoring
Service (WGMS), presented scientific findings of climate change
impacts in alpine areas, stating that a “new science of
disequilibria” is needed to model changes in the mountains. He
underscored that emissions must be reduced. Daniel Maselli, SDC,
moderated a panel discussion in which representatives from mountain
communities in Peru, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco and Switzerland
shared their experiences with climate change and adaptation
activities through statements and videos. Based on their comments
that mountain communities are already observing changes in river
levels, glaciers and agricultural productivity in their
environments, several panellists emphasized that local communities
have a right to know why these changes are occurring. In fact, some
communities believe wrongly that their own actions are somehow
responsible for the changes that are taking place. Gregory
Greenwood, Mountain Research Initiative, moderated a discussion in
which high level representatives from the Governments of Peru and
Italy, as well as the World Bank, responded to the experiences and
stories related by the panellists. Eduardo Durand, from the
Ministry of Environment of Peru, emphasized the need for governments
to work closely with local people and to draw on local knowledge for
coping with the impacts of climate change. Calling mountains a
“global issue,” Nicola Manduzio, from the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Italy, underlined the value of listening to the
experiences of those directly affected by climate change. Walter
Vergara, World Bank, encouraged increased capacity building,
research and monitoring, and political will. Participants also
discussed technological support for adaptation efforts; interaction
between science and traditional knowledge; the urgency of
mitigation; and community adaptation strategies.
Mountains and Climate Change publication
The UNCCD side event was followed by a press conference during which the publication “Mountains and Climate Change, from Understanding to Action” was presented. The publication is published by the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), Institute of Geography, University of Bern, with the support of SDC. For hard copies of the publication please contact: sara.manuelli@fao.org. To download the publication: http://www.mountainpartnership.org/common/files/pdf
Mountain Sustainable Tourism
A Mountain Partnership member, the
Argentinean NGO ADESO, has requested the collaboration of the
Mountain Partnership to initiate an area of work within the Andean
Initiative dedicated to mountain sustainable tourism. ADESO is
currently implementing a European Union funded project in the Andean
borders of three countries – Argentina, Bolivia and Peru - to
increase the tourism attractiveness of these mountain areas and to
include as beneficiaries the local Aymaras and Quechua communities.
ADESO is willing to share the lessons learned and progress made with
other members. To read more about the programme please visit:
http://www.mountainpartnership.org/common/files/pdf/agendabolivia.pdf
and http://www.mountainpartnership.org/common/files/pdf/flyerbolivia.pdf
or contact: navarro@adeso.org.ar
IPROMO Course
As a contribution to the observance of
the International Year of Biodiversity 2010, and the upcoming COP10
of the UNCBD, the next 2010 IPROMO summer course which will be held
in July will focus on "Protecting Mountain Biodiversity". The topics
of the summer school will include: significance of mountain
biodiversity, land use and climate change effects on mountain
biodiversity, protected areas, biological corridors and
transboundary agreements and their role in protecting mountain
biodiversity. Further information on application procedures will be
published in the near future on the Mountain Partnership/IPROMO
website .
The IPROMO programme was conceived and organized by
the Mountain Partnership Secretariat at the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the University of Turin
within the framework of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development. It targets mainly young/middle level professionals from
countries and institutions that belong to the Mountain
Partnership.
The Alpine Climate Portal
On the occasion of the Copenhagen
Talks and to celebrate International Mountain Day, the Permanent
Secretariat of the Alpine Convention launched the new Alpine Climate
Portal on 11 December 2009. The webpage of the Alpine Convention on
Climate Change has the purpose to contribute to the implementation
of the Action Plan on Climate Change in the Alps adopted in March
2009 by the Contracting Parties of the Alpine Convention. The Alpine
States have agreed to make the Alpine region a model region
regarding the problem of climate change, and this website will be an
interactive tool to support this objective. The site proposes
reference texts, relevant publications and bibliographies, as well
as a “knowledge centre”, which recollects useful addresses of the
main actors at local and regional level supporting or carrying
concrete measures on climate change. The Good Practice and the News
& Events windows allow the actors on the field to submit their
experiences and share their initiatives regarding climate action in
the Alps. For further information please visit: http://www.alpconv.org/climate/index_en
Euromontana SARD-M report on Positive externalities 2009-2009
The UNESCO Biosphere reserves can – under certain conditions- strongly contribute not only to environmental protection, but also to social and economical development, and to enhanced provision of environmental services and positive externalities. On behalf of the ‘Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountain regions’ project (SARD-M), and of Euromontana, Richard Robinson examines four Biosphere European cases studies and how positive externalities are being remunerated as proposals to guide Carpathian and Balkan projects. To read the report please visit: http://www.euromontana.org/Doc/events/
Fouta Djallon Highlands project becomes operational
The Fouta Djallon Highlands in West
Africa are commonly known as the "Water Towers" because they are a
major source of freshwater feeding the main rivers such as the
Senegal, the Gambia, and the Niger, vital not only for the highland
population but also for the inhabitants of the lowland areas. During
the 1970s the African Union recognised the vital importance of a
long-term collaborative approach amongst the countries concerned for
the overall management of the natural resources found in the
Highlands so to guarantee their protection and rational use and
contribute to improving the livelihoods of the local residents. As a
result, the African Union has set-up the Fouta Djallon Highlands
Management Programme (FDH-MP), with an "International Bureau of
Coordination" (IBC-AU) based in Conakry, Republic of Guinea, to
ensure liaison between all the involved countries. Further
assistance towards the FDH-MP was requested from the Global
Environmental Facility (GEF), and the first 4-year "tranche" of a
10-year project got under way in 2009, implemented by FAO. The
development objective of this project is to ensure the conservation
and sustainable management of the natural resources in order to
improve the livelihoods of the rural populations directly concerned.
