An Introduction to Mountains - Mountain Geography: Physical and Human Dimensions - page 9

Mountain people are typically independent, innovative, resourceful, adaptive, and out-
standing entrepreneurs. At the same time, they include some of the poorest, most re-
mote, and disadvantaged people in the world (Ives 1997; Huddleston et al. 2003). High
elevations and cold climates exclude productive agriculture and limit animal husbandry.
Poverty levels are often exceptionally high, and access to education, decision-making
power, health services, financial resources, and land rights are inequitably distributed
between upland and lowland communities (Pratt 2004; Körner and Ohsawa et al. 2005).
Populations are scattered, and mountain peoples are typically distrustful of central gov-
ernments and outsiders because of histories of exploitation with little compensation or
long-term benefit (Libiszewski and Bächler 1997; Starr 2004; this volume, Chapter 12).
National governments typically do not connect with their citizens in peripheral
mountain areas, despite the potential threats to the state that may emerge from neglect
of those areas (Mountain Agenda 2002). At the end of the twentieth century, more than
half of the world's 48 ongoing wars and conflicts, strongly linked to the poverty and his-
toric marginalization of highland peoples, were taking place in mountains (Libiszewski
and Bächler 1997). This trend continues, resulting not only in the tragic loss of human
life but also in unprecedented levels of environmental degradation. In democratic states
such as Germany, Italy, and Spain, however, the relative independence of mountain
areas has often led to relative political autonomy.
The complex topography of mountain areas, and the often high frequency of natural
hazards, such as landslides, avalanches, and floods, means that communications are
typically poor, and roads and infrastructure marginal to nonexistent (Kohler et al. 2004;
Chapter 12). However, although traditional means of communication may not be well
developed, modern technologies such as the Internet and mobile phones are rapidly ex-
panding in mountain areas (Ceccobelli and Machegiani 2006).
Because of their environmental diversity over small distances, mountains offer a
huge potential for the local production of alternative energy through small-scale wind,
solar, and hydroelectric power (Schweizer and Preiser 1997). Such small-scale facilities
can allow for the development of local industries, bringing new sources of in-
come—often from the rejuvenation of traditional crafts—and also provide light for chil-
dren to study by (Banerji and Baruah 2006). Equally important, modern sources of en-
ergy can help to mitigate chronic shortages of wood-based heating fuel, the principal
source of energy for the majority of mountain people (Schweizer and Preiser 1997).
High altitudes and cold climates can lead to health problems such as acute mountain
sickness, caused by the body's inability to adapt to the decreased oxygen and pressure,
with mild symptoms (headache, loss of appetite) occurring for some people as low as
3,000 m (West 2004). Care must be taken to acclimate (physically adjust) to higher
altitudes by not ascending too quickly, drinking plenty of water, and “climbing high/
sleeping low” during the rest or acclimatization period (Houston 1998). People who
have lived at elevations above 4,000 m for generations, such as the Sherpa of Nepal or
Quechua of Peru, seem to have a natural ability to live and work at elevations that are
at least initially uncomfortable for the lower-altitude dweller. Goiter, a swelling of the
thyroid gland in the neck, is caused by a lack of iodine in the diet that, until recently,
was a relatively common occurrence in remote populations in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya
and other mountain ranges (Fisher 1990). The use of fuelwood in improperly ventilated