FAO urges the protection of mountains from degradation

11 Décembre 2017

Rome, Italy, December 11 (Infosplusgabon) - As the world celebrates International Mountain Day on Monday, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is urging the world to protect mountains from degradation, saying they provide energy, water and food, among other things.

In a post on its website, FAO noted that in some countries, mountains are considered deities. In others, mountains are peaks to climb while in others still, mountains, like volcanoes, are spirits that can be angered.

"In countries around the world, though, mountains provide life-sustaining water, energy and food for over half the world’s population," FAO said.

It noted that because of their altitude, slope and orientation to the sun, mountain ecosystems are easily disrupted by climate variations: native plants and animals are quickly losing their habitats and are struggling to survive in ever diminishing areas, and mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates. "These changes in mountain glaciers have an impact on water resources in many parts of the world."

FAO said mountains are also being threatened by land degradation, overexploitation and natural disasters, with potentially far-reaching and devastating consequences, both for mountain communities and the rest of the world. "But it does not have to be this way. Mountain communities possess a wealth of traditional knowledge and experience to manage and enhance the resilience of fragile mountain ecosystems."

FAO said indigenous and traditional mountain farmers, for example, have designed their agricultural systems in a way to protect the soil from erosion, conserve water resources and reduce the risks posed by natural disasters.

They use these skills and knowledge to protect mountain ecosystems because for them, mountains are home.

FAO said mountains matter to everyboby for many reasons. It said mountains not only provide direct sustenance to and enhance the well-being of 915 million mountain people around the world, but also indirectly benefit billions more living downstream.

They are home to 13 percent of the world’s population with over 90 percent of the world’s mountain dwellers living in developing countries, and one in three mountain people in developing countries is food insecure.

Mountains, FAO said, provide 60-80 percent of the world's freshwater, adding that some of the world's largest cities, including Melbourne, Nairobi, New York, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo depend on mountains for freshwater.

Mountain communities produce an abundance of high-value and high-quality foods and products such as coffee, cocoa, honey, herbs, spices and handicrafts that improve livelihoods and boost local economies, FAO said, adding 6 of the 20 plants that supply most of the world's food originated in mountain areas.

FAO noted that mountain tourism accounts for 15–20 percent of the global tourism industry, attracting tourists for a wide-range of activities, including skiing, climbing, hiking and exploring.

Mountains also play a key role in providing renewable energy, such as hydropower, solar power, wind power and biogas, for downstream cities and remote mountain communities. Hydropower provides around one-fifth of all electricity worldwide, and some countries rely almost exclusively on mountain regions for hydropower generation.

FAO said six of the 20 plant species that supply most of the world's food originated in mountain areas. They are maize, potatoes, barley, sorghum, quinoa, tomatoes and apples.

Further, mountains hold cultural as well as natural significance, FAO said, noting that the UN Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has designated many mountains World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves (areas designated for finding solutions between sustainable development and conservation of biodiversity). It added that almost 60 percent of all Biosphere Reserves contain mountain ecosystems.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/OIO/GABON 2017

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