Global Change and Mountains: Consequences, Responses and Opportunities - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 124

trans-boundary river-basin management approaches. The emerging need
of adaptation to climate change, particularly in developing countries,
calls for further redefi ning the global sustainable development agenda
focusing on eco-region based integrated development. With the rapid
retreat of mountains glaciers across the planet and its potential serious
long-term impacts on the freshwater ecosystem and availability of water
resources in large parts of the world, the mountains regions have suddenly
gained global attention, which need to be seized into concrete actions and
effective programmes for sustainable development of mountain regions
and improvement of the livelihood of their inhabitants, particularly in
developing countries.
Conclusion
Mountains of the planet despite their marginality and remoteness are
changing rapidly under increasing pressure from globalization and climate
change. These changes have unlocked the natural resources of mountains
for exploitation without serious concern for sustainable development of
mountain and wellbeing of their inhabitants. Consequently, mountain
ecosystems as well as mountain communities, specifi cally in developing
and underdeveloped countries are particularly threatened by a series of
drivers and processes of global change and emerging new international
economic and political orders. However, we are experiencing an emergence
of responsiveness of the ecological signifi cance of mountain systems and
their importance for the sustainability of global community, particularly
after the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development—the
Rios Earth Summit in 1992. As a result, our understanding about the
dilemmas of mountain regions and approach to their development has
undergone drastic changes, during the last two decades. Climate change
has emerged as one of the major drivers transforming consistently the
natural environment, society and economy of the mountains regions in all
parts of the world, and mountains ecosystem being highly sensitive are
extremely vulnerable to these changes. However, there is still a high degree
of uncertainty about the trends and magnitude of climate change and its
impacts on mountain systems. It is therefore highly imperative to improve
our understanding of the trends of changes in temperature and variability
in precipitation pattern at the local level through downscaling of regional
climate models. This would require establishment of a comprehensive
networks of hydro-meteorological monitoring stations in mountain areas
across the world, particularly in the mountains of developing countries
where currently, such monitoring is extremely lacking. Furthermore, a
sharp focussed and comprehensive research on climate change impacts