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Mountain regions encompass nearly 24 percent of the total land
surface of the earth and are home to approximately 12 percent of
the world s population. Their ecosystems play a critical role in
sustaining human life both in the highlands and the lowlands.
During recent years, resource use in high mountain areas has
changed mainly in response to the globalization of the economy and
increased world population. As a result, mountain regions are
undergoing rapid environmental change, exploitation, and depletion
of natural resources leading to ecological imbalances and economic
unsustainability. Moreover, the changing climatic conditions have
stressed mountain ecosystems through higher mean annual
temperatures and the melting of glaciers and snow. Altered
precipitation patterns have also had an impact.
This book addresses these critical issues and looks at ways to
stop the downward spiral of resource degradation, rural poverty,
and food and livelihood insecurity in mountain regions. The book
also discusses new and comprehensive approaches to mountain
development that are needed to identify sustainable resource
development practices, how to strengthen local institutions and
knowledge systems, and how to increase the resilience between
mountain environments and their inhabitants."
The Andes are attracting global interest again: they hold valuable
mineral resources, tourists appreciate their great natural beauty
and the diversity of indigenous cultures, climbers scale rock and
ice faces, while many others are intrigued by regional political
developments, such as the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela or the
almost unfettered hegemony of the neoliberal economic model in
Chile. This volume is the first attempt for decades to present a
complete overview of the longest mountain chain on the planet - a
region of remarkable climatic, floristic and geologic diversity,
where advanced civilization developed well before the arrival of
the Spanish. Today the Andes continue to be characterized by their
ethnic, demographic, cultural and economic diversity, as well as by
the disparity of local socioeconomic groups. The Andean countries
pursue a wide range of approaches to tackle the challenges of
making the best use of their natural and cultural potential without
damaging their ecological basis, as well as to overcome economic
disparity and foster social cohesion. This book provides insights
into this unique region and its most pressing issues, complemented
by a wealth of pictures and comprehensive diagrams, which, in sum,
help to better understand these fascinating mountains.
Mountain regions encompass nearly 24 percent of the total land
surface of the earth and are home to approximately 12 percent of
the world's population. Their ecosystems play a critical role in
sustaining human life both in the highlands and the lowlands.
During recent years, resource use in high mountain areas has
changed mainly in response to the globalization of the economy and
increased world population. As a result, mountain regions are
undergoing rapid environmental change, exploitation, and depletion
of natural resources leading to ecological imbalances and economic
unsustainability. Moreover, the changing climatic conditions have
stressed mountain ecosystems through higher mean annual
temperatures and the melting of glaciers and snow. Altered
precipitation patterns have also had an impact. This book addresses
these critical issues and looks at ways to stop the downward spiral
of resource degradation, rural poverty, and food and livelihood
insecurity in mountain regions. The book also discusses new and
comprehensive approaches to mountain development that are needed to
identify sustainable resource development practices, how to
strengthen local institutions and knowledge systems, and how to
increase the resilience between mountain environments and their
inhabitants.
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