World leaders told to invest in communities around mountains

Government leaders across the world have been advised on mountain specific policies and work with local communities to implement and test innovative technologies and approaches to manage mountain resources.

The call was made on Tuesday by South East Asia's Skyabgon Chetsaag while addressing over 300 World Mountain Forum delegates from over 40 countries currently attending five-day meeting at Resort Hotel in Mbale.

"There is need for our leaders to heavily invest in the livelihood of people surrounding the mountains, water bodies and forest as the only way we shall be able save the environment. There is bad management of natural resources," Chetsaag said.

Chetsaag said that people across the world predominantly rely on farming and animal husbandry for their livelihoods. However, mismanagement of the landscape has resulted in soil erosion and degradation of vegetation and rangelands.

He said that communities that depend on these natural resources also face an increased risk of natural disasters, including floods, landslides and drought, particularly due to climate change.

He said that healthy highland ecosystems provide protection from these disasters and improve local livelihoods.

"As we continue deliberating on issues that affect mountains, there is need for us as leaders to find solutions to challenges forcing communities to encroach on the mountains, water bodies and forests," he added.

"We should use this conference to come up with strategies to protect environment amidst population out bursting, poor communities that depend on environment for survival without endangering their lives," Chetsaag said.

He said there is need for politicians to lobby governments to increase funds in matters concerning the environment.

In his speech, the Minister for Water and Environment, Sam Cheptoris while officiating at the official launch of the Forum expressed concern over the rate at which the environment is being degraded in Uganda.

"Ugandan people behave badly towards nature. We need to behave better and responsible by not cutting trees, encroaching on forests, wetlands that will lead to destruction of our lives," Cheptoris said.

He noted that Uganda as a country is faced with the burden of polluted waters bodies, encroachment on forests, and land degradation, adding that leaders should come together and make and implement policies that save mountains, forests and water bodies.

He said that majority of people in Uganda do not see the value of protecting the environment and appealed to environment experts across the world put their heads together to see how the impacts can be mitigated.

He also pledged that the Ugandan government is determined fund programmes aimed at protecting the environment and other natural resources.

However, environment experts expressed concern that if governments do not increase resource allocation on matters concerning environment then water bodies are bound to dry up in the coming years.

They said that human footsteps on mountains continue to grow, including the amount of waste, adding that it does not only affect the natural beauty of mountain landscapes, but also pollutes sources of fresh water and threatens livelihoods.