MOUNTAIN PROTECTED AREAS UPDATE

The din of the dusty world and the locked-in-ness of human habitations are what human nature habitually abhors; while, on the contrary, haze, mist, and the haunting spirits of the mountains are what human nature seeks, and yet can rarely find.
Kuo His (11^th century)

IUCN-WCPA News

Shortly after our last issue was sent out, the IUCN Director General, Dr. Maritta von Bibberstein Koch-Weser, resigned effective December 31. I have been immediately assured from Gland staff that the new Mountain Initiative will continue and move ahead. The Acting Director is Dr. Simon Stuart, Program Officer for Species Survival Commission and a good bloke. Policy and Program Director Ed Wilson continues his interest in mountains. Andrei latsenia who was designated IUCN focal point for Mountains has also left along with the DG. The Head of the Forest Conservation Programme, Bill Jackson will now head up a new unit in IUCN that will oversee work on a variety of ecosystems, including Mountains. He has asked David Hinchley (dgh@iucn.org) to manage the IUCN Mountains Agenda process leading to International Year of Mountains in 2002. David is an Australian, and was formerly part of the Australia/Nepal Mountain Mafia and has worked at Mount Elgon in Africa. This is good news, - stay tuned for further developments as a Mountain Initiative gets underway.

The new Chair of WCPA, Dr. Kenton Miller, has re-appointed me as Vice-Chair for the Mountain Theme for a four year term. I have, however indicated that I would be retiring after the International Year of Mountains in 2002. Kenton's Deputy-Chair is Network member Lee Thomas former Regional Vice-Chair for Australia/New Zealand. The new Co-Deputy Chair is Mohamed Bakarr who is from Sierra Leone and with Conservation International. Our great Kiwi pal PHC Bing Lucas resigned as World Heritage Vice-Chair and has been replaced by former Chairman Adrian Phillips. Marija Zupancic-Vicar also resigned as Vice-Chair for Europe, and while we are sorry to lose that wonderful mountain woman, we welcome new Vice-Chair Roger Crofts from Scottish Natural Heritage to the Network, and to the WCPA Steering Committee. And, Bruce Amos, Regional Vice-Chair for North America has just announced his retirement as Director General of Parks Canada, after a distinguished career of almost 30 years. He will continue as Senior Advisor to the new CEO for a year or so to make a smooth transition. He will continue his WCPA role.

A Tribute to Bing

Many of you Network members have had direct or indirect contact with Bing Lucas, who was felled by a massive heart attack while hiking with family in mid-December on the Queen Charlotte Walkway in New Zealand. He was a very special friend and colleague of mine, and of several of you readers, and it seems fitting to eulogize Bing in these pages. However, I cannot do it as well as it has been done by Paul Dingwall who spoke at the memorial service held for our wonderful friend, so I have excerpted from Paul's fine tribute some very brief passages of particular interest to UPDATE readers. Bing will be sorely missed. WCPA is in the process of instituting a suitable memorial gesture to commemorate his amazing contributions and dedicated life.

In the Province of Sichuan, deep in the heartland of China, lies the magnificent Juizhaigou Nature Reserve. It's an extensive mountain park, reminiscent of our own Southern Alps national parks, and is one of the world's natural treasures. At the gateway to the park, surrounded by nine newly constructed international-standard hotels, is an impressive set of panels displaying images of the park and messages of welcome for visitors. Prominent among these is a series of large colored photographs, framed behind glass, featuring one man - Bing Lucas - photographs taken to record his official inspection that led to designation of the reserve as a World Heritage Site.

These images bear graphic witness to the reverence, honor and high esteem in which Bing is held, not only in China but throughout the world, as an acknowledged leader of the conservation movement.

Bing's outstanding leadership and long commitment to conservation were recognized by his professional peers when the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the world's largest and most influential conservation organization, enrolled him as a Member of Honor. Bing is the only New Zealander, and one of the few in the world, on whom this honor has been bestowed.

During Bing's reign as Director of Parks and Reserves, the groundwork was laid for establishment of the Whanganui and Paparoa national Parks, - the first such parks created after a gap of 23 years; and with the National Parks and Reserves Authority he launched the Protected Natural Areas Programme, for extending and diversifying the reserves network.

At the time of Bing's retirement as Director General of Lands in 1986, New Zealand's system of national parks and reserves was widely hailed as the finest in the world. His vision and tireless efforts set the stage for the smooth transition to the stewardship of the present Department of Conservation. We can but stand in awe of his many achievements, which rank him as an equal among the greatest names of New Zealand conservation.

From 1971 when he joined IUCN's Parks Commission, the world's leading body of protected area experts, over the next three decades he served as its Regional Vice-Chair for the NZ, Pacific and Antarctic Regions; as Deputy Chairman; as Chairman; as Senior Advisor; and finally as Vice-Chair for World Heritage. He held the post of IUCN Regional Councillor for Australia/Oceania.

For me and for so many others, Bing was more than a professional colleague, - he was a mentor and friend. He leaves an enduring mark on the minds, hearts, places and landscapes of people throughout New Zealand and the world. His passing creates a void that can never be adequately filled, and tragically, we are denied the further wisdom from his planned memoirs. But his example lives on in the life and work of the countless people he touched in the noble cause of conservation.

Wolves Again

In the USA as in Europe the wolf continues to be a very visible issue in Mt PAs whether it is naturally recolonizing improved, protected habitat, or whether re-introduction is occurring or is proposed by some groups. Here in our home, four out of six major national nature conservation journals coming to us carried photos of wolves on the cover during October and November. We now have suitable wolf habitat in the highland and mountain forests of the Northeastern Forest and many of us are hoping that the wolf will return from Canada in its own time (though major impediments exist such as the St. Lawrence River and heavy-duty highways and settlements). Our neighboring state of New Hampshire (the White Mountains) has enacted legislation specifically banning re-introduction. David Morris, Superintendent of Olympic National Park will write us a brief article on possible re-introduction to his area.

