Membership

Forthcoming events

Past events

New publications

Italy introduces Masters degree for mountain enterprises

How can enterprises in mountain areas compete in markets without damaging mountain environments and resources? Finding a balancing between these environmental concerns and business is at the core of the new multi-disciplinary post-graduate masters degree (‘Competitività delle Aree Alpine’) in the Lombardy region of Italy. The one-year degree, taught in Italian, aims to offer training that considers the scientific, technical, economic and legal aspects of mountain enterprises. It is an initiative of the national Istituto di Ricerca per l’Ecologia a l’Economia Applicate alle Aree Alpine, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, the University of Pavia and Turin Polytechnic. For further information, contact info@irealp.it or visit the Web site.

Peru announces a day dedicated to the potato

Peru has declared 30 May from this year onwards as ‘National Potato Day’. Why a day for the potato? Potato is the fourth most important food crop in the world, with annual production approaching 300 million tons. More than one-third of the global potato output now comes from developing countries, up from just 11 percent in the early 1960s. The International Potato Centre (CIP), based in Peru, has played an important role in this shift, providing resource-poor farmers with a range of new technologies and potato breeding lines specifically designed for developing-country conditions. In fact, CIP has collected some 5,000 types of potatoes; most of them are from Peru. Hubert Zandstra, CIP Director-General, stressed that the recent announcement of a national day for the potato is a significant step in promoting the tuber and re-iterated CIP’s commitment to work on any initiative related to the provision of information on potatoes’ nutritional value and contribution to food security, as well as the use of new technologies and past knowledge in the cultivation and use of the crop. Read the announcement of the National Potato Day in Peru in ‘Peru Prensa’ (in Spanish only) and visit the CIP Web site.

Issue 8
March 2005

The Mountain Partnership Newsletter

‘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 monthly 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. Help us share news, information and features with members by sending a message to: info@mountainpartnership.org.

Membership

Support for the Mountain Partnership is growing at the national, regional and international level. Both Armenia and Kenya have become new members in the ‘country’ category. In addition, two institutes have joined the Partnership in the ‘major group’ category: the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) and the Mountain Studies Institute (MSI). The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), based in Kazakhstan, promotes the protection of mountains and sustainable development in the Central Asian sub-region. Its activities include developing water projects and preparing a regional strategy for the development of mountain areas in Central Asia. The Mountain Studies Institute (MSI) is an independent, non-profit organization which aims to enhance understanding and sustainable use of the San Juan Mountains (Colorado, USA) through research and education. By focusing on a distinct mountain range, MSI activities aim to serve the global mountain community and have broader application to the study of mountain systems – mountain environments, mountain people and their interactions. Visit the CAREC and MSI Web sites for further information about these new members’ activities.

As of March 2005, there are 117 members of the Mountain Partnership: 45 countries, 14 IGOs and 58 major group organizations.

Reviewing status of Partnership Initiatives

Collaborative action and joint activities are the pillars of the Mountain Partnership. All members should engage in the thematic and geographic initiatives that are relevant for them and take advantage of this alliance to undertake activities in consultation and cooperation with other members.The Mountain Partnership Secretariat is currently in contact with members to gather information about the progress being made in implementing the Initiative activities that were planned prior and during the Cusco Conference. This important exercise also helps the Secretariat better understand how to provide support to members in their collaborative efforts and to identify the possible financial implications of these activities. As reported in the December issue of ‘Peak to Peak’, a preliminary database on funding sources is already available for members’ use from the Mountain Partnership Web site. A version of this database is presently being tailored for specific mountain-related activities. As part of this process, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat is contacting a selected group of funding organizations in advance to inform them about potential proposals that may be received from Mountain Partnership members. Learn more about Initiative activities in the Cusco breakaway session reports. Browse the funding resources of the existing database now and send any comments and suggestions you might have to: info@mountainpartnership.org.

