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C08.29 Mountain Response to Global Change
Session: From Himalayan Dilemma to Climate Change Dilemma? Challenges for high mountain development
Chair(s): Hermann Kreutzmann & Teiji Watanabe
Abstract:
Climate change processes with rising temperatures and massive glacier retreat seems to become one of the major challenges for mountain areas and their surroundings in the 21st century. The discourse about the disappearance of glaciated areas in the water towers of humankind connected with dramatic consequences not only for mountain societies but also for the densely populated lowlands shows similarities concerning its scientific foundation to the discussion of the Himalayan Dilemma commencing in the 1980s when mountain farmers were blamed for environmental degradation in the Himalayas thus leading to floods in the plains of South Asia. Similarly, the currently evolving essentialism of a Climate Change Dilemma is lacking fundamental knowledge and evidence-based arguments. The negative expectations are mainly based on simplistic model scenarios and unrefined assumptions. Not only the data basis of valid climatic records is meagre, furthermore there is almost nothing known to what extent rising temperatures, changed precipitation regimes or more frequent droughts affect the socioeconomic conditions of concerned communities. There is little known, neither in which way these climate changes influence mountain farming nor in which way mountain people adapt to these changes. Besides, the role of farming for mountain societies has to be investigated since households in peripheral areas often follow an income diversification strategy in which farming often only plays a secondary role. Non-farming aspects such as migration for education or employment purposes are gaining in importance for rural livelihoods. It is to question whether the Climate Change Dilemma is becoming only a new meta-narrative justifying external interventions or whether it is connected with significant development constraints and threats thus applying for mitigation strategies of the dominant economies and societies. The session aims at presenting evidence-based research in order to fathom the possibilities for appropriate methodologies and further directions in high mountain research.
Timeslots: 1
Abstract:
Climate change processes with rising temperatures and massive glacier retreat seems to become one of the major challenges for mountain areas and their surroundings in the 21st century. The discourse about the disappearance of glaciated areas in the water towers of humankind connected with dramatic consequences not only for mountain societies but also for the densely populated lowlands shows similarities concerning its scientific foundation to the discussion of the Himalayan Dilemma commencing in the 1980s when mountain farmers were blamed for environmental degradation in the Himalayas thus leading to floods in the plains of South Asia. Similarly, the currently evolving essentialism of a Climate Change Dilemma is lacking fundamental knowledge and evidence-based arguments. The negative expectations are mainly based on simplistic model scenarios and unrefined assumptions. Not only the data basis of valid climatic records is meagre, furthermore there is almost nothing known to what extent rising temperatures, changed precipitation regimes or more frequent droughts affect the socioeconomic conditions of concerned communities. There is little known, neither in which way these climate changes influence mountain farming nor in which way mountain people adapt to these changes. Besides, the role of farming for mountain societies has to be investigated since households in peripheral areas often follow an income diversification strategy in which farming often only plays a secondary role. Non-farming aspects such as migration for education or employment purposes are gaining in importance for rural livelihoods. It is to question whether the Climate Change Dilemma is becoming only a new meta-narrative justifying external interventions or whether it is connected with significant development constraints and threats thus applying for mitigation strategies of the dominant economies and societies. The session aims at presenting evidence-based research in order to fathom the possibilities for appropriate methodologies and further directions in high mountain research.
Timeslots: 1
Session: Mountain Environment and Rural Livelihoods in the Tropical Andes: Local Responses to Global Change
Chair(s): Perdita Pohle & María Fernanda López Sandoval
Abstract:
Global change has been identified as the main driver of transformation of traditional livelihoods and natural and cultural landscapes in mountain regions. In the tropical Andes major global attention has been given to the conservation of areas with high biodiversity and endemism, located along the entire altitudinal gradient. Sustainable development of this region - one of the most populated high mountain areas of the world - faces an uncertain path, for here, local rural communities are confronted daily with the challenges of global change. Not only are changing environmental conditions demanding responses of rural communities to issues of water and forest scarcity but also the environmental interests and economic pressures of trans-national corporations on natural resources set new conditions for local responses. These might lead to the adaptation, the improvement or the disappearance of traditional livelihoods. For example, the establishment of protected areas, the pressure on water resources for irrigation, drinking and electricity, the development of mining projects - all require adaptive and innovative forms of social, economic and technological organization of rural communities. Until now, the livelihood strategies of rural communities in the Andes have largely depended on natural resources. Therefore, responses to global change are directly linked to over-use and to intense dynamics of land use and land cover change, including deforestation. Environmental degradation in turn increases the vulnerability of rural livelihoods. This session aims to discuss specific responses of rural communities to global change and their impact on biodiversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the Andes. Topics to be dealt with may include: 1. Interplay of globalization and locality in the rural Andes; 2. Conflicts between indigenous or local communities and global stakeholders; 3. Sustainable land use options to conserve biodiversity and enhance rural livelihoods; 4. Bio-cultural diversity, ethnicity and indigenity, indigenous knowledge; 5. Governance of natural resources.
