MOUNTAINS & THEIR ENVIRONMENT
Mountains are highly complex and fragile ecosystems because of a variety of factors that range from elevation, morphology and climate, latitude, land use opportunities, conflicts, etc. They are globally important as water sources of the earth and repositories of high biological diversity. Mountains are also target areas for recreation and hubs of cultural integration and heritage. They occupy about one-fifth of the world’s land surface area and provide direct life-support base for around 10 percent of humankind and indirect ecological services to most of the world’s population. Because of adverse climatic condition, natural disasters, and their poor, shallow and erosion prone soils on steep slopes, they are highly vulnerable to human pressures. The growing awareness of the significance of mountain ecosystems led the United Nations General Assembly to declare the year 2002 as the “International Year of Mountains” (IYM). The IYM is over but the challenges facing mountains and sustainable development of mountain areas remain a major global concern.
PUBLIC HEARINGS ON MOUNTAINS
Mountains have been on the agenda of the People’s Commission on Environment and Development India (PCED) since 2002. As a part of independent sector IYM-related activities, it had held public hearings on mountain areas in the Himalayas and the Western Ghats. These public hearings focused on conservation of mountain ecosystem and freshwater sources, livelihood issues of mountain people, sustainable mountain agriculture, and conservation of mountain biodiversity.
MOUNTAIN LAKES
Mountain lakes are reservoirs of precious freshwater and are multipurpose in character. The freshwater lakes in upland areas have a great bearing on social and economic condition of mountain people. Their waters are used for a variety of purposes ranging from domestic consumption to generation of hydropower, sports, recreation, tourism and fish breeding. Increased anthropogenic pressure on their catchments and ever-increasing tourism activities centered on them are gravely polluting these mountain lakes. As a result, many of these upland lakes are irreversibly degenerating.
MOUNTAIN LAKES PROJECT
Keeping the critical condition of many mountain lakes in the country in view, PCED shifted its focus from public hearings to evolving a sustainable model of ecological management and development, with the involvement of people, of three mountain lakes. Many State Governments already have lake development plans and have set up lake development authorities to implement them. These plans, by and large, focus on improving the lake’s limnology using ‘civil engineering’ interventions as the main instrument. PCED’s project focuses strongly on the ‘social engineering’ aspects of lake’s ecological management and development.
Three lakes identified for demonstrating the significance of community’s role in managing the lakes are Dal Lake (Jammu & Kashmir), Naukuchiyatal Lake (Uttarakhand) and Kodaikanal Lake (Tamil Nadu). These three mountain lakes fall in three distinct bio-geographical regions of Indian subcontinent.
PROJECT & ITS IMPLMENTATION
The Ford Foundation is generously supporting the 3-year project, which commenced on 1st December 2005. The People’s Commission on Environment and Development India, under the overall direction of its President, Dr Karan Singh, is implementing the project in partnership with the Global Green Peace (for Dal Lake), Palni Hills Conservation Council (for Kodaikanal Lake) and Central Himalayan Rural Action Group or CHIRAG (for Naukuchiyatal Lake).