Raising the profile of the Mountain Partnership

The Mountain Partnership logo (English, French and Spanish) was developed in a collaborative process among members last year. It aims to give the alliance a strong visual identity, allows partners to communicate clearly and consistently about the Mountain Partnership and its Initiatives, and increases the scope and power of key messages and outreach. Members of the Mountain Partnership are encouraged to use the logo in their communication materials such as letterheads, Web sites, brochures and posters. Access the Mountain Partnership logo in various formats at the Mountain Partnership Web site.

Reviewing the Mountain Partnership Web site

The Mountain Partnership Secretariat has received an enthusiastic response to the on-line Web survey which is designed to identify user needs, determine priorities and ensure the provision of timely, relevant and user-friendly information services and resources to all members. If you have not yet completed the survey, please go to the Mountain Partnership Web site and send us your input by 15 March.

Initiatives move forward

A workshop to discuss the development of potential project concepts for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) that would focus on conserving the globally significant montane ecosystems of Central and Northern Asia was held from 17-18 February 2005 in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. The workshop was hosted by the National Centre of Mountain Regional Development of the Kyrgyz Republic and facilitated by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat. The IUCN Programme Office for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States and West & Central Asia and North Africa, who requested the assistance of the Mountain Partnership in reviewing and possibly further developing a project idea, played an integral part in the workshop. Other Mountain Partnership members participating included UNEP, UNDP, the MAB-6 Center, Altai Republic and CAREC. Priority conservation needs and threats within the montane ecosystems of Central and Northern Asia were identified by several additional experts from the region, including the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. As a result, several project ideas were identified and will now be further elaborated to determine the feasibility of obtaining GEF funding. Read ‘Central Asia in Focus’ on the Mountain Partnership Web site. Find out more about GEF by visiting the official Web site.

Update on the SARD-M project database

The Project for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountain Regions (SARD-M) has compiled a significant collection of relevant documentation (policy studies, partners’ experiences, case studies) on social, economic, environmental and institutional policies for sustainable agriculture and rural development in mountain regions. The SARD-M project team appreciates the input of those members of the Mountain Partnership who completed questionnaires sent out in December 2004. The team is now creating a database of documentation which will shortly be available on the SARD-M Web site. However, the collection of documentation is an ongoing process and your responses are always welcome. Any suggested input should be sent to Takashi Takahatake.

Fair trade for Kenyan coffee

Mountain Partnership member, Deans Beans Organic and Fair Trade Coffee Company, is exploring the possibility of helping Kenyan coffee growers generate better, more stable income through fair trade and organic certification. These efforts are being undertaken within the framework of a pilot programme that involves FAO, the Government of Kenya, the Kenyan Embu Farmers Cooperative, Deans Beans roaster’s cooperative, and an enterprising group of young Kenyans, Kenya Fair Traders, who are committed to bringing justice and income to the coffee farmers. An initial mission to Kenya took place at the beginning of February to investigate the possibility of developing organic coffee and guaranteeing transparent financial transactions around this product. To follow the progress of this initiative, visit Deans Beans Web site.

Forthcoming events

Global Change in Mountain Regions (GLOCHAMORE) project workshop, Granada, Spain, 14-17 March 2005

Biosphere reserves have been described as ‘living laboratories’ for testing out and demonstrating integrated management of land, water and biodiversity. But what are the implications of global change on the sustainable development of mountain biosphere reserves? These concerns will underlie discussions at the forthcoming workshop of the EU-funded Global Change in Mountain Regions (GLOCHAMORE) project, which is jointly implemented by the Mountain Research Initiative, UNESCO and other partners. The aims of the thematic workshop are to address two main issues, namely: how to ensure that scientists and other stakeholders provide policy-relevant information to the managers of mountain systems in general, and the managers/coordinators of mountain biosphere reserves in particular? How are mountain systems, and in particular mountain biosphere reserves, equipped with appropriate mechanisms and institutions for governance which can address the challenges of global environmental change? Among the Mountain Partnership members attending this event are representatives from CDE, MRI, CIP and UNESCO. A representative from FAO will deliver a keynote presentation on “The Mountain Partnership – new opportunities for networking on mountain research”. For further information about the workshop, the GLOCHAMORE project and where mountain biospheres are located, visit the Web site.

