Actualités
ILRI Highland Research : Past Activities and Future Plan
M.A. Mohamed Saleem International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Introduction
Mountain and highland ecosystems are found in every continent. They account for 30 million km2, and encompass an array of topography, flora and fauna as well as human cultural differentiation. More than half the world's fresh water originates in the mountains and the highlands. Managing the land use and the upstream flow of water to meet the growing domestic needs and to serve the needs of down stream countries is a major concern of many mountainous regions.
Generally plant and animal communities in the mountains and highlands are more tolerant to stress because of the diversity of species with many survival mechanisms. However, when damaged or stressed beyond a certain point or when key species and soil are removed the mountainous ecosystems can easily become fragile because they need long periods of time to recover. Events that trigger large-scale landscape déstabilisation are harmful to both the people of the mountains and highlands and those living downstream. In the past such events did not generally influence the development policies of mountainous countries. As a result, highland farm communities in many countries are enmeshed in a complex of expanding population, declining resources, poverty and environmental degradation. Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 of the UNCED 1992 therefore calls for immediate national, regional and global action for proper management of mountain resources and the socio-economic development of the people dependent on them. The Systemwide Programme on Global Sustainable Mountain Agricultural Development (GSMAD) convened by the Centro International de la Papa
(CIP), and the African Highland Initiative (AHI) are CGIAR's response to this call, which aims towards, a) generating and strengthening knowledge about the ecology and sustainable development of mountain ecosystems, b) promoting integrated watershed development and alternative livelihood opportunities.
ILRI s highlands activities in CG Project 13 are addressing the above issues, focusing on livestock as a means of improving productivity and conservation of natural resources in the mountain and highlands ecologies. These activities are linked with the AHI priority research agenda for the East African highlands. Efforts have also been made to initiate work in the Asian highlands in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). In the Andean region, collaborative work with CIP and the Centro International de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) is envisaged in the near future.
The Problems and Opportunities for Change in the African Highlands
About 10 percent of tropical Africa lies in the highland ecozone (1 500 m asl). Most of the areas are located in the East African region and they support close to half the human and about 30 percent of the total livestock populations. Major problems encountered in the highlands of this region are : -
• poverty and widespread malnutrition
• low crop and livestock productivity
• widespread land degradation
• under utilisation of some resources due to specific constraints
REVUE DE GÉOGRAPHIE ALPINE 2000 №4
