By Arnab Dey
Mountains are places that are much higher than the land around them. They are different from plateaus because plateaus have flat tops, although they can be as high as mountains. Mountains have had an important place in history as they have offered protection from invading armies and are frequently the boundaries between countries. If they are crosswise to the winds of the areas, mountains have an important role in affecting the climate of an area. The side of the mountain that faces the wind is the windward side, which is apt to have heavier rainfall as the wind drops the moisture before going over the mountain. The other side called the leeward side is much drier as the rain has already been deposited on the windward side of the mountain. Mountains also protect valleys from extremes in weather.
The role of mountains in regulating Earth’s climate and fresh water systems is vital for the sustenance of all life, as all of Earth’s rivers originate in them. Healthy mountain ecosystems are the foundation for global health and stability. Glaciers form the water towers of Earth. In mountain regions high altitude forests, through the action of precipitation and transpiration, play a key role in the creation of snow. Certain indigenous mountain plants such as the Oak play a major role in cloud seeding. Without this process, functioning, the amount of snow is massively reduced and glaciers cannot be fully replenished. These glaciers and snows are also important because they act like a mirror reflecting solar radiation. As they melt, the mirror thins and more solar rays penetrate through to the Earth, increasing Earths’ temperature. As this ice melts, it also increases the quantity of water vapour in the atmosphere. Water vapour (H₂O) is a very powerful greenhouse gas, which normally stays in the atmosphere for no more than nine days. However if it is not brought to Earth through precipitation, it remains in the upper atmosphere and increases the problems of the greenhouse effect.
Earth’s hydrological system, unlike coal, uranium and oil, is a fast regenerating system. Given the right ingredients, of mixed indigenous mountain forests, it can be rebalanced and maintained indefinitely. The stability of Earth’s rivers and water tables depends upon maintaining the integrity of watersheds. These, in turn, depend upon the healthy biodiversity of high altitude forests. It has been recognized that the protective function of stable forest cover is vital for safeguarding them. It is recorded that only 25% of mixed indigenous mountain forests are still intact worldwide. This implies that 75% of the worlds’ indigenous mountain forests have been removed. These forests are the natural mechanism, which would normally be involved in making the mountain snows and replenishing the glaciers. The global fresh water system and hence all of life on Earth is utterly dependent upon them. Therefore, to save the glaciers from melting altogether and Earth’s rivers from drying up, it is a matter of great urgency to protect, conserve and restore indigenous mountain forests worldwide.
However mass deforestation along with mono-culture pine programs have left these regions seriously eroded, denuded and polluted. As rains wash away the scanty remaining soils, the task becomes more difficult and in some places impossible. Nevertheless there are techniques which could be used and prove to be successful if implemented swiftly. Utilizing the knowledge of mountain people and working together with them is essential for success. Using a combination of methods ranging from traditional conservation knowledge, companion planting, green corridors and Perm culture techniques, the regeneration of these forests could conceivably be accomplished. Local mountain communities could be organized into collectives using cooperative methods for replanting, managing and maintaining these forests. Regenerating and protecting indigenous mountain forests would increase employment and create green economies within mountain regions. ‘Payment for Environmental Services’ schemes could be used to support mountainous countries and communities to establish and protect indigenous mountain forests as this assures the protection of the global fresh water system.
In the light of this, the detrimental effects of hydro-dams on the environment in these regions should also be reconsidered. Along with all life on Earth, hydro- dams are dependent upon healthy glacial flow. Given the quantity of high quality free solar energy in mountain regions, it would be beneficial to replace hydro-dam electrical projects with solar power projects. There is no greater urgency today, than to protect, regenerate and conserve biodiversity in mountain regions. Mountain ecosystems are found throughout the world, from the equator almost to the poles, occupying approximately one-fifth of its land surface. They are found on every continent, and at every altitude, from close to sea level to the highest place on the earth – the summit of Mount Everest (Sagarmatha or Qomolangma) on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
An estimated one-tenth of the human population derive their life-support directly from mountains. Mountains play a critical role in the water cycle by capturing moisture from air masses; when this precipitation falls as snow, it is stored until it melts in the spring and summer, providing essential water for settlements, agriculture and industries downstream – often during the period of lowest rainfall. In semi-arid and arid regions, over 90 percent of river flow comes from the mountains. In rural Nepal there are an estimated 25 000 water wheels and over 900 micro-hydropower turbines – a more recent technology – that provide a critical source of energy, mainly for agro processing. Such local renewable energy is a vital catalyst for economic development in areas that are at the far ends of the distribution networks for the fossil fuels on which most urban dwellers depend.
In developing countries, wood fuel is the predominant energy source in mountain settlements, but it is also essential – whether as wood or charcoal – to many people living in urban centers in the lowlands and on the plains. Mountain wood also has many other uses, including timber and wood products both for local use and, where road, rail or water networks permit, for export. Billions of people living in lowlands benefit from mountains. They are the sources of both major and small rivers on Earth. Mountains also play an important role in the water cycle because they capture moisture from the atmosphere and release it in the form of snow or water, which is essential for industries, settlements and agricultural activities downstream. Renewable energy from mountains promotes economic development, especially in rural areas. In developing countries, wood fuel from mountains is the main source of energy for settlements. Mountain wood provides timber for local use and export. Mountains are centres of biodiversity, because they have plant, crop and animal diversity. They are also the sources of wild foods, such as mushrooms, birds and game. Mountains also provide ground for recreation, sporting and tourism activities.
Over the last century, mountain glaciers worldwide have, on average, been seriously decreasing in length and volume. Glaciers worldwide have been retreating so rapidly that they may almost completely disappear within fifty years.