2nd International Seminar on Mountain Tourism -’Mountain Huts – Challenges for Tourists and Nature?’, Szklarska, Poland, 14-17 April 2005

Mountain huts are not merely places of refuge for tourists. Mountain huts have educational, historical and cultural value. They are also a form of enterprise that needs to be economically viable. But mountain huts are invariably situated within a very fragile natural environment, intruding upon the landscape and impacting upon local biodiversity. As mountain tourism increases, so do demands for bigger, more accessible, and increasingly comfortable huts which inevitably affect local resources. The forthcoming international seminar, ‘Mountain Huts – Challenges for Tourists and Nature?’ confronts these complex issues and provides a forum for those involved in mountain tourism (guides, tour leaders, interpreters, rangers, park managers responsible for environmental education, scientists) to discuss the present and future of mountain huts. For further information about the event, contact: dabrowski@eko-tourist.krakow.pl.

The 53rd International Film Festival of Mountains, Exploration and Adventure, ‘Città di Trento’, Trento, Italy, 30 April – 8 May 2005

The International Film Festival of Trento — the oldest film festival in the world — specializes in showing documentary and fiction films on the themes of mountains, exploration, mountaineering and mountain culture. This year’s event, the fifty-third in the festival’s history, is set to attract a broad cross-section of film directors, producers and prominent mountain spokespersons for a two-week programme of new films, film retrospectives, conferences, round tables, exhibitions, and book reviews. Visit the official Web site for schedules and to view film clips, director profiles and past winners of festival awards.

For more information on future events, view the Mountain Calendar 2005, managed by the Mountain Forum.

Past events

Taking stock of conservation

Conservation and sustainable development of mountain regions. Transboundary cooperation in mountain areas. The Mount Blanc Massif in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. These are just some of the mountain-related resolutions and recommendations that were adopted during the recent third IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 17-25 November 2004). These texts have now been substantially finalized and are available on-line.

New publications

Voices from the Mountain

“Now we’re cutting down the old forests to be able to sow crops… Our forefathers didn’t do this… If we sell our forest we destroy it, and the earth loses its power…it’ll take us years to recover again… Selling it is good for the money, yes, but…I don’t believe that money can make it rain for us like our forest does…So says a Mexican mountain farmer, one of the many whose experiences are captured in Voices from the Mountain, the latest collection in the Oral Testimonies series produced by the Panos Institute. These new testimonies cover Mexico and Pakistan and complement those already published from communities in Africa (Ethiopia, Lesotho, Kenya), Asia (China, Nepal, India), Latin America (Peru) and Europe (Poland). All contain a fascinating blend of anecdote, information, history, culture, knowledge, opinion and experience. Copies are available free to the media and to resource-poor organizations in the South. Otherwise, copies are available for £5.00 sterling each (plus postage and packaging). To order, send an e-mail with your requirements to otp@panos.org.uk with your name, organization and full postal address. Alternatively, you can order on-line.

State of the World’s Forests 2005

The sixth edition of FAO’s State of the World’s Forests presents a global picture of the forest sector and the latest information on activities and developments. Contributions highlight challenges and opportunities related to key emerging issues. The theme of the 2005 edition, ‘Realizing the economic benefits from forests’ recognizes that the economic viability of the forest sector is a prerequisite to safeguarding the environmental, social and cultural functions of the resource. Enhancing these functions is vital to achieving the United Nations Millennium Development goals — not only the goal of ensuring environmental sustainability, where the contribution of forests is obvious, but also to the goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. Read the report on-line.

Global Information Technology

The World Economic Forum, a Mountain Partnership member, is set to release a new ranking of 104 economies according to their success at exploiting developments in information technology. The Global Information Technology Report, released on 9 March, comes at a time of growing recognition about the role that information and communication technology (ICT) plays in boosting the prospects of growth of the developed and developing countries. The Report measures “the degree of preparation of a nation or community to participate in and benefit from ICT developments’, assessing: the environment for ICT offered by a given country or community, the readiness of the community’s key stakeholders (individuals, businesses and governments), and the usage of ICT among these stakeholders. To order copies or read extracts of the Global Information Technology Report, go to the Web site.