Meanwhile there are high hopes that the re-introduced wolves in Yellowstone may aid in recovery of the dwindling aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands. Aspens are not only an especially scenic (especially in autumn) component of the large expanses of conifer cover in Rocky Mountain protected areas, but an important ecosystem within them. Elk numbers increased, and behavior changed since the elimination of wolves in the 1920s. There has been steady aspen decline and lack of reproduction since the 1930s for instance (50-90% decrease in populations). It is hoped that wolves will now put pressure on the large elk herds to reduce numbers and change browsing pressure. Research sites to determine this have been set up in Yellowstone where wolves have established.

And, recent news from Scandinavia has Sweden engaged in a wolf recovery program, but Norway preparing to shoot recovering wolf populations.

Mt PA Management is Not Always Easy

Enraged by the government decision of extinguishing the rights of the people dependent on the Great Himalayan National Park, in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, India, the residents surrounding the area barged into the park for grazing their cattle and collecting herbs. More than 10,000 families or nearly 50,000 people spread over 500 villages are affected, according to reports to The Mountain Forum. On August 15, 2000, thousands of people from the Seraj Valley entered the park with their livestock to protest against HP government notification which extinguished their centuries old legal and traditional rights. They vowed to get back their rights and demanded the cancellation of the notification. On their part the Forest Department retaliated by filing cases against the agitators, charging them with damaging park property. The Department is offering some compensation to 314 persons, and promises alternative to lost forest resources to the remaining 49,686 people.

Cairngorms National Park (Scotland) Proposal

We have been following the gradual (and often slow) march of the Cairngorms mountain area to the status of National park, and have reported on it from time to time in UPDATE. The Scottish Ministers formally proposed its establishment in September 2000, just about 3 weeks after the Cairngorms Partnership group held the meeting to which I was invited (see last issue of UPDATE, No 28). A consultation document has been released, prepared by Scottish Natural Heritage in which views are solicited on various issues such as location of boundary and the nature and composition of the administering Park Authority. A series of public meetings will be held in cooperation with the Community Councils in and around the area. While the views of Scots are particularly sought, comments from elsewhere in the UK and outside the UK are welcome from those who feel they have a stake in the matter. Murray Ferguson the Cairngorms Project Manager in SNH can provide the document and receive responses. Contact cairngorms.reporter@snh.gov.uk. Comments due by April 17. I plan to comment, for this splendid area merits the best protection and management that can be provided.

Mountain Wilderness (Swiss) and CIAPM

From Barbara Ehringhaus, who headed Campagne Mont-Blanc 2000, comes a report of recent developments:

Mountain Wilderness (MW) continues as "force-de-frappe" of CIAPM, the Comité International des Associations pour la Protection du Mont-Blanc, which represents about 20 local and environmental NGOs as well as the alpine clubs of France, Italy and Switzerland. After 10 years of growing engagement for the protection of the Mont-Blanc CIAPM had finally been invited to represent the NGOs from the three countries as observers in the Conference Transfrontalière du Mont-Blanc (Espace Mont-Blanc), assembling local and regional and state administrators from the three countries, which has been working for civil society since 1991. After two years suddenly the Conference withdrew this representation in spite of a protest by the state representatives. CIAPM has denounced this undemocratic style indicative of CTMP's lack of transparent and participatory processes. This past summer Mountain Wilderness focused its traditional Mont-Blanc awareness campaign on Chamonix and Geneva, where a press conference, a round table debate, a conference, several slide shows and daily hikes took place July 14-18. Mountain Wilderness has been mobilizing its own members and other alpine clubs in order to inform local residents, visitors, and the general public about the persisting lack of protection and coherent landuse planning around the highest summit of the Alps.

Ecological Corridor of the Americas - Progress

We have previously carried articles indicating that the "pipe dream" of Jim Thorsell, Jim Barborak and Larry Hamilton for a Conservation Mountain Corridor of the Americas from Tierra del Fuego to the Bering Straits had been essentially adopted for implementation by the Wildlife Conservation Society. Mario Boza of WCS in Costa Rica is carrying the ball on this, and doing well. A map has been produced by WCS and Centro Científico Tropical in San José. It shows 36 building block corridor sections that exist or are proposed, to make a continuous Ecoamericas Corridor, if intervening connections can be made between various kinds of protected areas.

One of the farthest developed major components is the famous Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. In December, an important and large protected area block was added by British Columbia in the so-called Mackenzie Decision. The Muskwa-Kechika Preserve of some 11 million acres (4.45 million ha) is an already protected area, and it has been called the Serengeti of the North due to the abundance of wildlife. This new adjacent area of 5 million acres (2 million ha) gives validity to a very large part of the Y2Y corridor. The Mackenzie Decision provides for carefully controlled logging and mining in certain areas and is the result of an 8-year long battle, interminable meetings, and compromises.

Some progress is slowly being made in the 7-country Meso-American Biological Corridor which has become a much higher profile bioregional planning process, rather than merely connected PAs. One recent activity in the Talamanca mountains of Costa Rica is reported in Bits and Pieces.

Nowhere however, has the concept been picked up with greater enthusiasm than by Daniel Paz in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina (pesca@bariloche.com.ar). Under the banner Corridor Nor Andino Patagónico, he issues a newsletter (see last December issue of UPDATE) and keeps pushing with NGOs and governments at various levels. He reports that the governors of the Provinces of Neuquén, Rio Negro and Chubut met and committed themselves formally to promote the EcoRegional corridor in their respective provinces; and that the Patagonia Parliament has declared its interest in the creation of this corridor. Mario Boza of Ecoamericas will come to the area in February to gather information on this important component.

And, in the Southwestern USA, a proposed Conservation Plan for the Sky Islands has been released. See following article.

"Sky Islands" is an area unique in North America due to its location at the juncture of the temperate Rocky Mountains to the north and the tropical Sierra Madre Occidental (Mexico) to the south. This geographic overlap nourishes habitat for an unusual range of species, including parrots, bears, jaguars and wolves. Known to biologists as a "megadiversity center", the area features more than 40 "Sky Island" mountain ranges separated from one another by seas of intervening grasslands and desert, and includes more than 4,000 plant species, more than half of all the breeding birds in North America, and one of the world's most diverse populations of reptiles and mammals. The region, called "the cream of creation" by conservation icon Aldo Leopold, also includes the nation's first designated wilderness, New Mexico's Gila Wilderness.

The Wildlands Project, and four partner groups have recently released a comprehensive rewilding plan for this 10.5 million acres (4.2 million ha) area in New Mexico, Arizona and Mexico. This plan is the result of more than six years of research, mapping an strategizing by TWP, the Sky Island and Southwest Forest Alliances, Naturaleza (Mexico) and the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. Information at www.twp.org or Kim@twp.org.

South Africa Has a Fourth World Heritage Site

The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Mohammed Valli Moosa said that the inscription of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park as a mixed natural and cultural site was world recognition of the universal significance of South Africa's natural and cultural heritage. "We can be proud that South Africa is the 23rd mixed site to be inscribed by the Convention as it underpins unique cultural and natural heritage of our country. There is no other place on earth where you can view 8,000 year old rock art in an area largely undisturbed since the time the artists drew on the cave walls. Then you can look out from the cave into the landscape that the artist would have seen all those thousands of years ago".

"This means that the unique combination of outstanding landscape and one of the world's greatest collections of rock art are given international standing and recognition," said Dr. George Hughes, KZN Wildlife Chief Executive Officer.

The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park has a number of outstanding natural features linked to the geomorphic history of the subcontinent, including the high altitude and unique Southern African alpine-tundra vegetation and its association endemic palaeo-invertebrates. In addition to these natural assets and located within its original natural setting and ecosystems is one of the world's greatest rock art collections. The art represents uniquely a coherent tradition that embodies the beliefs and cosmology of a single people now extinct in the region. With an estimated 500 sites with more than 35,000 individual images, the rock art is the most densely painted area on the African continent. Besides the obvious historic significance of the San rock art, the Drakensberg sites are unique because of the remarkable state of preservation of the art and that there is an undisturbed harmony between the art and its environment. The inscription of the park would also give impetus to the extension of the conservation area with Lesotho to form the Maluti-Drakensberg transfrontier conservation area.

World Heritage Golden Mountains of Altai in Danger

Following a meeting of the Mountain Agenda Interagency Group in Geneva in November, Yuri Badenkov came with me to IUCN Headquarters, and documented for the Programme on Protected Areas a threat to the Ukok Plateau Quiet Zone in the Russian part of the Altai WH Site. A road and pipeline across the Plateau into China is proposed in a plan backed by President Vladimir Putin. Yuri showed us and spoke of the rich wildlife (20 endangered species) and flora (212 endemic species), and the rich cultural heritage that is threatened by this proposal. The Fund for 21st Century Altai, Sacred Earth Network, Global Response, Pacific Environment and other local and regional groups are protesting the proposal, and urging letters of opposition to be fed into the environmental review process. If so inclined, write to Vladimir Ivanovich Zubakin, Governor, Altai Republic, 16 Kirov Street, Gorno-Altaisk 649000, Russia (fax 388 22 95 121) and Vladimir Ivankov, General Director Inter-Regional Association Siberian Accord, Uritskogo St. 19, Novosibirsk 630099, Russia.

The formal record of decision for the Yosemite Valley Plan and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement was signed on December 29, 2000. Some 60+ park staff were guided in the effort by the planning ream leader, Russell Galipeau, Yosemite's Chief of Resources Management. The plan is the culmination of a controversial process that began in the early 1990s with various restoration and re-development proposals all attempting to reduce congestion and traffic in the Yosemite Valley. After a disastrous winter flood in January 1997 and several lawsuits, the planning efforts were combined into two major plans: the Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan and the Yosemite Valley Plan. The Merced River Plan was finalized in August 2000 and the final printed version of the plan is at the printer and will be released soon. The Yosemite Valley Plan will now be put into a working document that staff and the public can use to see what will actually occur rather than the many options proposed and discussed over the last several years. Park staff are eager to resolve these highly controversial public use decisions that have focused on 8 square km of the Valley because it has hampered efforts to manage the much larger 304,000 ha park in its context with the Sierra Nevada. Planning updates can be received by contacting the Superintendent, National Park Service, Yosemite National Park, California 95389 or at the Park's website, www.nps.gov/yose.

Editor's Note: Over 10,000 public comments were received on the plan at meetings or by mail. The plan calls for shifting much of the auto traffic, parking and accommodation out of the Park. The Park received roughly 3.6 million visits in 1999! Happy implementing, Brother Dave.

Peter Keller, Forest & Society Fellow, Institute of Current World Affairs;
peter_c_keller@yahoo.com

Puyehue is a Mapuche word for "the place of fresh water". The impulse for establishing Puyehue National Park came from the local community.. In this case, Club Andino Osorno, the local alpinist club, had been organizing hiking and skiing trips to the mountains for over 60 years. In 1935 the Club purchased land near Volcano Casablanca and began to develop a ski area called Antillanca, a Mapuche term for "jewel of the sun". In part due to the Club's active interest, the government established the 65,000 hectare Puyehue National Park in 1941 to protect the native forest, the hot springs found within this volcanic region and also the high country surrounding Antillanca. In 1981 the Augusto Pinochet government expanded the park to its current size of 106,772 hectares. I was surprised to learn this; I had thought a country under military rule would not put much effort into protecting the environment. But in fact, during Pinochet's 17 years, 22 protected areas were established, - five of which are national parks.

