Adaptation to Climate Change in Mountain Regions: Global Significance of Marginal Places - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 146

Although there is a common pattern of Global Climate Change
challenges to mountain areas worldwide (e.g., melting of the cryosphere,
increase of natural hazards), vulnerability and resilience/coping capacities
vary strongly from one to another mountain region. This is on the one hand,
due to their respective position within the global circulation system and
on the other hand, due to the specifi c state of development, political and
cultural context of their populations. While in the Alps adaptation may
aim at continuation of a tourism-based economy and the resulting quality
of life, in mountain regions like the Andes or the Himalaya the growing
water scarcity presents an existential threat of pure survival.
Since the 19th century the Alps have become attractive destinations for
tourism and recreation which today play a key role in mountain economies
(Smeral 2000). Mountain regions take an increasing share of possible
destinations (Beniston 2003). In fact, with 11% of the world overnight stays
the Alps are the number one tourist destination in Europe (Siegrist 1998,
Bätzing 2003). Mountain tourism will be particularly affected in winter
season. Ski tourism requires 100 days of continuous snow cover over 30 cm,
which may put low altitude resorts out of business (Breiling 1997, Abegg
et al. 2007, Steiger 2008).
As global climate change proceeds and landscape composition
and vegetation become affected the Alpine image of a Heidi-land of
lush meadows, alpine creeks and dark forest may disappear. This not
only threatens a cultural identity, but without being able to cater to this
deeply ingrained image of what the European Alps are about (imagine a
Lederhosen-clad farmer bringing his cattle down from the summer pastures
through olive groves, or a Bierfest in midst vineyards), they may lose much
of their attraction as summer destinations as well.
The reason for the particular vulnerability of mountain regions
ultimately lies in the particularly intertwined human-environment systems
that prevail. It is a further systemic connection to the adjacent lowlands that
ought to give mountain regions special attention.
The lowland connection
The marginality of mountain human-environment systems makes them
particularly vulnerable to global climate change. But as mentioned above,
the most important distinction between mountains and islands in the
global climate change context is that mountain vulnerability does not
remain within the confi nes of their geographic limits. Mountain regions'
vulnerability is exported to the lowlands. And the main reason for that is
the fact that mountains are 'water towers'.
Mountains are water pumps which extract moisture from the
atmosphere through the orographic uplift of air masses and they are water