New UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Mountain Development

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• Martin Price, Director of the Centre for Mountain Studies

A new UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Mountain Development has been established at Perth College, part of the UHI Millennium Institute, in Scotland. Professor Martin Price, Director of the Centre for Mountain Studies, has been appointed as its Chairholder.

Mountains cover 24% of the Earth’s land surface; 26% of the global population lives in and around mountains, which provide vital goods and services to more than half of humankind.

The new UNESCO Chair will contribute to sustainable mountain development, which concerns both mountain regions and populations living downstream or otherwise dependent on these regions in various ways. A particular focus will be on mountain biosphere reserves and their sustainable development in the context of global change.

The two main themes of the Chair will be to support the development of research on global change in mountain areas, including an international conference in Perth in 2010, and to share the innovative approaches initiated at the Centre for Mountain Studies at Perth College in assisting institutions in Asia and Latin America to develop Masters-level courses. Partners will include both global organisations and regional organisations in Asia and Latin America.

Related links:
::  UK National Commission for UNESCO (More)
::  UNESCO Mountains Programme (More)

• Source:UNESCO SC
• 25-03-2009