The environmental objective is to mitigate the causes and negative
impacts of land degradation on the integrity of the ecosystems,
through the establishment of an institutional framework to
facilitate regional collaboration in: the management of the FDH; the
assessment and monitoring of the status of all the natural
resources; and the development of replicable models for
community-based sustainable land-management at some 29 pilot sites.
International
Mountain Day 2009
(11 December
2009)
The celebrations for International
Mountain Day took place in several regions. This year’s theme was
Disaster Risk Management in Mountains and it provided an apt
reflection on the high number of natural hazards in mountain areas
and the high vulnerability of mountain communities. It aimed to draw
attention to sustainable agricultural, pasture and forestry
practices as key elements of risk reduction as well as the need to
develop integrated strategies and policies at a national level. Here
are just a few examples of how the observance of the Day was carried
out in some countries.
In Greece, with the
collaboration of the Hellenic Commission for UNESCO, the
Natural Museum of History and the Municipality of Petritsi organized
a festival dedicated to mountains, including a writing competition
for students entitled “The Legend of my Mountain”. An educational
programme “The mountains of our hometown and their legends” with
lessons and games was organized for the children.
In Kashmir,
CEE Himalaya celebrated IMD 2009 with educators by conducting a
series of events on climate change adaptation and disaster risk
reduction. About 150 participants including District Resource Group,
Zonal Resource Persons (ZRPs), Cluster Resource Persons (CRPs),
teachers and officials of the Department of Education, Ganderbal
district of Kashmir, India participated in weeklong series of
events.
Participants worked together to identify climate
change impacts in local context
particularly the issue of water
availability, variation in micro-climate, impact
on
agriculture/horticulture and other livelihoods and
vulnerability to natural disasters. Discussions also addressed the
ways of handling post disaster situations in the Kashmir valley
through a participatory process. School safety concerns
were
highlighted and the concept of School Disaster Management
Plans (SDMP) was introduced. It was also underlined how
vulnerability to disasters can be minimized through community based
disaster risk management (CBDRM).
In Iran, the FAO office in
collaboration with the Tehran Municipality, Zone 1 and the Mountain
Environment Protection Society (MEPS), held a two-day festival in
the Melal Cultural Center of Tehran. The following public and
private organizations and NGOs were present to support the event:
the Forest, Range and Watershed Organization (FRWO); Ministry of
Jihad-e-Agriculture; UNDP; Center for Environment and Energy
Research and Studies (CEERS); Azad Islamic University; Tehran City
Council; Sustainable Development & Environment Committee, Tehran
Municipality; Department of Environment (DOE); Mountain Climbing
Federation; Centre for Sustainable Development and Environment
(CENESTA). The Alpine Club of Iran also held a "Mountain Ceremony",
in Ararat, a club of Tehran for mountaineers to meet each other and
revive their commitment in protecting mountain environments.
Mohammad Darvish, a member of the scientific board in Forests and
Pastures Researches Institute, gave a lecture on the theme of
"Disaster Risk Management in Mountains".
In Peru, the
Ministry of the Environment organized a Conference on
“Desertification and Climate Change in the Andean Mountains”. It was
aimed at developing a central role in coordinating, monitoring and
legalizing activities and projects related to climate change and
desertification impacts, mitigation, adaptation in the Andean
Mountains ecosystem, which are important sources of water and
products for food security, knowledge and culture.
Mountain Children Dream Book
A photo exhibition of mountain
children of Central Asia by Mountain Partnership member CAMP Alatoo,
UNICEF and the AUB Charity was launched on 16 November. The photo
exhibition initiated a series of activities by UNICEF to mark the
20th anniversary of the day of adoption of the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child. The exhibition featured over 200 photos taken
in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. It also contained
thoughts, poems, hopes and “dreams” of children that reflect
their attitude towards the homeland, ethnicity, the environment,
climate change and natural disasters, education, culture,
traditions, religion and their transmission through the various
generations. The exhibition then toured in Bishkek from 16 November
until 25 December 2009 in different venues such as The House of
Government, the Asia Universal Bank-Centre and the UN House
targeting the government, the business sector, international
organizations, and the city’s youth, children and parents. Partners
and sponsors of the photo exhibition were the AUB Charity
Foundation, UNICEF in Kyrgyzstan, the Mountain Partnership, ICIMOD,
Alliance of Central Asian Mountain Communities (AGOCA) and the Union
of Photojournalists of Kyrgyz Republic.