A 1984 law created four categories within the national system of wild protected areas. They are national parks (32 sites), national reserves (43), natural monuments (12), and wilderness reserves (none has been designated yet). In total the system covers nearly 14 million hectares, or 18% of the country. Of this, 8.4 million hectares are national parks, about 10.7% of the country.

One theme I've been exploring in my studies of parks in Chile and Argentina is the level of cooperation that exists across international borders, and for that matter, across park lines within the same country. Puyehue is adjacent to two parks, one Argentine, on the other side of the Andes (Nahuel Huapi NP), and the other Chilean (Vicente Peréz Rosales NP to the south of Puyehue. Between the two countries there is a long history of tension and rivalries, most recently in 1978, when Argentina threatened war over the Beagle Channel claimed by Chile. By December of that year, Argentina sent a naval squadron to the Beagle Channel and Chile followed suit. Both prepared for war. Both sides signed pledges for a peaceful resolution, but tensions were not reduced until 1984, when both countries signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship. During the Beagle Channel crisis, military forces on both sides of the Andes built up defenses along the mountains, should conflict escalate. In Puyehue the Army had a large presence. That threat has since passed and only a small brigade of 20-30 troops is stationed outside the park, with periodic patrols inside the park. (Currently, the only disputed border is along the southern Patagonia Ice Field, 800 km south of Puyehue.) However, permission is still needed from park rangers, through an agreement with the military, to enter hiking areas near the border. Considering this past conflict between the two countries I asked the Chief Ranger, Luis Santibanez, about the current state of affairs. He responded, "The relationship between the countries is better than it has been in years."

On the Chilean side, Puyehue is adjacent to Vicente Peréz Rosales National Park. Even though a trail connects the parks, rangers rarely communicate across the boundary line. Soon, I think, this route connecting the parks will become a prime destination for active adventure tourists. The route skims along the flanks of three volcanoes, past two lakes and has two hot springs along the multi-day trek. Several people I have met from non-governmental organizations are starting to dream of the possibility of a trail, or network of trails, extending throughout the entire corridor. Quite unexpectedly, the Chilean government unveiled an ambitious plan to construct trails, through state and volunteer efforts, that would link the entire corridor (on the Chilean side). When completed, the path would be more than 5,955 km long. This is a great boost for the local promoters who are trying to patch together a 480-mile stretch in south-central Chile.

USA 2000 List of Most Endangered National Parks

The National Parks Conservation Association has published a list of the 10 most endangered NPs in the year 2000. Four of these are mountains parks:

Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Members of Alaska's Congressional delegation are trying to change legislation and allow recreational snowmobiles into Denali's wilderness core. Four million acres within Denali are already open to snowmachines. Access to the park's wilderness core would adversely impact bear, moose, wolf, and other notable wildlife.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina. In 1999 the park, which straddles the Tennessee and North Carolina border, established a dubious record for admitting the highest number of vehicles ever. Their emissions, combined with those from nearby power plants, has cast a pall of record-level pollution over the park.

Haleakala National Park, Hawai'i. The spectacular beauty of this island park could be jeopardized by a proposal to turn nearby Kahului Airport into a full-fledged international airport. An increase in international flights is likely to bring more alien plants, insects, and viruses to the park. More native species have been driven to extinction in Hawai'i than any other state.

Yellowstone National Park, Montana/Idaho/Wyoming. The ear-piercing whine of snowmobiles continues to shatter the wintry quiet of Yellowstone. As many as 1,000 snowmobiles a day roar up to Old Faithful Lodge. Their noise pervades the park, drowning out the sounds of gurgling geysers and impacting the lives of the park's wildlife. NPCA wants the Park Service to suspend all snowmobile use in Yellowstone until a new management plan, providing affordable and easy public access to the park during winter, is adopted.

Water In/From the Páramo

Areas of high tropical mountains above treeline are generally termed páramo. Basically, páramos are high mountain grasslands, in general dominated physiognomically by the presence of bunch grass (Gramineae). Within páramo areas, well-drained grassland areas alternate with wetland-type areas characterized by mosses and other vegetation covering a thick, well-developed soil layer. The páramo sensu stricto occurs in disjunct plateaus along the Andean Cordillera in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru. Although alpinelike in some of their characteristics, the páramo of high tropical mountains differ in important aspects from alpine biota in temperate latitudes of North America, Europe and Asia. Temperature and precipitation at high elevation in intertropical regions generally have much less annual variation than at temperate latitudes. Consequently, páramo areas tend to have a greater species richness than alpine areas of temperate latitudes, because of the unproductive and snowcovered winter period at temperate latitudes. Little if any research has been conducted on the hydrology and nutrient status of páramo. Potential difficulties in understanding the biogeochemistry of this unique geographical region is compounded by the presence of geothermal areas and active volcanism in many areas of páramo.

There is some urgency to understanding the hydrology and nutrient status of páramo ecosystems. Quito, the capital of Ecuador, now obtains about one-third of its municipal and industrial water from the Antisana Ecological Reserve. How these diversions have affected the hydrology and biogeochemistry of páramo ecosystems is unknown. The success of the Antisana water diversion has resulted in proposals to expand existing uses of surface water and a call for additional water diversions and hydroelectric power in this area. The cumulative effect of additional water withdrawals on the biogeochemistry of páramo ecosytems cannot be evaluated without an understanding of the current biogeochemical status. Moreover, glacial systems throughout the tropical Andes and including Antisana Ecological Reserve are undergoing massive retreat. The importance of glacial runoff to the hydrology of downstream páramo ecosystems is unknown. Therefore understanding links between glacial hydrology and downstream páramo ecosytems is important for evaluating how future glacial retreat, in combination with potential water diversions, may alter the hydrology and nutrient status of páramo regions.

