Green economy and sustainable mountain development – opportunities and challenges in view of Rio+20

As a collaborative initiative of ICIMOD and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Conference on Green Economy and Sustainable Mountain Development – Opportunities and Challenges in View of Rio+20 will be held 5-7 September in Kathmandu, Nepal. The conference brings together international, regional, and national experts and policy makers to discuss the relevance and scope of the green economy in the context of sustainable mountain development. It will seek strategies, approaches, and options for enhancing the role and prominence of mountain systems in regional and international debates and discussions. The outputs will feed into the forthcoming Rio+20 conference.

Why this Conference?

Mountains are among the most fragile environments in the world. They are also a repository of biodiversity, water, and other ecosystem services. The influence of mountains and their goods and services reaches far beyond their geographical limits, extending to the surrounding lowlands. Mountains are an important source of vital ecosystem services which contribute to sustaining the local, national, regional, and global environment and economy. About half of the world’s population depends on mountains for fresh water, clean energy, irrigation water, minerals, forest products, recreation, and genetic resources. Half of the global biodiversity hotspots and one-third of all protected areas are in the mountains. Thus, mountains have an important role in promotion of green economy by playing an active role in strengthening ecosystem functions and resilience, including sequestering carbon dioxide emitted elsewhere. However, from a mountain perspective key questions are: What are the opportunity costs in providing these ecosystem services to the broader society? How can incentives be provided to mountain people for their active and positive role in enhancing mountain ecosystems?

The concerns of the mountain regions, particularly those of the developing countries, remain non-existent in the current framework of the green economy. In order to raise mountain issues at international discussions, key stakeholders must develop a common voice and strategy. The conference will bring together international, regional and national experts and policy makers to discuss the mountain agenda in the context of the green economy and develop a strategic approach to enhance the prominence of mountain systems at international debates, particularly the forthcoming Rio+20 conference in July 2012, where a green economy approach will be at centre stage.

Although the conference will address issues concerning all mountain systems of the world, its special focus will be on developing countries and particularly on the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, where the potential for development of low-carbon growth is huge. This region is one of the largest and least studied mountain regions in the world. It is shared between eight countries, and 10 large river systems originate in the region, providing ecosystem services that benefit over one billion people in the downstream areas.