Sustainable Development Of Fragile Mountain Areas of Asia

This first-ever conference on the Sustainable Development of Fragile Mountain Areas of Asia was organised by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) at the request of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations at Kathmandu, Nepal.  Based on the presentations and discussions held, the conference delegates made the following recommendations:

A.        Field-Level Action
            The conference agree that urgent action was needed to commence and accelerate activities in mountain areas that would lead directly to the improvement of the livelihoods of mountain people and their environment.  More specifically, the conference recommended:

1.   Poverty eradication and economic development through:
·        the development of the comparative advantages of mountain areas for the production and provision of mountain-specific goods and services;
·        the promotion of sustainable mountain farming systems, including locally-sustainable measures for the adoption of traditional and improved technologies for soil conservation, soil nutrient and fertility management, water management, and biomass management.........

2.   Sustainable management of natural resources through:
·        the integration of indigenous knowledge in mountain development processes;
·        the enhancement of local capacities for mountain resources management..........

3.   Gender-balanced decision-making in environment and development policies and programmes through:
·        equality before the law.....

4.   Preservation of cultural heritage.

5.   Reducing the vulnerability to mountain disasters through:
·        the generation of global awareness;
·        technical assistance......

B.        Support Mechanisms
            The conference noted the lack of a cohesive focus on sustainable mountain development at different institutional structure with a (potential) mandate in this field and agreed that efforts should be made to put the issues raised in Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 and those identified at this conference with a major responsibility for implementing Agenda 21.  More specifically, the conference recommended

1.   The establishment of National Mountain Task Forces/Commissions/Focal Points for:
·        examining the issues raised by this conference in the context of Chapter 13 of Agenda 21.

2.   Designation of focal points for mountain development by sub regional, regional, bilateral, and multilateral agencies to:
·        reinforce and emphasise a mountain development orientation in the respective agency’
·        form collaborative linkages and partnerships.....

3.   Stronger collaboration among the mountain  countries of Asia in order to share experience, data and information, policies, technologies, methodologies, and management systems related to the sustainable development of mountain areas through:
·        the establishment of an Association of Asian Mountain and Upland Institutions...

4.   Capacity-building through:
·        adapting educational systems at school and university levels to mountain development needs;
·        teaching about `own' environments at different levels....

5.   Financing through:
·        increasing resource allocation within the national budgets for mountain areas;
·        financing mechanisms for reimbursement of mountain services rendered to lowland areas (e.g., by exploring introduction of innovative tariff systems)....

For further details contact Egbert Pelinck, ICIMOD, P O Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal.