Inside this issue:

News Highlights From Around The World

Drought in Andes affects Lima

A severe drought in the Peruvian Andes is having devastating affects on the country's capital city. Low rainfall in the mountains has meant that water levels in the high-altitude reservoirs have fallen drastically. Because the city is situated in the desert coastal strip, Lima's 8 million inhabitants rely almost exclusively on water from the mountains. Now rationing is being imposed and restrictions will probably be lifted only at the end of the year. Plans are being developed to build a new reservoir further up in the mountains.

Bamboo species threatened by forest loss

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned that, if deforestation rates continue half of the world's bamboo species could be threatened with extinction. The report was produced by the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) and UNEP's World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). Bamboo provides key habitat and is an important food source for humans and wildlife, many of which are located in mountain regions. Endangered animals such as the eastern mountain gorilla in Uganda, the mountain bongo in Kenya and mountain tapir in Latin America, all depend upon bamboo forests for food and shelter.

Resurrection of the Great Inca Route

A group of dedicated archaeologists has been the catalyst behind a plan to restore the ancient Incan route that runs 8,500 km through the Andes. The route dates back over 500 years and links six countries; joining Colombia to Chile, before passing through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, at altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 4,500 metres. We will track the progress of the project in future issues of this newsletter.

Italian expedition conquers Everest without oxygen

On May 24, Alex Busca, Karl Unterkircher, and Claudio Bastrentaz reached the summit of Mt. Everest without the use of oxygen masks. This notable achievement marks the first stage of the project 'K2 2004 - 50 years later', an Italian expedition which left Italy in April 2004 and will spend four months at over 4,000 m, climbing the world's two highest mountains. The expedition aims to revisit the challenges of the first successful ascent of K2 by an Italian team 50 years ago. Even today, despite the evolution of technology and training methods, climbing an 8,000-metre peak is considered a major undertaking. After the ascent of Mt Everest (8,846 m), the expedition will go on to climb K2 (8,611 m) and aims to reach the summit by the beginning of August.

Issue 1
June 2004

The Mountain Partnership Newsletter

This is the first issue of the Mountain Partnership newsletter, 'Peak to Peak' -- an opportunity to keep you up-to-date with the latest news, activities and events related to the Mountain Partnership. This newsletter is prepared by the Interim Secretariat for the Mountain Partnership and will be sent to all members and other interested partners on a monthly basis. It will also be posted on our new Mountain Partnership Web site which is to be re-launched by mid-June.

Please feel free to send your suggestions, comments and contributions to this newsletter to Jane Ross. We are particularly interested to hear what is happening in your country or organization and look forward to receiving your input.

Farmers in the Ecuadorian Andes

Membership on the rise

We welcome Cuba as a new member of the Mountain Partnership. To date, there are 40 country members (15 in Europe, 5 in the Near East and North Africa, 6 in Africa, 9 in Latin America and the Caribbean and 5 in Asia and the Pacific). In addition, we have several new members from major groups (i.e. NGOs, civil society and the private sector), namely: WOCAN (Women Organising for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management) (an international network); the Centre for Alpine Ecology (Italy); the Ardito Desio Association (Italy); the Italian Foundation for Mountains (Italy); Prakriti (India); and Dean's Beans Organic Coffee Company (USA).

Showcasing the Partnership

Spring 2004 was an important period for the Mountain Partnership. In April, it was showcased at the Partnership Fair held during the 12th session of the Committee on Sustainable Development- CSD (New York, 18-27 April). This was an ideal opportunity to highlight the progress and development of the Partnership at a series of events, including a meeting of members attending the CSD session (20 April), an information booth exhibiting activities of members (23 April), and presentations of on-going initiatives (26 April).

Peru to host the next global meeting of the Partnership

One of the key topics discussed at the CSD event was the Second Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership which will take place in Cusco, Peru from 28-29 October this year. The governments of Peru, Italy and Switzerland, as well as the International Potato Center (CIP), the Interim Secretariat for the Mountain Partnership and the Mountain Forum are currently working together on preliminary preparations for this landmark event. This newsletter will keep you informed of developments as they unfold over the coming months.

A smallholder harvests coffee berries, Malawi

Promoting action at all levels

The Mountain Partnership aims to strengthen existing and stimulate new initiatives that will bring real change in mountain regions. In January 2004, a preliminary set of Partnership Initiatives were identified, based on inputs from members, covering thematic areas of interest (Education, Gender, Policy and Law, Research, Sustainable Livelihoods, Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountains – SARD-M, Watershed Management) and geographic areas of interest (the Andes, Central Asia, East Africa, Europe, the Hindu-Kush Himalaya). Many members have expressed their desire to take a leading role in moving these initiatives forward. One of the next steps in promoting collaborative action amongst these committed members is to hold small-scale workshops, meetings and e-consultations.

It is worth highlighting here that approximately 60% of members have already returned the questionnaire on initiatives sent out earlier this year. The return rate was high for major groups yet very low in the case of countries. If you have not yet returned your questionnaire, please do so as soon as possible.

Reaching the world's media

We are currently developing a global media mailing list in efforts to spread the message about the Mountain Partnership and its activities to the world’s media. Please feel free to identify any relevant media organizations and journalists in your country that could be targeted for this purpose and send your suggestions to Jane Ross.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

This section features a short list of some important forthcoming events and meetings organized by members of the Mountain Partnership or others. For more detailed information on future mountain-related events, we would encourage you to view the Mountain Calendar maintained by the Mountain Forum.

‘Integrated Management of Mountain Ecosystems: Water and Mountains’ (San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina, 31 May – 2 June 2004)

The conservation and sustainable development of mountain ecosystems, and in particular the protection of biodiversity and cultural heritage will be high on the agenda at the conference, ‘Integrated Management of Mountain Ecosystems: Water and Mountains’. Organized by the Latin American Mountain Forum, the event will celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the National University of Tucumán and the International Alliance of Mountain Ecosystems. For further information, visit the Web site or contact: forodemontana@hotmail.com.

‘International Conference on Mountain Products in Europe’ (Cordoba, Spain, 24-26 June 2004)

Since October 2002, Euromontana has been undertaking European-wide research into quality mountain food products. The Euromontana project, ‘Strategic information for the development of agricultural quality products in European mountain areas’ aims to identify successful strategies to add value to mountain food products for sustainable mountain development. In June, the three-day ‘International Conference on Mountain Products in Europe’ will mark the last consultation stage within the framework of the project. Presentations will be made on the results of case studies developed in 10 mountain areas from 8 countries in Europe, and participants will reflect on the characteristics and economic potential of the mountain products studied. The conference aims to propose recommendations at European level and will also launch the on-line Strategic Information System on Mountain Products. For further information, visit the Web site or contact: quality.euromontana@skynet.be.

‘La Cité dans la Montagne’ (Chambery, France, 29 June 2004)

‘La Cité dans la Montagne’ is organized by the Association Montanea as part of a wider annual programme of events on mountain issues. Architects, economists and geographers from Switzerland, Italy, Germany and France will discuss the role of Alpine cities within mountain economies and their inter-relationships with the mountain environment. For further information, visit the Web site or contact: m.marchal@mairie-chambery.fr.

International Mountain Film Festival

Mountains and their environments are the focus of the 35th ‘Festival International du Film Alpin et de l’Environnement des Diablerets’, which runs from 18 to 25 September 2004 in Les Diablerets, Switzerland. The organizers welcome entries to the competition in three categories: i) extreme sports in all forms; ii) documentaries; and iii) cartoons. The closing date for participation is 30 June 2004. For further information, visit the Web site or contact: info@fifad.ch.