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International Year of Mountains |
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TKI
Hot Topic for 8 April 2002
Introduction to the International Year of Mountains
2002 is the United Nations International Year of Mountains (IYM).
Mountains are extraordinary places. They have an essential role in maintaining
the climate and ecology of Earth, and support a rich diversity of plant
and animal life. Mountains are also home to human communities, each with
strong traditions and heritage.
The aim of IYM is to educate the world in the importance of mountains,
and to highlight the threat that globalisation, urbanisation and mass
tourism pose to mountain populations and ecology. The IYM builds on the
1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janiero, and the work being undertaken by
the global Mountain Forum, founded in 1995.
The central theme of the IYM is the sustainable development of mountain
regions: forests, ecosystems and the lives of mountain people.
A number of global and national events are planned to celebrate the Year
of Mountains. A major global summit, High Summit 2002: International Conference
around the Continents' Highest Mountains, is taking place between 6 -
10 May 2002. The Summit will be an interactive videoconference broadcast
simultaneously from places near some of the world's highest peaks, including
Mt Everest (Nepal), Mt Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Mt Blanc (Italy) and our
own Mt Cook.
The official events calendar is available at http://www.mountains2002.org/events
The mountain environment
Water
Mountains are essential to our water supply. All the major rivers in
the world have their headwaters in mountains. As a consequence, more than
half the world's people rely on mountain water to grow food, to produce
electricity, to sustain industries and, most importantly, to drink.
As populations increase and demand for clean water grows, careful management
of mountain water resources has never been more important to our survival.
Biodiversity
A number of rare plants and animals live exclusively on mountains. In
the Andes, for example, as many as 200 different varieties of indigenous
potatoes exist, while in Nepal, farmers grow approximately 2,000 varieties
of rice.
Without the wisdom acquired by generations of mountain people, much of
the biodiversity found in mountain environments would be virtually unknown.
Only 1 percent of tropical plants, for example, have been screened for
any kind of medicinal use. Yet, just as people around the globe are beginning
to recognize the value of this tremendous resource, the future of mountain
ecosystems and the species that depend on them for survival is in doubt.
Commercial mining, logging, tourism and global climate change also exact
a heavy toll on mountain biodiversity.
Mountain climate
Because of their shape and size, mountains support a wide range of climatic
conditions. Climbing just 100m up a mountain slope can offer as much climatic
variety as travelling 100km across flat terrain. A mountain can stretch
from lush forests on lower slopes to the almost mythical "cloud forests"
- so called because they grow at such a high altitude that treetops disappear
into the clouds!
Mountain climates are like narrow bands, each stacked on top of the other.
Every rise in altitude generates different conditions, supporting unique
and often isolated ecosystems with some of the world's greatest variety
of plant and animal life.
As the world heats up, conditions within each of these narrow bands is
changing, and mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates. Many
rare plants and animals are struggling to survive, and scientists have
witnessed examples of species moving uphill in search of a more suitable
habitat.
Mountain people
Around the world, many mountain people are being pushed out of their
homes by new settlers escaping over-population and over-farmed land in
the cities and lowlands. Commercial deforestation for logging and agricultural
purposes is steadily reducing mountain homelands, and increasing mountain
people's poverty. So-called "development" of mountain regions is eroding
mountain habitats and stripping resources, leaving mountain people with
unworkable land, or reducing the amount of farmland available to them
to make a living.
War
Global conflicts have also impacted on the lives of mountain people.
The rugged terrain of mountain areas offers not only a place to seize
military advantage, but also a place of refuge for retreating forces.
Mountain people are helpless hosts to these "refugees".
Wars represent one of the most significant barriers to sustainable development
in mountains. In 1999, 23 of the 27 major armed conflicts in the world
were being fought in mountain regions.
Resources
on TKI
IYM
links
International Year of Mountains
The official website of the United Nations International Year of Mountains
2002. http://www.mountains2002.org
Mountain Voices
This website features interviews with over 300 people who live in mountain
and highland regions round the world. Their testimonies offer a personal
perspective on change and development.
http://www.mountainvoices.org
The Mountain Institute - Places
This page has relevant and useful information and links on mountain regions.
The section on the Andes features the discovery of the Ice Maiden from
a Peruvian mountain.
http://www.mountain.org
Virtual
NZ field trips
Mountains of Mana - LEARNZ2002
Virtual field trips to either Aoraki/Mt Cook or to Auckland volcanoes.
During these trips the LEARNZ teacher will be "on-location" working alongside
Department of Conservation staff conducting audioconferences, responding
to email and adding images and text to the website.
http://www.learnz.org.nz/2002
Auckland Geological Society: Mt Mangere
This website, created by the Geological Society of New Zealand, contains
information on Auckland's volcanic heritage. It includes a field trip
guide, downloadable worksheets, an image gallery of photographs and maps,
and a glossary of geological and volcanic terms.
http://www2.auckland.ac.nz/glg/geoclub/mangere/gsfg1.htm
Celebrate
the mountains - leisure activities
New Zealand Mountain Safety Council
This website provides access to courses, resources, and local branch contacts.
http://www.mountainsafety.org.nz
Avalanche Awareness
This site has clear, well-presented information on avalanches - how
and why they happen, how to survive one, and what precautions to take
when you are in the mountains.
http://nsidc.org/snow/avalanche/index.html
Nova Online - Avalanche!
This site, created by a natural history film crew, features video footage
of avalanches, as well as avalanche information and teaching activities.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/avalanche
Sir
Edmund Hillary
NZ Edge
A profile of New Zealand's best known mountaineer. http://www.nzedge.com/heroes/hillary.html
Academy of Achievement
Video footage of an interview with Sir Edmund Hillary
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/hil0int-1
Globalisation
and sustainable development
Global Education
This AusAID (Australian Agency for International Development) site offers
online primary and secondary school resources on a range of global issues.
Topics include child labour, disasters, human rights, economic development,
agriculture, refugees, and water.
http://globaled.ausaid.gov.au/index.html
Globilization Guide.org
This Australian APEC Study Centre site is designed for students, and answers
key questions on globalisation from differing perspectives. It includes
discussion on the costs and benefits of free trade, how globalisation
affects culture, the environmental impact of globalisation, and what the
alternatives could be. http://www.globalisationguide.org
New Internationalist on-line
An online version of a magazine which reports on issues of world poverty
and inequality.
http://www.newint.org
OneWorld
The website of OneWorld International Foundation, an organisation which
has a vision of a world where resources are shared fairly and sustainably.
http://www.oneworld.net
wwflearning
The primary focus of this website is the growing importance of Education
for Sustainable Development (ESD). It includes background information
on key sustainable development issues and activity ideas. http://www.wwflearning.co.uk/welcome
Please
note: These links were valid when this page was posted. However the Web
is very volatile, and TKI has no control over outside websites. Please
let us know if you find a broken link or if you have an update for a link.
Te Kete Ipurangi recommends that teachers view all websites we link to
before using them with students.
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