Global Change and Sustainable Mountain Tourism: The Case of Mount Kenya - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 188

Altitude
(M)

Tropical Temperate Boreal

Denali, Alaska
63ºN

6000

Mt. Kenya
0º

5000

Alps, Switzerland
46ºN

Nival

Afro-Alpine Belt

4000

Ericaceous Belt

Nival

Nival
Alpine
Subalpine

Bamboo Belt

3000

Montane
Forest

2000

Natural Grassland
and Cultivated Zone

Alpine

Montane

1000

Sub-Montane

Subalpine

0

Figure 8.1. Vegetation zonations in tropical, temperate and boreal mountains (Source: Beniston,
M. and Fox, D.A. (1996), pg 196).

The watershed in the development of mountain areas was the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held
in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) which recognized that mountains are a major
component of the global environment. The signifi cance of mountains was
highlighted in Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 part of which reads:

'' Mountains are important sources of water, energy, minerals,
forest and agricultural products and areas of recreation. They are
storehouses of biological diversity, home to endangered species
and an essential part of the global ecosystem. From the Andes
to the Himalayas , and from Southeast Asia to East and Central
Africa, there is serious ecological deterioration. Most mountain
areas are experiencing environmental degradation'' .

Some mountains such as those found in East Africa (e.g., Mt. Kenya,
Mt. Kilimanjaro), appear like 'islands' rising above the surrounding plains
(Hedberg 1964). In socio-economic terms, mountain landscapes are attractive
destinations for exploration, journey and outdoor recreation as they offer
a wide range of activity options such as trekking, mountaineering, water
rafting, mountain biking, fi shing (Maroudas et al. 2004). The environmental
stress imposed by growing numbers of tourists in mountain areas places an
increasingly heavy burden on mountain resources and on local communities
especially in the developing world (Godde et al. 2000).
Mount Kenya like other mountains of the world is a zone where the
signals of global change are quite apparent (Fig. 8.1). Already there are
indications that the glaciers on Mt. Kenya are receding and snow on its
summits is melting (Hastennath and Kruss 1992). The likely impacts of