Title: Mountains: globally important ecosystems
Headings: Mountains: globally important ecosystems
Mountains: globally important ecosystems
Half of the world's population depends on mountain water
CENTRES OF BIODIVERSITY
INFLUENCE OF CHANGES IN GLOBAL SYSTEMS
Mountain tourism is becoming increasingly important: a small hotel in the Himalaya, Nepal
Mountain agriculture and forestry
PUTTING MOUNTAINS ON THE AGENDA
Monitoring mountain conditions: a meteorological station in the French Alps
Mountain Agenda
MOUNTAINS ON THE GLOBAL AGENDA
Regional intergovernmental consultations
Non-governmental consultations and the Mountain Forum
TABLE 1. Regional intergovernmental consultations on sustainable mountain development
TABLE 2. Non-governmental consultations on sustainable mountain development
New international initiatives
MOUNTAINS IN THE POST-UNGASS (RIO+5) PROCESS
Mountains at centre-stage
Bibliography

Content: Connections to outside economies have been driven by a number of factors, notably increases in accessibility owing to the construction of new road networks and the rapid expansion of air transport since the Second World War. In Nepal, the availability of surplus military helicopters from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics means that small villages, formerly many days' walk from Kathmandu, are now accessible in an hour or less. Similarly, small communities in the mountains of Siberia and in the Tien Shan of Kyrgyzstan may no longer be isolated. While the helicopters carry some local people, their principal passengers are usually tourists from all parts of the world - the latest followers of a trend that began in the early nineteenth century with the discovery of the Swiss Alps by English travellers. In an increasingly urbanized world, the importance of mountain regions as global centres of tourism continues to grow. The reasons for travel are highly diverse. Old forms, such as pilgrimage, still exist and have major influences on regional economies; for example, 9.3 million pilgrims arrive each year at Hardwar-Rishikesh, the entry point into the Garhwal Himalaya. Badrinath, one of the major sites, is visited by about 450 000 people a year, representing a threefold increase in two decades (Academy for Mountain Environics, 1995). The growing number of tourists attracted by the remarkable scenery and unfamiliar cultures of Nepal has been even greater - from 9 526 in 1964 to 293 567 in 1993.