People in the Mountains - Mountain Geography: Physical and Human Dimensions - page 533

The livelihoods of people in the mountains have changed much and will continue to do
so. Physical isolation has decreased, accessibility has been improved, the spatial distri-
bution and mobility patterns of people have been altered, and socioeconomic integra-
tion with the larger world has increased. However, other, less tangible forms of isolation
persist. Political integration, in the sense of power sharing, is still lagging, and in some
respects traditional mountain people may have lost power and autonomy in regard to
many aspects of life. In most cases, centers of population and national economic and
political power remain outside the mountains. Some mountain areas are inhabited by
cultural minorities such as the Quechua and Aymara in the Andes, Tibetans, Yi, Naxi and
other minorities in China, tribals and nonscheduled castes in India, and First Nations
in North America, and these population groups remain largely marginalized. Many such
groups seek to retain their cultural identity and claim traditional rights to land, water,
and other resources, while aspiring for more political power and economic and social
opportunities at local, regional, national, and international levels. There is a constant in-
terplay between the forces and tendencies of integration into the larger world (change)
and those of local tradition and desire for autonomy (persistence). This is nowhere more
evident than in the day-to-day lives of individuals continuing traditional livelihood activ-
ities and practices while opening themselves up to new economic opportunities; mak-
ing use of modern communications technologies such as smart phones, computers, and
television; and being aware of and attracted to globalized cultures and lifestyles (Fig.
10.8).
Mountain populations have never been static and impervious to external economic
and cultural influences. Over the past centuries, fundamental changes have occurred
under the impact of colonialism and expanding commercialism, industrialization, and
technological development. The importance of mountain areas as resource hinterlands
for land, water, animals, plants, energy, and minerals, and as spiritual, recreational, and
scenic spaces, has been a force for change. People living in mountain areas today are
engaged in a variety of livelihoods. Their settlements offer a mosaic of characteristics:
agricultural villages, marketplaces, forestry camps, mining settlements, refugee camps,
tourist resorts, service centers, and major cities. Some settlements are new or ephem-
eral, whereas others have a long history, having experienced changes in size, structure,
function, and socioeconomic characteristics. In some cases, the widespread expansion
of the built-up areas and infrastructure has resulted in the destruction of habitats, the
contamination of air, water, and soil, economic inflation, and enhanced risks and disas-
ters.
The most obvious changes in mountain ecosystems are a product of anthropogenic
and environmental factors. Forest cutting for timber, forest clearing for agriculture,
river flow regulation for water supply and power generation, widespread extraction of
minerals and fossil fuels, introduction of exotic plants and animals, expansion of settle-
ments and infrastructure, and imposition of new forms of land tenure (e.g., parks and
protected areas) are important anthropogenic factors. Increasing air temperatures and
shrinkage of snow and glaciers over the past 150 years are examples and symptoms of
change in environmental conditions, as were the lower temperatures and greater snow
and ice cover in the previous 500 years. Less evident, as yet, are changes in the patterns
of ocean currents and storm tracks, and in precipitation regimes which impact local and
regional water balances. The changes in treeline, biodiversity, and plant and animal dis-