Sustainable Development in Global Mountain RegionsIntroduction, Overview and Next-Steps from a Society-Centered Perspective

Matthew KlickUniversity of Denver

Arctic and Mountain Regions Development Institute

Why Mountains?•People and

Mountains▫Mountains ARE

different▫Mountains

shape people (as much as we impact them)

What is development?•Sustainable development•Human development (Sen 1990)

▫Emphasis on real opportunity (capability) Versus income…

How are Mountains Different in 2014?•Poverty•Food Security•Human (in)Security (Conflict)•Environmental Change•Demographic Pressure and State-Society

breakdown…▫Each are happening at higher, more

persistent rates in global mountain regions

Poverty

Mountain poverty is: •Higher•Different

Poverty (2/2)

Hunger•90 percent of the world’s mountain people

(nearly 325 million) living in developing countries or countries in transition.▫245 million of these people (more than 75

percent) were experiencing or were at risk of hunger.

•Nutrition studies (FAO 2002) indicate that mountain populations suffer from higher rates of micronutrient deficiencies.

Hunger (2/2)•Chronic hunger and malnutrition matters

▫Directly contributes to infant mortality rates

▫Negatively influence the capabilities (read: opportunities) of youth going forward In school or in work

▫Answer is less in food aid, more in understanding why access to food has changed

▫Guatemala Ex. Seasonal (Acute) hunger Highlands and chronic hunger

Other Important Attributes that make Mountain Populations Vulnerable•Socio-cultural identities

▫Frequently minority populations and marginalized Politically, economically, socially

•The State▫The provider of basic resources, or▫A force for homogenization and usurpation

(Scott 2009)•Conflict

▫“rough terrain” and conflict (Starr 2004, Fearon and Laitin 1999)

Other Important Attributes that make Mountain Populations Vulnerable (2/2)• Constraints on economic development

▫Resort-based tourism▫Resource extraction – mines, dams

• Securitization of borders▫International efforts to stem drug/human

trafficking, and local populations• Climate change

▫Herding, growing conditions▫Natural Disasters▫Forest health▫Water

Positive Mountain Attributes (or, How can we pursue development from a people-centered perspective?)

•Governance▫Who/what has greatest authority/influence,

regardless of identity? (Rise 2011)▫State-local complimentarity (Klick 2013)

•Local resilience and capacity▫Not romanticizing the local, but re-

questioning what constitutes “strengths” and “weaknesses”

•Moving away from measuring income (and “inputs”) for development

Examples•Nepal Maternal Health (Malla, Giri, Karki,

Chaudhary 2011)▫Antenatal care (72% ave vs. 25% in Far

Western)▫Intrapartum care (urban/rural clinic visits)▫Eclampsia (and social dimension of…)▫Female Community Health Volunteers

•Guatemala▫State-Local Complementarity in La

Reforma

Conclusions•In an international context, mountain

regions = vulnerable populations•Human development in mountain

communities require we rethink what “success” entails, and what development means.

•Mountains can empower, but also constrain choices

•Under intense pressure, mountain communities need our listening and support

Thank You!

Matthew Klick, Executive Director(720)347-8341www.amrdi.org