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 New book outlines state of Africa’s mountains20.02.2015Climate change, population growth, land-use changes and political instability are the primary causes of environmental degradation in Africa’s mountains today. Covering an estimated three million square kilometres of the continent’s surface, mountains in Africa provide life-supporting goods and services, such as water, food and energy, for millions in the region, according to a recent publication by the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS). ARCOS has created a new tool to promote sustainable mountain development in Africa. The publication, African Mountains Status Report, provides an overview of the status, trends and threats facing mountain environments and communities. The 36-page report, produced with financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), comprises five chapters, infographics, case studies and an array of photographs. The book opens with descriptions of a number of mountains, their origins and regional distribution, including those of Mount Kenya in Kenya, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the Drakensberg Mountain Range in Southern Africa, the Fouta Djallon Mountains in Guinea and the Madagascar highlands. Chapter two delves into the goods and services provided by AfricanMountains, including fresh water, energy, support to agriculture, biodiversity, non-timber forest products, ecological services and tourism. Chapter three zeroes in on what is causing change in African mountains while chapter four outlines low-cost strategies for meeting the challenges mountain communities and environments are facing. Among the strategies discussed in this chapter are: Ecosystem Based Adaptation to climate change and poverty reduction, Integrated Water Resource Management, Ecotourism and Payment for Ecosystem Services. The publication concludes with policy recommendations concerning the adoption of mountain-specific policies, trans-boundary frameworks on mountains ecosystems and the development of integrated mountain policies in African countries. |
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