Mountainous regions cover about 27 per cent of the world＇s land surface and are home to some 22 per cent of the global population （UNEP 2002）. A much greater number of people depend on mountain environments for a w...Mountainous regions cover about 27 per cent of the world＇s land surface and are home to some 22 per cent of the global population （UNEP 2002）. A much greater number of people depend on mountain environments for a wide range of services, including clean water, energy, timber, biodiversity, recreation, and protection from environmental hazards, such as landslides and floods. At the same time, mountain areas are extremely vulnerable ecosystems and under continuous threat of environmental degradation due to such diverse factors as climate change, extraction of their rich natural resources, high population pressure, and insecure and inequitable resource ownership. Mountain people are often among the most marginalized groups in society. Political and social discrimination is largely accompanied by pervasive poverty and food insecurity. A recent FAO study on vulnerability in mountains found that as many as 245 million people in the mountains of developing and transition countries are at risk of, or actually suffering from hunger and food insecurity （Diouf 2006）. At the same time, mountain areas are major sources and production areas of narcotic plants, such as opium poppy in Afghanistan and Myanmar, qat in Yemen and Ethiopia, and coca in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. The remoteness and frequent position of mountain regions along disputed political and ethnic borders also make them more prone to armed conflict. It was estimated that between 1946 and 2ool, around 41 per cent of mountainous areas experienced violent conflicts compared to 26 per cent of non-mountain regions （UNEP 2002）. On the other hand, mountainous regions are treasures of biological and agricultural diversity. Perhaps no other life zone contains such high degree of variation between habitats and ecosystems as mountains （Denniston 1995）. Genetic diversity in agricultural resources also tends to be higher in mountainous regions than in the lowlands, largely due to ethnic and cultural diversity and the extreme micro-variability of environmental conditions. Mountain communities in the Andes region are reported to conserve more than 150 distinct potato varieties, while highland farmers in Central Africa cultivate mixtures of 30 bean varieties simultaneously （UNEP 2002）.展开更多
文摘Mountainous regions cover about 27 per cent of the world＇s land surface and are home to some 22 per cent of the global population （UNEP 2002）. A much greater number of people depend on mountain environments for a wide range of services, including clean water, energy, timber, biodiversity, recreation, and protection from environmental hazards, such as landslides and floods. At the same time, mountain areas are extremely vulnerable ecosystems and under continuous threat of environmental degradation due to such diverse factors as climate change, extraction of their rich natural resources, high population pressure, and insecure and inequitable resource ownership. Mountain people are often among the most marginalized groups in society. Political and social discrimination is largely accompanied by pervasive poverty and food insecurity. A recent FAO study on vulnerability in mountains found that as many as 245 million people in the mountains of developing and transition countries are at risk of, or actually suffering from hunger and food insecurity （Diouf 2006）. At the same time, mountain areas are major sources and production areas of narcotic plants, such as opium poppy in Afghanistan and Myanmar, qat in Yemen and Ethiopia, and coca in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. The remoteness and frequent position of mountain regions along disputed political and ethnic borders also make them more prone to armed conflict. It was estimated that between 1946 and 2ool, around 41 per cent of mountainous areas experienced violent conflicts compared to 26 per cent of non-mountain regions （UNEP 2002）. On the other hand, mountainous regions are treasures of biological and agricultural diversity. Perhaps no other life zone contains such high degree of variation between habitats and ecosystems as mountains （Denniston 1995）. Genetic diversity in agricultural resources also tends to be higher in mountainous regions than in the lowlands, largely due to ethnic and cultural diversity and the extreme micro-variability of environmental conditions. Mountain communities in the Andes region are reported to conserve more than 150 distinct potato varieties, while highland farmers in Central Africa cultivate mixtures of 30 bean varieties simultaneously （UNEP 2002）.
