Global Change and Mountains: Consequences, Responses and Opportunities - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 79

4
Global Change and Mountains:
Consequences, Responses and
Opportunities
Prakash C. Tiwari 1, * and Bhagwati Joshi 2
INTRODUCTION
Mountain regions which encompass nearly 24% of the total land surface
of the Earth (UNEP-WCMC 2002) and constitute homes for approximately
12% of the world's population (Huddleston et al. 2003) in addition to nearly
14% global population living in their foothills and adjoining lowlands are
highly critical from the view point of marginality, environmental sensitivity,
climate change, constraints of terrain, geographical inaccessibility and less
infrastructural development (Meybeck et al. 2001). Mountains constitute the
sources of a variety of ecosystems services, including water, biodiversity,
soils, natural beauty, recreational opportunities, wilderness and cultural
diversity which sustains the livelihood and economy of large population
both in mountains and their vast lowlands. Mountain headwaters provide
freshwater to approximately half of the world population inhabiting the
large river basins located far away from mountains (Viviroli et al. 2007).
The largest trans-boundary river systems of the planet have their origin
in high mountains, and mountains have still the largest proportion of the