Mark Williams and four co-authors presented a technical paper on the hydrology and biogeochemistry of streams and wetlands of the páramo ecosytem in Antisana Ecological Reserve, Ecuador, to the High Mountain Lakes and Streams Symposium last fall. The study suggests that the páramo ecosystem is phosphorous rich and nitrogen poor. Information available from Mark at markw@snobear.colorado.edu or c/o INSTAAR, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309.

Ski Area Development and Mountain Conservation

Aamir Ali has called to our attention an interesting set of new statistics on the ski industry in Switzerland which might well characterize the situation where skiing occurs in Mt PAs elsewhere. Apparently the number of mechanical ski lifts has declined 6% in the last decade, from 1,869 installations to 1,757. While this seems like it might mean less impact on the Swiss Alp ecosystems, it is offset by two factors. Modernization and higher speed has increased carrying capacity of existing lifts by 3%. Moreover, with the decreasing snow cover that has characterized recent years, it is no longer the slopes from 1,000 to 1,500 m that are sought, but rather those from 2,000 to 2,500 m where ecosystems may be more sensitive to damage. Several issues have surfaced in Italian Mt Pas where ski developments are pushing for expanded and higher facilities in the Appenines. Mega-events, both winter and summer are adding to the problem in Europe, and elsewhere.

The world's highest gondola lift (4,516 m - almost 15,000 feet) was recently built in China's Jade Dragon Snow Mountains. The Pyrenees is a hotbed of lift-building activity. Pakistan recently officially opened a facility at Malam Jaba which was actually built a decade earlier, but put on hold until last year. Sahand Mountain in Iran has produced the country's longest ski run last year. In Austria at Solden, lifts have been built to link its winter ski area to its twin summer skiing glaciers.

Those managers facing ski-industry pressures can find much clear thinking and wisdom in the Parks Canada Guidelines for development and operation of ski areas in Banff and Jasper National Parks. Copies available from Parks Canada, 25 Eddy Street, Hull, Quebec K1A 0M5 Canada.

Meanwhile an American NGO has surveyed the major ski developments in the USA as to their environmental "friendliness" and had published a ranking list of best and worst, hoping to influence skiers to give their business to the better performers. Many ski areas are protesting loudly. I think it is a neat idea, and the rating criteria appear to be sound, and minimally subjective. They include such aspects as adequate waste disposal, maintenance of adequate flows in streams from which water withdrawals are made, automobile pollution and so forth.

More on Night Sky Pollution in Parks

This light pollution issue is receiving more attention, thank goodness. The international Dark-Sky Association is growing in membership and influence. Jim Thorsell has sent us a major article from an airline magazine, well-illustrated with maps of all the continents viewed from space, with the sky glow from settlements shown, and it is very alarming to note how rare dark space has become, even in Australia and Africa. We have previously reported on the first Dark Sky Preserve in the Province of Ontario.

A recent survey of the problem in US National Parks by the National Parks Conservation Association is of interest. The responses from 189 of the Park System Units show that nearly 70% of the parks in four of five US regions report light pollution problems. More than 35% of these called it moderate to very serious. Overnight visitation is permitted in 130 parks, and nearly two-thirds of these consider light pollution a problem. In most cases, nearby communities have not enacted any light ordinances or taken corrective measures. Parks are being asked to put their own houses in order, and many are doing so, and having concessionaires comply. Low-pressure sodium lamps can reduce glare, and cutoff shields can eliminate horizontal and upward projections. We need to claim back the night sky.

National Parks in Switzerland

The Swiss NP was established in the Grissons Alps in 1914 and it covers some 17,000 ha (42,000 acres). A proposal to enlarge this park has been at least temporarily stopped, according to Andri Bisaz by a negative vote in the most important village in the park region, Zernez. While there may be some small additions, the concept of a larger park with buffer zones of different kinds seems to be halted. Andri reports that he hears that a major reason for Zernez's rejection was loss of hunting freedom and control of other resource uses.

Meanwhile, Amir Ali has sent us news that the NGO Pro Natura (Pierre Galland) has been effectively campaigning for a second NP. After consulting some 3,000 mountain communes, Pro Natura found 90 who have indicated they would welcome a park. Feasibility studies have therefore begun in three regions: Val de Bagnes in the Valais, Vallemagia in the Tessin and Rheinwaldhorn/Adula in the Grissons-Tessin. The criteria are: the landscape must be typical of the Alps and undamaged; it must cover at least 100 km 2 (38.6 sq. miles); two-thirds of the area be below tree line; the local population must be supportive. Amir reports that while Valais does not seem overly enthusiastic, Pro Natura will award a million francs to help the commune to begin the process, around August of this year.

MAB Program Designates New Biosphere Reserves

Biosphere Reserves are chosen on the strength of their ability to reconcile the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources. This concept was initiated by UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme in the 1970s. Twenty-one new Biosphere Reserves located in 15 different countries around the world were recently officially designated, making the World Network of Biosphere Reserves 391 strong in 94 countries. The newly approved sites include the following in mountain ecosystems:

Nilgiri in the Western Ghats (India) reaching up to 2,670 m, with remnant forests with exceptionally high animal and plant diversity surrounded by areas of intense human activity.

Oases of South Morocco with ancient irrigated palm groves forming a bastion against the advance of the Sahara desert (this site included warm deserts, temperate grasslands and mixed mountain ecosystems up to 4,071 m).

Cape West Coast, just north of Cape Town (South Africa), as an example of bioregional planning from the mountains to the sea.

East Usambara (United Republic of Tanzania), tropical rainforest reaching elevation of 1,501 m.

Mount Mulanje in Malawi is a mixed mountain ecosystem culminating at 3,002m.