Timeslots: 1
Abstract:
Global change has been identified as the main driver of transformation of traditional livelihoods and natural and cultural landscapes in mountain regions. In the tropical Andes major global attention has been given to the conservation of areas with high biodiversity and endemism, located along the entire altitudinal gradient. Sustainable development of this region - one of the most populated high mountain areas of the world - faces an uncertain path, for here, local rural communities are confronted daily with the challenges of global change. Not only are changing environmental conditions demanding responses of rural communities to issues of water and forest scarcity but also the environmental interests and economic pressures of trans-national corporations on natural resources set new conditions for local responses. These might lead to the adaptation, the improvement or the disappearance of traditional livelihoods. For example, the establishment of protected areas, the pressure on water resources for irrigation, drinking and electricity, the development of mining projects - all require adaptive and innovative forms of social, economic and technological organization of rural communities. Until now, the livelihood strategies of rural communities in the Andes have largely depended on natural resources. Therefore, responses to global change are directly linked to over-use and to intense dynamics of land use and land cover change, including deforestation. Environmental degradation in turn increases the vulnerability of rural livelihoods. This session aims to discuss specific responses of rural communities to global change and their impact on biodiversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the Andes. Topics to be dealt with may include: 1. Interplay of globalization and locality in the rural Andes; 2. Conflicts between indigenous or local communities and global stakeholders; 3. Sustainable land use options to conserve biodiversity and enhance rural livelihoods; 4. Bio-cultural diversity, ethnicity and indigenity, indigenous knowledge; 5. Governance of natural resources.
Timeslots: 1
Session: Vegetation response to climate change in tropical mountain ecosystems and consequences for biodiversity and land-use options
Chair(s): Achim Bräuning & Aster Gebrekirstos
Abstract:
Tropical mountain ecosystems are centers of global biodiversity. In many inner-tropical regions they also act as important water towers for the less humid surrounding lowlands. Besides temperature trends, changes in amount, variability and seasonal distribution of precipitation are of special relevance for the adaptation of tropical vegetation and land-use systems to climate change. Rather than shifts of long-term means, changes in the frequency and intensity of climatic extremes may challenge adaptive capacities of species, plant communities and local agrarian productivity. In addition, secondary effects of climate change like shifts in fire regimes and modifications in land-use patterns may affect mountain ecosystems, resulting in shifts of altitudinal limits or changes in spatial distribution patterns of species of vegetation types within altitudinal belts. So far, little is known about the resilience of individual species and ecosystems in tropical mountain regions that comprise a high variety of regional and local climatic regimes. The session is dedicated to analyze plant and vegetation response patterns to changing climatic regimes in mountain regions around the tropics. Special emphasis is laid on the identification of innovative research strategies how to evaluate the impact of climate variability and climate change on plants and vegetation types and to derive estimates how local biodiversity, hydrological importance of tropical highlands and human land-use options are affected.
Timeslots: 1
Abstract:
Tropical mountain ecosystems are centers of global biodiversity. In many inner-tropical regions they also act as important water towers for the less humid surrounding lowlands. Besides temperature trends, changes in amount, variability and seasonal distribution of precipitation are of special relevance for the adaptation of tropical vegetation and land-use systems to climate change. Rather than shifts of long-term means, changes in the frequency and intensity of climatic extremes may challenge adaptive capacities of species, plant communities and local agrarian productivity. In addition, secondary effects of climate change like shifts in fire regimes and modifications in land-use patterns may affect mountain ecosystems, resulting in shifts of altitudinal limits or changes in spatial distribution patterns of species of vegetation types within altitudinal belts. So far, little is known about the resilience of individual species and ecosystems in tropical mountain regions that comprise a high variety of regional and local climatic regimes. The session is dedicated to analyze plant and vegetation response patterns to changing climatic regimes in mountain regions around the tropics. Special emphasis is laid on the identification of innovative research strategies how to evaluate the impact of climate variability and climate change on plants and vegetation types and to derive estimates how local biodiversity, hydrological importance of tropical highlands and human land-use options are affected.
