Abstract
Mountains cover approximately 24 percent of the Earth’s land surface and are home to about 900
million people. They provide critical ecosystem services to the global population including 60-80% of
the world’s freshwater. Mountain social-ecological systems and their communities are however facing
an increasing number of compound and interconnected risks, further exacerbated by climate change.
These risks need to be addressed by adjusting and upscaling adaptation and mitigation measures, as
well as applying innovative approaches to respond to new challenges. Innovative adaptation strategies
often require coordinated efforts bringing together science, policy and practice. Such approaches can
reduce the vulnerabilities of mountain populations while conserving mountain ecosystems and their
services.
This side event brings together global mountain experts to present and discuss the multidimensional
challenges facing mountains. Keynote speakers from the Andes, southern Africa and the Hindu Kush
Himalaya will provide both a global and local perspective on these challenges, and how they are being
tackled in their respective mountain regions.
A closer look at adaptation options in the Hindu Kush Himalaya is provided through the launch of a
coffee table book presenting 10 resilient mountain solutions. The solutions are based on local and
scientific knowledge, developed and tested over several years, in close relation with local
communities, partner organizations and experts, and with the support of governing institutions and
decision makers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region.
This will be followed by a panel discussion on the feasibility of upscaling and outscaling existing
solutions, and how these can be modified for new locations. In addition, panelists will discuss the
potential of simple, affordable technologies to increase long-term resilience towards climate-change
related hazards, particularly in relation to water security.
The event is co-organized by GRID-Arendal, UNU-EHS, Eurac Research and ICIMOD. GRID-Arendal is a
non-profit, environmental communications organisation in the heart of Arendal, Norway, working
internationally to support sustainable development through communicating policy-relevant
information that strengthens capacity and motivates action. UNU-EHS and Eurac Research are
represented by their joint research programme, the Global Mountain Safeguard Research (GLOMOS)
team, which conducts applied research on sustainable mountain development and brings together
science, policy and practice. ICIMOD is an intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre that
develops and shares research, information, and innovations to empower people in the eight regional
member countries of the HKH – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and
Pakistan.