Global Change and Mountains: Consequences, Responses and Opportunities - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 117

registered respectively 11.73 and 41.81 growth in domestic and foreign
tourist arrivals. However, as in some other Himalayan states of India the
fast globalizing economy and the ongoing process of economic liberalization
have now unlocked the valuable mountain resources to fast extending
international markets. As a result, tourism resources, assets and products
have become highly vulnerable to exploitation by large national as well as
multinational tourism enterprises depriving local people, particularly poor
and marginalized sections of society of the benefi ts of tourism development
in the region (Tiwari 2012).
Further, the lack of structural and institutional mechanism,
inappropriate and fault process of development planning, absence of
land-use policies and regulation and dearth of political will particularly in
developing countries are sharpening the adverse impacts of global change
in mountains as important indirect drivers (Rodgers 2002). For instance, the
sectoral fragmentation of institutional responsibilities, increasing political
interference, over reliance on technocrats and bureaucrats at the planning
and implementation stages, non-involvement of local communities, in
the process of decision making and over exploitation of natural resources
resulted in the failure of decades of mountain water conservation initiatives
(Pratt and Shilling 2002). Furthermore, a series of other indirect drivers,
such as lack of public awareness and lack of valuation of natural resources
and ecosystem services are increasing the vulnerability of mountain
communities to the long-term impacts of global change, particularly in less
developed countries. The well informed and socio-politically empowered
local communities have proved to be a key to managing the impacts of
global changes imposed on them from outside (Dhar 1997).
Downstream Impacts of Changes in Mountains
The consequences of global change in mountains have always serious
implications for downstream ecosystems and human sustainability as
and the impacts of climate and other changes on mountain ecosystem
reach far beyond the mountain areas (Hassan et al. 2005). The disruptions
in mountain ecosystems and the resultant loss of mountains services and
goods due to climate change and other drivers of change will affect the food
and livelihood security of hundreds of millions of people in mountains
and a much higher number in their lowlands (Viviroli et al. 2003). These
changes would particularly affect the supply and availability of water both
in highlands and lowlands. There are clear indications that the reduction
of water supplies during the dry season associated with melting of glacier
and snow and reduced groundwater recharge will affect up to one-sixth of
the world's population in South Asia, over a quarter of a billion people in
China, and up to 50 million people in the Andes. The Andes, covering 33%