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Pema Gyamtsho
4 mins Read
Mountains are a barometer of the planet’s health – changes in these lofty parts of the world dictate how rivers flow and crops grow and livelihoods endure elsewhere. And yet, global recognition of these vital regions has been rather underwhelming, in contrast to say the Amazon or the polar regions. International Mountain Day (IMD), celebrated on this very day every year, is a plea to the world to value these mighty, important, neglected regions. We need to recognize that our battle against climate and other changes must be fought at this front – at the highest, most fragile regions of the world where impacts are accentuated – if we are to secure our collective future. And this year’s IMD theme is an apt one – “Mountain biodiversity” epitomizes the uniqueness and importance of mountains. It also brings attention to the multitude of threats that could drastically diminish the diversity of life as we know it, and throws into sharp relief the need to mount a unified effort to protect our mountains.
Mountains are a veritable treasure trove of biodiversity. They cover only around 27% of the world’s surface, yet they contribute disproportionately to the terrestrial biodiversity, especially in the tropics, where they host about half of the global biodiversity hotspots. These regions are home to more than 85% of the world’s species of amphibians, birds, and mammals, many entirely restricted to mountains. Six of the 20 most important food crops originated in mountains. Studies have found that biodiversity thrives in the mountains despite (or because of) harsh conditions, elevation, and isolation. Moreover, mountain biodiversity shapes communities with unique knowledge and experiences. In fact, there is evidence that linguistic and cultural diversity flourishes with biological diversity.
We can see that mountains matter for diversity in every sense. Mountain ranges across the world act as water towers, regulate climates, and nourish diverse life and culture downstream. The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) provides ecosystem services to nearly two billion people, more than any other mountain system in the world.
The HKH is a bastion of biodiversity, teeming with extraordinary life and interconnectedness across boundaries. More than 85% of rural communities in the HKH directly depend on biodiversity for their subsistence. The region is a cradle for over 35,000 species of plants and more than 200 species of animals. Interestingly, this is where numerous crops and animals – including today’s domesticated chicken – originated. And we are still finding new species: Between 1998 and 2008, an average of 35 new species were discovered each year in the eastern Himalaya alone.
The HKH encompasses four global biodiversity hotspots, six UNESCO natural world heritage sites, 30 Ramsar sites, and 330 important bird and biodiversity areas. It is home to diverse cultures with more than 1,000 living languages, along with a unique range of traditional knowledge systems associated with these cultures.
However, exploitation is rampant in all ecosystems today, and climate change is aggravating matters. Fragile and important ecosystems – forests, wetlands, rangelands, and mountains – are being devastated and vital links between species and ecosystems are being altered or severed. The HKH is not an exception. Under current rates of biodiversity loss and land degradation, we could witness the extinction of a quarter of the endemic species in the Indian Himalaya by the end of the century. Our unchecked exploitation of resources and encroachment of wildlife habitats have grave implications, as made abundantly clear by the devastating COVID-19, a zoonotic disease which lays bare our neglect and abuse of nature. After all, healthy and biodiverse ecosystems safeguard us against pandemic-scale zoonotic diseases, among the host of other benefits they provide, and the HKH is also susceptible to such outbreaks.
There are several examples of efforts by HKH communities to mitigate mountain biodiversity loss. One such example is the conservation of crop genetic diversity by farmers in the highlands of India, through exchanging, reusing, and saving seeds. Protection of red panda habitat by communities in eastern Nepal, protection of wintering habitat of black-necked crane in Bhutan, conservation of sacred groves in the Western Himalaya, and the management of grazing and forest resource use by the traditional office of the Dzumsa in North Sikkim, India, are other notable examples of indigenous stewardship. Encouragingly, national efforts are also falling into place. HKH countries have remained committed to Aichi Target 11, which calls for conservation through protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures by 2020. About 40% of the HKH region is designated as protected areas, and countries such as Bhutan and Nepal have exceeded their target, with 51.44% and 23.39% of their area under protected area coverage, respectively.
It is high time HKH mountain communities and countries work together to conserve our mountains and biodiversity for our own wellbeing. This cooperation is particularly important in transboundary landscapes of global significance.
We are committed to working towards the sustainable development goals and commitments made by our eight HKH countries under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, among others. Moreover, Action 5 of our HKH Call to Action focuses on enhancing ecosystem resilience for sustained flow of services by halting biodiversity loss and land degradation. The recent momentous HKH Ministerial Summit and declaration have recognized and solidified the Call to Action, and this can pave the path to transboundary cooperation on biodiversity conservation and a united voice on the global stage.
Protecting our habitats and wildlife cannot wait. On IMD 2020, let’s reaffirm our commitment to saving the HKH’s immense biodiversity!
Wishing you all a happy International Mountain Day!
Director General ICIMOD
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It has been absolutely delightful to see the response and acceptance, across the board, of the Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment ...
近期的空气质量寿命指数(AQLI)报告标题为:“空气污染是地球上人类预期寿命面临的最大外部威胁”。这一严厉警告应该足以激励全球采取行动应对这一最严重且无处不在的威胁。然而,目前还没有专门针对这一“沉默杀手”的全球合作框架或公约。据世界卫生组织称,每年有 700 万人过早死亡与空气污染有关,这比迄今为止死于 Covid-19 的人数还多,而且根据该报告,空气污染对普通人的健康危害比吸烟或酗酒还大。为纪念今年国际清洁空气蓝天日,我紧急呼吁全球和地区领导人建立应对空气污染的全球合作框架。该框架应与解决“三重地球危机”的其中两个要素——气候变化和生物多样性丧失——的框架保持一致。 兴都库什-喜马拉雅地区受到的空气污染的严重影响,根源有很多,包括:机动车辆、工业、焚烧固体生物燃料、农作物秸秆和家庭废物。重要的是,这类受污染的空气并不是某个城市、地区或国家特有的,而是整个印度河-恒河平原和喜马拉雅山麓——横跨北印度次大陆和山脉的数十万平方公里的区域——所共有的。该地区空气中的悬浮颗粒经常超过安全水平,影响着居住在这里的大约十亿人。 正如联合国空气污染倡议所解释的,颗粒物是微小的污染颗粒,这些微小、肉眼看不见的颗粒污染物会深入我们的肺部、血液和身体。约三分之一的中风、慢性呼吸道疾病和肺癌死亡病例以及四分之一的心脏病死亡病例都因这些污染物造成。阳光下许多不同污染物相互作用产生的地面臭氧也是哮喘和慢性呼吸道疾病的原因之一。 美国芝加哥大学能源政策研究所发布的空气质量寿命指数报告显示:“如果污染水平将持续,孟加拉国、印度、尼泊尔和巴基斯坦的居民预计平均寿命会缩短约 5 年。” 报告继续指出,“亚洲和非洲负担最重,但缺乏关键基础设施”。尽管如此,我们还是有理由希望在我们的地区找到可能的解决方案,因为中国在空气污染防治的努力仍然取得了显着成功,而且工作仍在进行中。正如该报告所述,“自 2013 年(即中国开始“反污染之战”的前一年)以来,中国的污染已下降了 42.3%。由于这些改善,如果减排持续,中国公民的平均寿命预计会延长 2.2 年。”
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