Mount Arrowsmith (Canada) is a temperate rainforest including marine components and mountains (maximum elevation, 1,817 m).

Three new mountain biosphere reserves in China, each culminating at over 4,000 m: Baishuijiang, Gaoligong and Huanglong. The latter is also a World Heritage Site.

Merger of The Wildlands Project and The Wild Earth Society

The boards of directors of The Wildlands Project and The Wild Earth Society (publishers of Wild Earth journal) announced that the two influential conservation organizations will officially merge in 2001 to form a single non-profit group, with administrative headquarters in Richmond, Vermont. The combined organization will operate as The Wildlands Project (TWP), and will continue to publish the award-winning quarterly journal, Wild Earth. As part of the consolidation, TWP will open two new field offices, staffed by a Rewild the Rockies Campaign Coordinator in Colorado, and a Sky Islands Coordinator in Arizona. Existing field offices in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas will continue operations. Other TWP field offices will be located in Vermont and North Carolina.

Bits and Pieces

Consistent with its historic pioneering role, Costa Rica became the first Latin American country to establish a land trust. The entity was created jointly with The Nature Conservancy's Costa Rica Country Program, under the guidance of in-country TNC legal staff (in particular, a Costa Rican lawyer based in San José, who heads the regional private lands efforts) and NGO environmental law partner, CEDARENA. The land trust will hold and manage lands purchased in and around the Talamanca Caribbean Biological Corridor in the Talamanca Mountains (in southeast Costa Rica). Thanks to Bruce Moffat for this item.

The Polish Tatra Mountains Society (1872) and the Polish Landscape Society (1907) merged in 1950 to become the Polish Tourist Country-Lovers Association. They have recently published a very helpful and attractive English brochure "The Most Valuable Natural Trails". This is authored by Piotr Dabrowski and shows these trails in the 22 National Parks of Poland. This should be of tremendous help to ecotourists and is an idea worth considering elsewhere. Eko-tour@interkom.pl.

Summer visitors to Grand Canyon NP (a Mt NP if you are in the canyon bottom) on the South Rim can expect a helicopter or airplane to pass overhead every 17 seconds. Strict new rules controlling numbers and banning flights over certain areas were delayed by the Federal Aviation Authority due to pressure by the Air Tour Association, who hope that the new George W. Bush Presidential administration will ease instead of tighten restrictions.

An interpretive trail for downhill skiers has been installed at Belleayre Mountain Ski Center in the Catskill Mountain Park in New York State, according to Richard Parisio, the Environmental Educator for the Catskill, Forest Preserve. This innovative trail interprets the natural history and ecology of the Preserve for skiers, many of whom live in New York City and who might otherwise not encounter this information. (Much of the support for maintaining this Preserve, and the Adirondack Forest Preserve comes from the New York City voters.)

Michele Ottino, Director of Gran Paradiso NP (Italy) is attempting to pull together a working group on the topic of in reducing vehicular traffic in protected areas in the European Alps. He would like to hear form anyone who has experience or opinions on this. Pnqp.aosta@tiscalinet.it.

On January 5 in his last few days in office, President Clinton issued an order to the US Forest Service to set aside as roadless areas some 59 million acres (23.8 million hectares), almost one-third of the nation's National Forest lands. These potential wilderness lands occur in 39 states, including some 9,870 acres (4,000 ha) in my own State of Vermont on the Green Mountain National Forest. As we go to press, our new President Bush and his Congressional allies are attempting to reverse this ruling. It does permit current logging contracts to continue.

During 2000, ten natural sites were added to the World Heritage list. Six of these were Mt Pas: Noel Kempff Mercado (Bolivia), Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia), Gunung Mulu (Malaysia), Ukbahlamba/Drakensberg (South Africa), Greater Blue Mountains (Australia), and Aeolian Islands (Italy).

Gustavo Suarez de Freitas, who has been for many years the Executive Director of ProNatura has recently been appointed Director of Forestry in INRENA, the Peruvian natural resource agency. Gustavo is also WCPA Regional Vice-Chair for South America. We all wish you well in this new post, Gustavo.

Completing a nearly decade-long process, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized purchase of 4,525 acres (1,831 ha) to establish the 17th National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific, Hawai'i Oahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is the first in the mountains of O'ahu and encompasses 9 native natural communities that provide habitat for the endangered O'ahu 'elepaio, other native birds including honeycreepers and the Hawaiian owl, as well as 17 endangered species of native plants, four species of endangered O'ahu tree snails and various native fishes.

Carlos Weber, formerly Head of the Metropolitan District Protected Areas in Santiago de Chile is now the Executive Director of CONAF, the agency in charge of Protected Areas in Chile.

Bart Robinson has stepped down as Coordinator of the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative and Jim Pissot, formerly of the National Parks Conservation Association (USA) has assumed the Coordinator's role in February. Bart will be in charge of special projects.

And, the Coordinator of the Australian Alps Liaison Committee, Brett McNamara who has been duplicating UPDATE and sending it around to all the multi-state staff in the Alps, left in February. It is the policy to rotate this task among the various agencies. Brett is now District Manager in the Australian Capital Territories Parks and Conservation Service. The new Alps Coordinator is not yet named, but Bret assures us that the distribution of UPDATE down under will continue.

May 24 is the "European Day of Parks", and protected areas are encouraged to implement some special celebratory event on that day. As mentioned before, this seems like an idea worth adopting elsewhere. How about in USNPS? It generates a lot of visible public support.

The November 2000 issue of Mountain Research and Development contains several articles dealing with Mt Pas: An article on the payment for environmental services device in El Salvador which uses El Impossible NP as an example; one on management conflicts in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (India) for which K S. Rao and Krishna G. Saxena are among the four co-authors; one on the new Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project in Nepal focused on livelihood strategies in the KCA.