News highlights from around the world
Mountain Partnership logo on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro
In November, as part of UNEP’s
Seal the Deal campaign a group of intrepid mountaineers (Greenpeaks
and Austrian mountaineers) decided to visit Africa’s highest
mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro to see how climate change is already
affecting Africa’s famous snowy landmark. Scientists say that Mount
Kilimanjaro has already lost 80 percent of its ice cap. “If we do
not pay attention to nature and our fragile mountain ecosystem,
everything will be lost,” said guide Faustino during the ascent to
the summit. The 65-year old guide has climbed the 5,895 meter
mountain some 350 times. He commented, “Now there is less and less
ice as a result of global warming over the past 100 years.” The
campaigning group said that voice of the alpinists and mountaineers
must be heard as they represent some of the most authentic witnesses
of the consequences of the climate change on fragile mountainous
regions. GreenPeaks is an international climate protection
initiative which raises awareness of climate change from the highest
summits of the world.
World Bank and Global Environment Facility Support Ecosystem Development in the Tien Shan Region
The World Bank’s Board of Executive
Directors approved in November a Global Environment Facility Grant
to the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic to support
management of protected areas and sustainable ecosystem development
of the Tien Shan region of the two countries.
This territory
plays an important role in conserving biodiversity and maintaining
environmental sustainability in Central Asia. In 2004, Conservation
International identified the Tien Shan range as a “biodiversity
hotspot”.
“It is vital that these fragile and yet
environmentally, socially and economically important areas are
managed wisely and sustainably, both for today’s population and for
future generations that depend on the range for their energy, water
and livelihoods”, said Motoo Konishi, World Bank Country Director
for the Central Asia region.
The new Tien Shan Ecosystem
Development Project will contribute to biodiversity conservation,
sustainable forest management, and climate change mitigation by
supporting Protected Area management, by building technical
capacity, investing strategically in PA infrastructure, supporting
local efforts to reduce threats to biodiversity in and around
project PAs, increasing public awareness, and promoting sustainable
tourism. Additionally in Kazakhstan, the project will finance small
grants for local groups and organizations to conserve and reduce
threats to biodiversity and integrate conservation into the broader
landscape. To read more please visit: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS
Future events
International
GMBA-DIVERSITAS conference "Functional significance of mountain
biodiversity"
(Chandolin, Switzerland, 27-30 July 2010)
The Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) of DIVERSITAS is celebrating its 10th year of activity in 2010 with an international conference in the Swiss Alps.The aim of the conference, organized within the framework of the Mountain Partnership, is to bring together researchers on the theme "functional significance of mountain biodiversity", to collect the latest scientific information on Mountain biodiversity and ecosystem functions, to plan research projects across mountains/regions, to plan and publish joint publications, to ensure future input to international conventions. For further information please visit: http://www.gmba.unibas.ch/2010conference/2010conference.htm
Forum
Carpaticum: Integrating Nature and Society towards
Sustainability
(Krakow, Poland 15-17 September 2010)
The Forum Carpaticum is an open meeting of the Science for the Carpathians (S4C) initiative, a regional science network targeting at supporting and streamlining mountain research in the Carpathians. Forum Carpaticum will involve various stakeholders from economy, policy, nature conservation as well as local governments working in the Carpathian countries. The objectives of the Forum Carpaticum are to support scientifically actions leading towards sustainability in the region; to increase the visibility of the Carpathian region in the global change research agendas and to promote the Carpathians as a key region of European biodiversity. Contact e-mail: office@froumcarpaticum.org ; kostapowicz@gis.geo.uj.edu.pl ; jkozak@gis.geo.uj.edu.pl . For further information please visit: www.forumcarpaticum.org
Call for papers
International
conference: ‘Global Change and the World's Mountains’
(Perth,
Scotland 26-30 September 2010) Final call for papers: Deadline 1
March 2010
The Global
Change and the World’s Mountains conference aims to bring together
leading scientists and others stakeholders working in mountain areas
around the world in order to: present progress in understanding of
global change in mountain regions since 2005; evaluate progress with
regard to the implementation and impacts of the GLOCHAMORE Research
Strategy; work proactively on a global agenda for research and
action relating to global change and mountain regions, taking into
consideration global assessment and policy processes, such as those
relating to the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on
Biological Diversity, as well as the consideration of mountains by
the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in 2012, 20 years after
the Rio Earth Summit. The Conference is being organized by the
UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Mountain Development at the Centre for
Mountain Studies at Perth College UHI, in collaboration with the
Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), a joint project of the
International Human Dimensions of Global Change Programme (IHDP) and
the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), funded by
the Swiss National Science Foundation. The conference is also
endorsed by the Global Land Project of the IGBP and IHDP, UNESCO’s
MAB programme, and the Commission on Mountain Response to Global
Change of the International Geographical Union.
Abstracts for
papers for any of the 32 session themes will be accepted until 1
March 2010. Please visit the conference website at http://www.perth.uhi.ac.uk/mountainstudies/2010
to see the themes and download an abstract form.
For further
information and updates about the conference, please visit the
conference website at http://www.perth.uhi.ac.uk/mountainstudies/2010
