Oman Observer
By MK Santhosh – SQU is an official member of the Mountain Partnership at FAO Rome, Italy and has been a focal point for the Sultanate of Oman on Mountain Issues. This partnership is an honour conferred on SQU because of its contribution to the mountain research through “Al Jabal al Akhdar Initiative” a multidisciplinary landmark research that has become a reference for mountain studies in arid and semi-arid regions.
Sultan Qaboos University serves as the focal point for preparing the mountains’ development regional report for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the draft of which was presented at the Lucerne World Mountain Conference held in October 2011. This important mountain conference was successful in providing important elements to ensure mountains to be included in the Rio+20 Summit, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which will be held in June 2012.
Prof. Reginald Victor, reputed environmental scientist and Dean of Research at SQU, who has done a series of research on the mountains of Oman, is entrusted with the task of leading the team that prepares the regional report covering mountains in 19 MENA countries from Morocco to Iran.
According to Prof Victor, the key issues in the MENA mountain region are climate, water resources, wildlife and biodiversity, agriculture, livestock and land use, and tourism. “Others include specific issues like the establishment of biosphere reserves, special programmes like those of Global Diversity Foundation (GDF), disasters, natural hazards and disaster risk reduction (DRR) and socio-economic and political issues.
The discussion of each issue in the regional report includes information known from specific MENA countries. For example, the issue of water resources includes management of water resources in 
Morocco, water stress in Lebanon, overexploitation of groundwater in Oman, revitalisation of traditional water harvesting in Iran, water scarcity in Yemen and the famous water conflict of Palestine and Israel”, he said.
This report is presented in three parts: the first sets up the stage for the discourse on MENA Mountains; the second provides an evaluation of sustainable mountain development discussing progress, changes and lessons learnt; and the third addresses challenges to green economy and issues relevant to Rio+20 in the MENA region.
Of the19 countries in the MENA region, three do not have significant mountain systems and of the remaining 16, only seven have enough data warranting detailed discussion.
In the report prepared by Prof. Victor and team, major mountain ranges in the MENA region have been identified and the major themes relevant to the MENA Mountains recognised. The ten themes considered are (1) the effects of oil-boom economy; (2) technological development; (3) improvement in road networks; (4) political changes; (5) climate change and natural disasters; (6) epidemics; (7) impacts and threats on biodiversity; (8) expanding tourism; (9) mining activities, and (10) monitoring and research.
The institutions and governance supporting sustainable mountain development have been noted and the absence of a central hub to foster partnerships within the MENA region has been indicated.
The report says that evaluation of sustainable mountain development in the whole MENA region is an extremely difficult task. “However, it is possible to attempt a discussion on the basis of what had happened in the MENA countries over the past 20 years assuming that mountains are firmly embedded in the governance systems and are subject to impacts both positive and negative, affecting the countries 
as a whole. The nature of governance is an important driver that has impact on sustainable mountain development. The present political climate in the region is likely to have a negative impact on sustainable development initiatives including those in mountains.
Ecosystem services of these mountains are discussed in the report under (a) provisioning, (b) regulating and supporting and (c) cultural services following the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment for mountains.
Supply and demand for ecosystem services in the MENA Mountains are poorly understood. The status of green economy in the MENA Mountains and challenges faced are presented in line with millennium development goals. Actions needed include regulatory frameworks; a shift in government spending priorities to support green economy initiatives; financial incentives to green investment and innovation; capacity building through training and education; and strong links to international governance.
Prof. Victor said that mountains of the MENA region are important for sustainable development in national, regional and global contexts. “All mountains in this region with the exception of a few do not supply fresh water to fulfil the needs of the entire population, but the goods and key ecosystem services provided by these mountains are vital for the sustainable development. These goods and services are under increasing pressure from urban expansion and environmental changes”, he said.
The report recommends the following actions for the sustainable mountain
development (SMD) in the region:
1. Protect natural resources and assist with strategies for their sustainable use to improve the socio-economic well being of the mountain communities.
2. Involve mountain communities in decision making processes and political representation to ensure best use of resources, environmental protection, and food security.
3. Facilitate mountain communities to gain fair access to resources and share benefits of their use equitably.
4. Strengthen and develop national and regional institutions and establish links with global institutions to address highland-lowland interactions and trans-boundary co-operation, support capacity building, generation and dissemination of knowledge, technical expertise and innovation for sustainable mountain development.
5. Provide enabling conditions and incentives for investment in sustainable development in mountain areas and include appropriate funding in national budgets in order to enhance wellbeing and reduce disparities.
6. Evaluate how mountain issues were handled within the three Rio conventions and identify reasons that can be attributed to the action plans, their success and failure.
7. Recognise the vulnerability issues of the mountain ecosystems that still exist within the three Rio conventions, based on the experience of last 20 years, and recommend implementation strategies that must be adopted to achieve sustainable development goals.
8. Promote the transition of these mountains’ dependence from Brown Economy to Green Economy
9. Identify special issues that impact MENA mountain communities such as illegal drug production, terrorism and political disputes, and establish intervention procedures at international level to alleviate these problems.
10. Make best use of all new and existing funding mechanisms to address issues related to Sustainable Mountain Development and challenges of environmental changes in the MENA region.
Prof. Victor revealed that the final report will be presented at the Rio+20 Summit which will mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg.
Sultan Qaboos University is an official member of
the Mountain Partnership at FAO Rome, Italy and has been a focal point for the Sultanate of Oman on Mountain Issues. This partnership is an honour conferred on SQU because of its contribution to the mountain research through “Al Jabal al Akhdar Initiative” a multidisciplinary landmark research that has become a reference for mountain studies in arid and semi-arid regions.
‘All mountains in Middle East and North Africa, with the exception of a few, do not supply fresh water to fulfil the needs of the entire population, but the goods and key ecosystem services provided by these mountains are
vital for the sustainable development. These goods and services are under increasing pressure from urban expansion and environmental changes’
