Mountain Watch

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Mountain Watch Report and the Bishkek Global
Mountain Summit
Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Mountains of the World
Categories of mountain terrain
Source Mountain Watch (UNEP-WCMC 2002)
Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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The Importance of Mountain Environments

• Cover about a quarter of the worlds land
  surface
• Provides services to lowland peoples, including
  clean
• water, energy, food, recreation, and protection
  from
• natural disasters
• Important areas for biodiversity are
  concentrated in
• mountain regions (areas of diversity and
  endemicity for
• plants, birds and amphibians)

Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Exceptional biodiversity in mountain regions
- EBAs, CPDs and amphibian hotspots
Source WWF-IUCN (1994), Stattersfield et al .
(1998), Duellman (1999)
Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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The Importance of Mountain Environments

• Ecosystem services mountains influence rainfall
  patterns and mountain forests prevent erosion
  floods
• Mountain communities are marginalised, with
  little
• access to urban resources and limited
  agricultural land
• Language diversity in mountains is high, and
• threatened languages are common in mountain
• regions

Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Mountain languages
Based on data collated by Matthew Dryer
(University at Buffalo) at http//linguistics.buff
alo.edu/people/faculty/dryer/dryer/atlas.locations
number of speakers from Ethnologue (2001)
Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Mountains Under Threat
A pressure scenario infrastructural development

• The Markets First scenario from
  UNEP/GRID-Arendal simulates the impact of
  development of roads, dams,
• pipelines and other infrastructure on
  biodiversity
• The scenario suggests that the abundance of
  wildlife in mountain regions by 2035 could be
  seriously affected bydevelopment
• In Australasia and South East Asian, nearly half
  the mountain area experienced a high impact on
  biodiversity under the model

Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Infrastructure impacts, 2035
Source GLOBIO data from UNEP/GRID-Arendal, as
UNEP (2002)
Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Mountains Under Threat
Synthesis of pressures

• Seven pressure variables were brought together
  fires, earthquake hazard, climate change, human
  conflict, suitability for agriculture and
  infrastructure development. The most severe
  impacts from each were combined in a single map.
• In the tropics the northern Andes, the African
  Rift Valley and Sumatra stand out. In temperate
  regions Eurasia,
• including the Balkans, the Middle East, and the
  high
• mountains of Central Asia experience a high
  number of
• pressures

Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Integrated pressures for mountain regions
Source Mountain Watch (UNEP-WCMC 2002)
Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Mountains Under Threat
Pressures and biodiversity values

• The integrated pressure map was brought together
  withthe biodiversity map to highlight areas that
  are experiencing multiple pressures
• The areas of exceptional biodiversity under
  particularly severe pressure include the forest
  ecosystems of the north-west Andes, California
  and the Caucasus region.
• Such areas should be considered as priorities for
  global
• conservation action in mountain areas.

Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Integrated pressures and values for mountain
regions
Source Mountain Watch (UNEP-WCMC 2002)
Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Bishkek Global Mountain Summit

• War, poverty, hunger, climate change and
  environmental
• degradation are threatening the web of life that
  mountains
• support.
• The Bishkek Global Mountain Summit will be the
  final
• global event of the 2002 United Nations
  International
• Year of Mountains.
• Drawing together the ideas and recommendations
• generated throughout the year, from all levels
  and
• sectors of society.

Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Bishkek Global Mountain Summit
The agenda includes

• New international and regional agreements and
• co-operation
• As well as topics like tourism, biological and
  cultural
• diversity, and conflicts in mountain areas.

Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Bishkek Global Mountain Summit
Confirmed key speakers include

• Askar Akaev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic
• His Highness the Aga Khan
• Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO
• Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the UNEP
• Hans van Ginkel, Rector of the United Nations
• University
• Jose Maria Figueres, Managing Director,
• World Economic Forum
• Zmarek Shalizi, Director, World Development
• Report 2002, World Bank

Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Bishkek Global Mountain Summit
Envisaged outcomes

• The Bishkek Mountain Platform a framework for
  action for sustainable mountain development.
• A draft resolution to the United Nations General
  Assembly on sustainable development of mountain
  regions.
• International Partnership for Sustainable
  Development of Mountain Regions, based on the
  Platform and on the partnership initiative
  launched at the World Summit on Sustainable
  Development (WSSD), with identified stakeholders
  and actions.
• Establishment of a network of Mountain Developing
  States (MODS).
• The Central Asian Mountain Charter

Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Bishkek Global Mountain Summit
Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems
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Mountain Watch Report and the Bishkek Global
Mountain Summit 29th October to 1st November
2002 Presspack information and Images 15
Photographs and images with captions
http//www.unep-wcmc.org/mw_bishkek_presspack Mov
ing Images TVE International (Television Trust
for the Environment) Robert, Lamb Executive
Director TVE  Tel [phone] email
robert.lamb_at_tve.org.uk
Mountain Watch The first global assessment of
mountain ecosystems