A new institution has been created in Greece to further the protection and sustainable development of the environment and culture of mountain environments of Europe. Set up under the National Technical University of Athens, the Metsovian Interdisciplinary Research Centre will have a special focus on the Pindos mountains, but hopes to become a European centre for scholars working on mountains; icon@central.ntva.gr.

We have previously carried items about the E-Team working on air quality problems in Mt PAs, led by Eric Hauge. Eric reports a new web page for further information: http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/improve/

Nevado Mismi, a 5,597 m (18,363 ft) peak in the Peruvian Andes has recently been proclaimed as the ultimate source of the Amazon River. Using GPS, a five-nation team on a National Geographic Society expedition (using foot, jeep, bicycle and horseback) during 1998, 1999 and 2000 explored the five remote Andean rivers that form the Amazon.

The Alaska State Snowmobile Association and the International Snowmobile manufacturers Association have brought a lawsuit to prevent the banning of these noisy and polluting vehicles from the 2-million acre (809,000 ha) wilderness core of Denali National Park. Of comments received prior to the ban, 92% of Alaskans and 97% of all respondents favored the ban. We'll see how this turns out since it has ramifications for other parks.

The Banff Centre for Mountain Culture's Mountain Photography Competition for 2001 is now open. Entry forms and rules available at www.banffcentre.ca/cmc/ or Box 1020 Banff, Alberta Canada T0L 0C0. Entry deadline May 31.

Mike Finley, our Network member who has been Superintendent of Yellowstone NP becomes President of the Turner Foundation in May 2001. Mike is a 32 year veteran of the National Park Service. Congratulations on this appointment, - another milestone in a distinguished career. www.turnerfoundation.org.

The World Bank has launched a new external web site in English and Spanish that provides information on around 75 environmental projects in central America, in which IUCN has an interest. www.worldbank.org/ca-env.

I wish to publicly thank Network member Dr. Gregory Gessay, MD of Phoenix Arizona, who for the second time has sent a personal check "to help defray costs" of Mt PA UPDATE. He is apparently a lover of mountains and a user of Mt PAs. He has the dream of attending the Parks Congress in 2003. We hope so. Thanks, Greg for your support.

Some Publications of Interest

Wild Earth. Summer 2000 issue on History and Opportunity - American Parks and Protected Areas. A fine issue of this excellent quarterly journal which is affiliated with The Wildlands Project. Since its major focus is on wildlands, much of the writing concerns Mt PAs. Single issue costs US$10 postpaid in USA. Yearly subscriptions USA: $25, Canada/Mexico: $30, overseas (airmail): $45. Wild Earth, PO Box 455, Richmond, Vermont 05477; tel 802 434 4077, fax 802 434 5980. This journal is always a cover-to-cover read, and the artistic graphics are superb.

Plant Talk -Revived! Lack of financial support resulted in the cessation of this excellent journal last spring. Another cover-to-cover read for me. Fortunately the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawai'i is underwriting publication, and it will appear again quarterly, under the guiding hand of Hugh Synge who did such a fine job for years as Editor. PO Box 500, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT2 5XB UK. Subscriptions £17; plant-talk@dial.pipex.com. In Americas US$28 from PO Box 354841, Palm Coast, Florida 32135 USA.

Mountain Reader. Editor John A. Murray. The Nature Conservancy. 2000. 298 pp. Twenty-two writings by a gamut of well known authors ranging from Henry David Thoreau to Isabella Byrd, to Aldo Leopold and Jon Krakauer. Almost all deal with experiences in Mt PAs, and all but one are essays on American mountains. Available Lyons Press, 123 West 18 Street, New York, New York 10011 USA. US$17.95, $26.95 Canadian.

Recently released WCPA Best Practice Guidelines, available on web site www.wcpa.iucn.org under "What's New". Financing Protected Areas; Evaluating Effectiveness: a Framework for Assessing the Management of Protected Areas; Indigenous People and Protected Areas.

Forests in Sustainable Mountain Development. Editor Martin Price and N. Butt. This is a report for 2000 of the IUFRO Task Force on the book title. 590 pp. Published by CABI Publishing in collaboration with IUFRO. US$140. CABI, Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 8DE, cabi@cabi.org or Suite 3202, 10E 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, cabi-nao@cabi.org

Guida Ecologica de la Gran Sabana (Canaima NP). 2000. The Nature Conservancy, Caracas, Venezuela. 192 pp. Chapters on geography, indigenous people, national parks, flora and fauna, including one on birds by Chris Sharpe. Available from EcoNatura, Apartado 63109, Caracas 1067-A, Venezuela; econatu@telcel.net.ve. This is one of the largest parks inthe world and we list this publication on an individualpark, because of this.

Integrated Planning: International Perspectives. 2000. Edited by Roger Crofts, Ed Maltby, Richard Smith and Lorna MacLean this is the proceedings of a workshop held in Battleby Scotland in 1999 reflecting on the theory and practice of bioregional approaches and ecosystem management globally and with a series of case studies from many European countries. It is available from Scottish Natural Heritage Publications and costs £7.50; 12 Hope Terrace, Edinburgh EH9 2AS, Scotland, pubs@redgore.demon.co.uk.

Tropical Montane Cloud Forests: Time for Action. 2000. Special issue of the IUCN/WWF Arborvitae, this is a colorful brochure of 30 pages in English, Spanish and French, compiled by Mark Aldrich, Philip Bubb, Silvia Hostettler and Han van de Wiel. Available from cloudforest@iucn.org. Wetlands and Water Resources Programme, IUCN, Rue Mauverney28, CH 1196, Gland, Switzerland.

Reconciling Conservation with Sustainable Development, A Participatory Study Inside and Around the Simen Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. Hans Hurni and Eva Ludi. Centre for Development and Environment, University of Berne. 2000. 208pp, 9 appendices. US$100. Hallerstrasse 12, CH 3012 Berne; cde@giub.unibe.ch.

