EVENTO PARALELO OFICIAL / MONTANHAS DO BRASIL
OFICIAL SIDE EVENT / BRAZILIAN MOUNTAINS
21 Junho 2012 14H00 às 15H00 – June 21st, 2012 14:00 to 15:00
Pavilhão T sala 11 – Pavillion T room 11
Mr. Harald Egerer, pannelist at OFICIAL SIDE EVENT / BRAZILIAN MOUNTAINS is Head Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, United Nations Environment Programme – Vienna Office, Environmental Reference Centre of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat , participated as pannelist of the OFICIAL SIDE EVENT / BRAZILIAN MOUNTAINS at RIO CENTRO and has reinforced the importance of mountains, and of the results of the Technical Worshop on Human Alterations of Mountain Landascapes, whcih happened at MOuNTAIN PAVILION, on the 16st June.
Mountain regions and their inhabitants are disproportionally affected by climate change, increasing natural disasters, food and energy crises, population growth, water scarcity and desertification, loss of biodiversity, degradation of ecosystems, migration, and growth of cities. Mountains also offer significant opportunities for solutions by providing key environmental services such as freshwater, biodiversity conservation and energy to more than half of humanity. However, a lot of changes and impacts that mountain ecosystems are witnessing are human‐driven, e.g. increasing urbanisation, deforestation, mining or mega infrastructures. Changes that are already visible but now well perceived by decision‐makers and the public society.
The fact is however, that to date, there is no appropriate mechanism for exchanging up‐todate environmental information between different mountain regions, and providing accurate briefings to decision‐makers covering the global mountain environment.
Enhanced information‐sharing and communication as a solid basis for decision‐making with the view of gaining also a better understanding of the problems unique to mountains, in particular, by demonstrating human alteration of landscapes (land‐use change, increasing urbanisation, deforestation, mining activities, impacts of tourism etc.) visualization of the challenges and opportunities. It is also important to improve the global knowledge about spatial and socioeconomic interrelationships between mountain and non – mountain areas, in particular low‐land areas.
The objective is to communicate information on mountain environments to policy‐makers and create environmental knowledge to enable positive changes. This will be achieved by collecting, organizing and transforming available data on mountain environments into credible, science‐based informational products, delivered through innovative communication tools and capacity‐building services targeting relevant stakeholders.
Future possible joint initiatives can build on and organize already existing global resources and knowledge, covering all major mountain systems of the world ‐ from the Alps to the Himalayas (including the Carpathians, Caucasus, Urals and multiple others in South Asia), from the Andes to the Atlas, and the Denalis/Rocky Mountains of North America ‐ facilitating knowledge exchange, «best available techniques» and experiences for coping with environmental change and problems unique to mountains. The results of such environmental assessments and early warnings could be exchanged and publicized in relevant fora such as global and regional events, meetings of the Mountain Partnership and the World Mountain Forum.
Iterei Iguassu