Washington - Environmental damage to mountain ranges around the world could trigger more floods, landslides and fires, and bring famine to people living on their slopes, the United Nations University said on Sunday.
In a study, the Tokyo-based university said mountains were threatened by pollution, war, deforestation, agriculture, mining and too many tourists - all of which could lead to a slew of serious natural disasters.
Mountains, which play a crucial role in world water supplies, cover about 20 percent of the world's landmass and are home to about 10 percent of all humans.
"We can think of them (mountain regions) as the water towers of the world," said Jack Ives, senior adviser to the university and an expert in mountain ecology. "More than 50 percent of the water we use and need comes from mountains."
Among the most threatened mountain ranges are the European Alps, which feed four major rivers, and the Himalaya-Karakorum-Hindu Kush chain, which rises from monsoon-washed, subtropical south Asia and stretches 5 000km to arid peaks in landlocked Afghanistan.
The Alps have been hurt by growing tourism and a migration of people from lower levels into more mountainous terrain. The Himalayas are being harmed by war, deforestation, drought, logging and overgrazing.
The researchers said more data was needed to design an effective policy to protect mountains.
Eight other mountain ranges in Europe, Asia and north America were also cited as under great stress.
Each of those ranges had problems that may not be as severe as in other parts of the world, or on only a small portion of the mountain, the study said. The problems, however, increased the risk that natural disasters could occur and affect people living in the shadow of the mountains.
Ives, a professor at Carleton University in Canada, said it was difficult to design a global policy to protect mountains because each region had its own strengths and problems.
"Mountain ecosystems are essential to the well-being of the global environment. Yet there is a serious problem of widespread over-simplification of mountain-related issues and a tendency to try to solve problems that are not properly defined," said Hans van Ginkel, a professor at UN University.
"At best, this means wasted effort and funds. At worst, it can cause even more damage to these fragile ecosystems," Van Ginkel said.
Other ranges under stress were:
- the Rockies and Coast ranges of western North America, due to increasing pressure from recreational activities such as skiing and home-building in prime mountain land.
- Great Smokey Mountains in the eastern United States, due to air pollution.
- Amber Mountains in Madagascar, where 80 percent of forests have been lost to farming, mining and charcoal production.
- Snowy Mountains of Australia, where 250 plant species were threatened by a series of warm winters.
- Western Carpathians/Tatra Mountains in the Slovak Republic and Poland, impacted by air pollution and growth of tourism from surrounding urban areas.
- Sierra Chincua in Mexico, winter home of the monarch butterfly. Forest is being lost to logging and farming.
- Pamir mountains in Tajikistan. Civil war has resulted in widespread devastation and poverty.
- Hengduan mountains in southwest China. A ban on logging and a push to develop tourism threaten mountain cultures.
The UN University was created by the United Nations in 1973 to promote research into global issues such as the environment. - Reuters