Many parts of the world are caught
in a vicious downwards spiral and mountains are no
exception. "Poor
people are forced to overuse environmental resources
to survive from day to day and their impoverishment
of their environment further improvises them, making
their survival more difficult and uncertain." (WCED,
1987; p. 3)
Population Growth
Besides Skardu, the mountain valleys are usually narrow
deep and steep. These valleys are popular and exciting
sites for the tourists as well as the residents of
the Northern Areas (NAs). High population growth is
one of the major factors in exacerbating poverty in
these regions. High population growth rates lead to
a considerable increase in the demand for food and
energy requirements, which eventually results in the
degradation and depletion of these limited natural
resources.
To meet the increasing population demands, farmers
are forced to practice intensive methods of cultivation
such as using fertilizers and pesticides that, although
raise the immediate yield yet carry hazards of contaminating
water and degrading soil for future generations. At
times, farmers in these areas are also compelled to
make encroachments into adjoining lands to increase
land space under cultivation. Other practices include
cutting down of forests and cultivation on steep
slopes. These malpractices have significant implications
on the long-term sustainability of these resources
because eventually, these practices lead to problems
such as soil erosion, land sliding, deforestation and
drying of springs.
Most of the households in the mountain regions, depend
on farming as their main source of livelihood. Since
only two percent of the land area in the NA is arable,
the average landholding per household is less than
one hectare of land. Whereas,, this land is believed
to be of limited productivity because of soil quality.
The NAs encountered food deficiencies until the construction
of the Karakoram highway. Additional food in the shape
of grains has increased the use of animals resulting
in the over-grazing of pastures and decreasing the
naturally occurring broad-leaved deciduous trees.
The growing demand for fuel timber and cash has led
to the deforestation at the hillsides. This crisis
is more evident in the forests of Nagar (Hunza), where
natural forests have been cut and the local communities
are using local fruit trees as fuel wood. Because of
these reasons, land sliding, floods and soil erosion
have emerged as major issues of this area.
The rising population growth is critical when discussing
the causes of poverty and depletion of resources in
the mountain areas. There is a great need for sustainability
to counter these issues. Sustainability, in simplest
terms, means maintaining a balance between the use
of available resources to meet the present needs without
hampering the livelihood of the future generations.
The ideal situation can only be achieved if the ecology
is not exploited, whereby maintaining a reasonable
population growth rate.
Shift To Market Economy
Communities residing in mountains have remained isolated
from the industrial economic developments of the world
due to inaccessibility to these developed centres.
Therefore, their economies have remained traditional
subsistence economies i.e. they produce for the needs
of the local communities. However, with the advent
of modern means of communication and transportation,
once inaccessible and remote mountain regions have
now been linked and integrated into the urban markets
and hence there is a drastic shift in the production
patterns of these small economies. Crops now grown
have higher demand in the market (and are likely to
fetch more money), rather than the ones that suit local
conditions and the needs of the people. This economic
development has increased the social differences, whereby
the poor in these areas do not have a say in the societal
matters.
Better access to mountain regions also increases the
potential for exploitation of mountain people and mountain
resources because, more often than not, these communities
do not have a representation in the government and
the decisions that eventually affects them.
Mountain farmers have traditionally excelled in cultivating
many varieties of a single crop and through cross-
fertilization between wild and cultivated varieties;
they have allowed modified characteristics to emerge
while strengthening a species' genetic diversity
and resilience. Many mountain farmers also say that "it
improves yields and minimizes the need for herbicides,
pesticides and fertilizers. Often, they encourage,
in the Himalayas, for example, domestic and wild varieties
of lemon, orange and mango trees are grown side by
side. In Mexico, farmers allow teosinte, a distant
ancestor of maize, to grow near the cultivated maize.
Now farmers in these areas have been forced to abandon
the old-age practices and adopt high-yield farming
techniques due to a shift to market-oriented production.
These not only include planting fewer seed strains
but also relying more heavily on irrigation and higher
doses of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers."
This increased dependency on the market means that
now communities, rather than focusing on the management
of local resources in a sustainable manner, are seeking
to exploit them for earning higher profits in the market.
This is quite an alarming situation keeping in view
the fragile environment and conditions of the mountains.
If the mountain locals do not play a proactive role
in the sustenance of the natural environment of the
mountain areas, it is quite unlikely that any external
efforts to conserve the natural environment will succeed.
Government Policies
Mountains are rich sources of biodiversity, yet majority
of the mountain people live in poverty. The major reason
for such a situation is because often, the most valued
mountain resources, such as forests, minerals, land
and water are expropriated and exploited by the outsiders.
With the exception of when these people are hired as
laborers on low wages, they rarely profit from the
resources being extracted. The situation is worsened
when economic activities in the mountain areas are
seldom managed unsustainably due to which the mountain
people are left to live in the degraded or highly polluted
environment.
Central government tends to either ignore the concerns
of the mountain people or dictate its own terms to
them. The officials often pay little or no attention
to the needs and capabilities of mountain people, which
causes considerable problems, both for the local inhabitants
as well as for the natural environment.
An illustration of the above problem can be found in
Pakistan's forest-related policies and laws.
Many of Pakistan's legislations regarding the
use of land and resources have been inherited from
British colony/ Empire, which often view the local
inhabitants as the prime threat to natural resources.
These policies have attempted to exclude the locals
from decisions that affect their environment and resources.
Land ownership or user rights, for most of the people
in mountain areas do not exist whereas, the mountain
resources fall under the authority of the Provincial
Government. The mountain communities therefore, need
assurance and security of land and resources which
will in turn provide them with an incentive to manage
and develop the local resources sustainably. This non-participatory
approach of the government towards the local communities
has added to their vulnerability and has discouraged
them to take initiatives towards the conservation of
the available resources. Other problems that arise
due to this situation are unsustainable management
of natural resources and loss of indigenous knowledge.
The leaders and activists with indigenous knowledge
are critical to the survival of the natural environment
since they represent the priorities of people in the
non- industrialized world and also argue for development
with an emphasis not only on growth but also on restructuring
economies and consumption patterns.
Government should ideally serve as a facilitator in
the development of local communities. In case of mountain
areas, this can be achieved quite effectively by adopting
a participatory approach between the authorities and
the local communities in decision making for the use
of resources, its distribution and other social issues.
This participatory approach can be further strengthened
by providing the locals with a chance to participate
in the political processes by advocating policies and
practices that ensure a fair distribution of benefits.
These steps will go a long way in ameliorating not
only the economic conditions of the locals but will
also ensure long-term sustainable use and management
of invaluable natural resources.
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