Global Change and Mountains: Consequences, Responses and Opportunities - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 102

especially poverty alleviation and livelihood improvement programmes,
in the mountains as critical livelihood resources such as agricultural
crops, storage of food and seeds, and agricultural land have come under
increasing threats of climate change triggered natural risks particularly in
developing countries. The mountain communities are expected to face more
stern impacts in future due to the likelihood of more and more frequent
occurrences of extreme events, and their economic development prospects
are coming under increased risks of natural calamities. The long-term
impacts of climate change may thus further widen the existing socio-
economic inequalities between highland and lowland communities. Tourism
is emerging as one the most important opportunities in mountains all over
the world. However, like agriculture, the tourism industry is extremely
susceptible to changes in climatic and other environmental conditions.
Picturesque and pristine natural landscapes, twisting rivers, glaciers,
diversity of fl ora and fauna and the range of protected areas are some of
the major tourist attractions in mountains. Climate change and the resultant
increase in extreme events, fast melting of glaciers, diminishing water fl ow
in streams and rivers have already threatened the tourism industry both in
developing and developed countries. Winter skiing resorts in the Alps have
made heavy investments into adapting to higher temperatures over the
past several years, and in view of this the resort located at lower elevations
would no longer be competitive (IPCC 2007a,b).
It is likely that food insecurity could increase more rapidly with climate
change, and community health conditions, particularly the sensitive
segment of society, such as the old people, infants and children, pregnant
women, and the chronically sick may further deteriorate. The declining
rainfall and decreasing number of rainy days and the reduced availability of
water and increasing incidences and severity of natural disasters may result
in crop failure spread of crop and livestock pests and vector-borne diseases
to higher elevations with rising temperatures. This may further undermine
the sustainability and wellbeing of mountain communities in poor regions.
Moreover, the traditional livestock rearing and pastoral practices are
becoming increasingly vulnerable due to population growth and the
resultant land-use intensifi cations at higher elevations, and also owing to
the impacts of more frequent and severe droughts, and the breakdown of
traditional trade routes and patterns of exchange (Huddleston et al. 2003).
Land Use and Land Cover Change
Besides climate change, changes in land use and land cover are now
strongly considered as one of the powerful drivers of global change
affecting mountain environments (Bugmann et al. 2007, Zierl and Bugmann