In the Andes, new ways of working and of life.

• Author: Anderson, Christina
• Position: Sustainable mountain ecosystems witn Desarrollo Forestal Comunitario

William Cowper observed in The Time Piece that "mountains interposed make enemies of nations who had else, like kindred drops, been mingled into one." These words apply equally to the internal conflicts that arise over the sharing of mountain resources on which we all rely. In 1999, 23 of the world's 27 major armed conflicts were being fought in mountain regions, which occupy one quarter of the earth's land mass. Just a few years earlier, 14 of these international conflicts were being fought to control water resources. "For many communities in both highland and lowland areas, internal conflicts over the control of mountain waters are a far more real threat than international ones, and they can be just as catastrophic" (www.mountains2002.org).

Fighting over resources is just one of the many factors that threaten mountain ecosystems. So do soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and depletion of soil nutrients caused by mining, logging, deforestation and unsound agricultural practices. More than half the world's population depends on mountain water. A sustainable future means conserving and protecting these regions by ensuring that rural populations, the natural stewards of these resources, can remain in their communities and live off their land. Desarrollo Forestal Comunitario (DFC), a community forestry development project led by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization's Forest Action Plan, together with the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment, is helping rural Andean communities by empowering local populations to develop small industries and farming practices that incorporate traditional knowledge with environmentally sustainable agricultural and forestry methods.

One way to sustainably manage agriculture is by agroforestry, or "social forestry", which incorporates tree planting with crops and livestock management. Combining forestry technology with crop planting helps conserve the natural ecosystem and prevents soil erosion, while allowing the rural population to live productively and profitably from the land. When trees are cut down to make way for mining, logging and agriculture, the resulting soil erosion that occurs makes the land and communities more vulnerable to natural disasters such as floods and avalanches. Incorporating native tree species, such as alder, guato and walnut, on the periphery of crops, for example, prevents soil erosion, helps maintain the region's natural biodiversity and enriches the soil, allowing for greater...