An Introduction to Mountains - Mountain Geography: Physical and Human Dimensions - page 2

that rise above vast plains of human-transformed landscapes below. Mountains are of-
ten sanctuaries for plants and animals long since eliminated from these more trans-
formed lowlands, such as the volcanoes of Rwanda and Uganda, where the last of the
world's mountain gorillas—now numbering fewer than 300—survive (Weber and Ved-
der 2001). Many plant and animal species are endemic to mountain regions, having
evolved over millennia of isolation to inhabit their specialized environments. Equally,
many mountain ranges also function as biological corridors, connecting isolated habit-
ats or protected areas and allowing species to migrate between them (Worboys et al.
2010).
Many of the most important food staples in the world—including potatoes, wheat,
corn, and beans—were domesticated in mountains, and mountain peoples long ago de-
veloped elaborate agricultural production systems and strategies based on altitudinal
and ecological zonation (Grötzbach and Stadel 1997; this volume, Chapter 11). Many
other crops that have been cultivated for centuries in the Andes have the potential to
supply the increasing need for food as the world's population continues to grow (Na-
tional Research Council 1989). Mountain people, particularly women, are exceptionally
knowledgeable about, and make use of, the many medicinal and food plants found in
mountain fields and forests (Daniggelis 1997). Of the hundreds of plants in the moun-
tains of Nepal used for medicinal purposes, more than a hundred are undergoing com-
mercial exploitation that can generate significant income for local people (Karki and
Williams 1999; Guangwei 2002).
Biological and cultural diversity are often closely interrelated, and mountains contain
an amazing diversity of human cultures and communities. For example, of the 1,054
languages spoken in New Guinea, 738 originate in mountainous regions, which cover
only 33 percent of the island (Stepp et al. 2005). The late Anil Agarwal, founder and
director of the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi, stated that “cultural
diversity is not an historical accident. It is the direct outcome of the local people learn-
ing to live in harmony with the mountains' extraordinary biological diversity” (Centre
for Science and Environment 1991, cited in Denniston 1995: 18). Mountains are also
home to many indigenous peoples, the original inhabitants of a place before people of
a different ethnic origin arrived—such as the Quechua people of Bolivia, Ecuador, and
Peru; Naxi and Yi people of Yunnan Province, China; Batwa pygmies of the Ruhengeri
Prefecture, Rwanda; and Rais and Sherpas of the eastern Himalaya and Mount Everest
region.
The physical and cultural diversity found in many mountain countries is one of the
major draws for world tourism. Tourism is the world's largest and fastest growing in-
dustry, and tourism to mountain areas represents a significant portion of this activity
(Price et al. 1997; Godde et al. 2000; this volume, Chapter 12). Visitors go to the moun-
tains for adventure, recreation, scenic beauty, solitude, and the opportunity to meet and
interact with the people who live there. This large influx of visitors to mountain regions
can have positive economic benefits for a community, helping to promote sustainable
development and the capacity to balance human needs with the preservation of the en-
vironment. However, there is also the potential for negative environmental and cultural
consequences, such as the impacts of large numbers of people and pack animals on fra-
gile high-altitude environments (Byers 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009) and the loss of tradition-
al cultural values (von Fürer-Haimendorf 1984; Mountain Forum 1998; Ortner 1999).