Timeslots: 1
Session: Environmental history and climate change in the high mountain ecosystems of Monsoon Asia during the Late Holocene
Chair(s): Jussi Grießinger & Eryuan Liang
Abstract:
The East Asian and Indian Summer Monsoons belong to the most distinctive climatic phenomena on Earth, affecting directly or indirectly almost half of the world’s human population. Over the last decade, the climatic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau and the adjoining high mountain regions gained growing attention due to their significant role for modifying the dynamics of the Indian and East Asian Summer Monsoons. Through complex interactions with and impacts on the global atmospheric circulation, these regions are latterly merged to the „Third Pole Environment (TPE)“ which is regarded as one of the forthcoming Hot Spots on environmental research in the world. Changes in extent and variability of the summer monsoons have had and will have large-scale effects on the high mountain environment. In addition, the social and economic development in the surrounding regions of China, India, Nepal and further countries in South-East Asia is highly dependent on the stability of climate and environments. As a result, understanding the controls and variability of past and present monsoon circulation are essential to gain estimates how environments will respond to future climate changes. Due to the lack of longer instrumental climate records and a sparse spatial distribution of meteorological stations, the survey and use of proxy datasets is needed to support reliable climate change scenarios. Several observation and monitoring programs in this region have recently been established, including the interdisciplinary paleoclimatic DFG Priority Programme TIP Tibetan Plateau: Formation – Climate - Ecosystem which is based on cooperation with the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research of the Chinese Academy of Science (ITP-CAS). The session addresses the environmental and climate history within the monsoonal influenced parts of the Tibetan Plateau and neighbouring high mountain regions based on recent monitoring studies and proxy-based climate reconstructions during the Late Holocene.
Timeslots: 1
Abstract:
The East Asian and Indian Summer Monsoons belong to the most distinctive climatic phenomena on Earth, affecting directly or indirectly almost half of the world’s human population. Over the last decade, the climatic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau and the adjoining high mountain regions gained growing attention due to their significant role for modifying the dynamics of the Indian and East Asian Summer Monsoons. Through complex interactions with and impacts on the global atmospheric circulation, these regions are latterly merged to the „Third Pole Environment (TPE)“ which is regarded as one of the forthcoming Hot Spots on environmental research in the world. Changes in extent and variability of the summer monsoons have had and will have large-scale effects on the high mountain environment. In addition, the social and economic development in the surrounding regions of China, India, Nepal and further countries in South-East Asia is highly dependent on the stability of climate and environments. As a result, understanding the controls and variability of past and present monsoon circulation are essential to gain estimates how environments will respond to future climate changes. Due to the lack of longer instrumental climate records and a sparse spatial distribution of meteorological stations, the survey and use of proxy datasets is needed to support reliable climate change scenarios. Several observation and monitoring programs in this region have recently been established, including the interdisciplinary paleoclimatic DFG Priority Programme TIP Tibetan Plateau: Formation – Climate - Ecosystem which is based on cooperation with the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research of the Chinese Academy of Science (ITP-CAS). The session addresses the environmental and climate history within the monsoonal influenced parts of the Tibetan Plateau and neighbouring high mountain regions based on recent monitoring studies and proxy-based climate reconstructions during the Late Holocene.
Timeslots: 1
Session: Mountain Ecosystem Response to Global Change
Chair(s): Joerg Loeffler & Andreas Lundberg
Abstract:
Mountain ecosystems are usually regarded as being highly sensitive to global change. However, because of system complexity and multifaceted interacting drivers, understanding of current responses as well as predictions of future changes are very difficult. We want to discuss potential effects of global change on mountain ecosystems (including the question of possible resilience of certain ecosystems or parts of ecosystems) and the underlying response mechanisms as far as they are understood at present.
Timeslots: 2
Abstract:
Mountain ecosystems are usually regarded as being highly sensitive to global change. However, because of system complexity and multifaceted interacting drivers, understanding of current responses as well as predictions of future changes are very difficult. We want to discuss potential effects of global change on mountain ecosystems (including the question of possible resilience of certain ecosystems or parts of ecosystems) and the underlying response mechanisms as far as they are understood at present.
Timeslots: 2