Forthcoming Meetings

In the run-up to the International Year of Mountains 2002, there is an amazing increase in number of relevant meetings. It is an impossibility to list them all. We refer you instead to the IYM website, which is maintaining a calendar of mountain events, in English, French and Spanish: www.mountains2002.org, www.montagnes2002.org, www.montanas2002.org. Readers who are planning meetings during the next few years (even beyond 2002) are encouraged to send in details to that IYM calendar. What follows are several that seem particularly relevant to our Mt PA Network.

Communication Strategies in Protected Areas of the Alps (European). March 29-30, 2001 at Nature Park of Haut Adige, Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Italy. Organized by the Alps Protected Areas Network. info@alparc.org, www.alparc.org.

Crossing Boundaries in Park Management: on the ground, in the mind, among the disciplines. April 16-20, 2001 in Denver, Colorado. The George Wright Society Biennial Conference. Too late now for proposed papers and posters, but Mt PA Network members from North America are encouraged to join in. www.georgewright.org/2001.html. The Network will hold a special session Monday April 16 ,3:00-5:OOpm followed by a dinner. Let Larry know if you are coming, for details. Dave Harmon, Executive Director of GWS has a knack for producing a lively and substance-packed conference. More information at conferences@qeorgewriqht.org.

Third International Conference of Alpine Protected Areas (Europe). June 7-9, 2001 in Kalkalpen NP, Austria, where Bernhard Schön is head of Management and Research. Organized by the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (Guido Plassman), based in Ecrin NP (France). Information at http://alparc.ujf-grenoble.fr.

Human Use Management in Mountain Areas. June 10-14, 2001 in Banff Centre for Mountain Culture. Organized by Leslie Taylor of BCMC. Co-sponsored by Parks Canada, this is an international event, and overseas participants are encouraged. WCPA Mountain Theme has contributed to the planning for this event through Jim Thorsell and Larry Hamilton. Also involved in initial stages were Mechtild Rossler, Thomas Schaaf, Elizabeth Byers, and Bernadette McDonald. Information at www.banffcentre.ab.ca/cmc, or contact cmc@banffcentre.ab.ca (please enter HUMMA Mailing List as the subject of your email message). Another fine opportunity for a get-together of Mt PA Network folk, in magnificent surroundings.

First Brazilian Mountain Protected Areas Meeting. June2001 at Itatiaia NP in the State of Rio de Janeiro. Co-organized by George Georgiadis and Jesús Delgado. Hosted at Itatiaia by Park Superintendent Léo Nascimento. Other country and overseas participants welcome. Portuguese language and some English.

Biodiversity: Genome, Species and Ecosystem Diversity. July 2-5, 2001, held at 1700 m in Minor Caucasus in Bukariani, Georgia. Organized by Institute of Botany, Georgia Academy of Sciences. Field excursion to Kazbegi Region. Registration deadline April 30; gi_n@usa.net.

Conservation of Biodiversity in the Andes and the Amazon Basin. September 24-28, 2001 in Cuzco, Perú . A congress linking science, NGOs and indigenous peoples; in Spanish and English. Major topics: neotropical biodiversity, management of protected areas, sustainable use and ecotourism. Sponsors: Centro Bartolomé de las Casas, Fundación Cientifica San Francisco and International Network for Cultural and Biological Diversity. In Perú ,local hosts have geared up according to Gustavo Suárez de Freitas, in a group that includes Pro Naturaleza, International Potato Center, University La Molina, The Mountain Institute and Conservation International.

Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, Young Scientists Conference. September 26-28, 2001 in Stelvio NP, Italy. Convened by Consorzio Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio, European Academy of Bozen/Bolzano and Leader Venschgau in Val Venosta. The objective is to present the scientific work of young researchers in: ecology and protection in mountains, economic activity in mountains, and life in mountain regions. Emphasis is on interdisciplinary approaches. www.eurac.edu/youngconference or International Conference for Young Researchers c/o European Academy, Weggensteinstrasse 12/A, 1-39100, Bozen/Bolzano, Italy. No indication of maximum age, but I presume that young at heart (like your Editor), is not sufficient.

EUROPARC 2001. October 3-7, 2001 in Matrei, Hohe Tauern NP in the Tyrol Division, Austria. Director of Tyrol Hermann Stotter will be deeply involved; nprht@netway.at. Information from EUROPARC, office@europarc.org, www.europarc.org.

World Wilderness Congress. November 2-8, 2001 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, close to Peter and Jill Blignaut's much loved Eastern Cape Mountains, this Congress will start with a 2-day World Wilderness Summit, and will conclude with a 4-day Wilderness Working Session, according to Vance Martin, President of the Wild Foundation. Details www.worldwilderness.com. or info@worldwilderness.org or fax 805 640 0230.

World Parks Congress. New date: September 8-17, 2003 in Durban, South Africa. Theme: Benefits Beyond Boundaries. In spite of the fact that this had to be postponed out of the International Year of Mountains, we hope to have substantial Mt PA input and presence at the Congress. Bernadino Romano has already persuaded his Department at the University of L'Aquila to contribute funds to help us with a workshop on corridors. Can any other Network members follow suit? Small amounts will help to fund participants from developing countries.

IUCN

The World Conservation Union

Rue Mauverney 28

CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland

Fax 41 22 999 0002;

mail@hq.iucn.org

WCPA

WORLD COMMISSION ON PROTECTED AREAS

Mountain Theme

Lawrence S. Hamilton and Linda S. Hamilton

ISLANDS AND HIGHLANDS, Environmental Consultancy

342 Bittersweet Lane, Charlotte, Vermont 05445 USA

Telephone/fax 802 425-6509; hamiltonx2@mindspring.com