Last week, Wart hog together with other environmental experts went to Siavonga to draw up a Zambian position paper for the 20th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
En route to Siavonga, Wart Hog saw some very beautiful mountains. “How magnificent!” he marvelled, as he stopped to explore these mountains a little more, he observed that life was indeed flourishing in these mountains.
It was at this moment that it rang in Wart Hog’s head that mountains play a vital role in the sustenance of organisms; which includes man, animals and plants.
This week, we shall look at the variety of services and goods that mountain ecosystem offer.
Mountains Offer Recreational Services
Mountain climbing is a well-known sport that most people enjoy. This sport is used as a means of exercising the body, thereby maintaining or improving one’s health. Interestingly, as one goes up the mountain, one gets to notice dramatic changes in climate, soil and vegetation over relatively short distances.
This unique experience avails the mountain climber a similar experience as an individual moving from the equator to the North Pole; since there are similar changes in climate and biodiversity. Consequently mountains are tourist attractions.
Mountains provide a habitat a for a diversity of plants and animals with the majority of relatively undisturbed forests are in the mountains.
Apart from being home to endemic species of plants and animals not found elsewhere, mountains provide refuge to animals driven away from lowlands mostly by human activities.
Mountains Provide Fruits for Humans and Pasture for Animals Generally speaking, Zambian Mountains are covered with vegetation.
These Mountains provide communities living near them with indigenous wild fruits such as Masau and Infungo.
Additionally, some mountains provide good grazing ground for animals.
Mountains Play a Vital Role in the Water Cycle
Generally speaking, places of higher altitude experience more rainfall than places of lower altitude. Mountains being elevated portions of land thus experience higher rainfall. They then play a vital role in the water cycle by absorbing precipitation in their soils and vegetation; which they slowly release through tiny streams called gullies. As the gullies flow downhill, they often join together becoming streams which eventually become rivers.
Thus mountains act as reservoirs, storing water during the rainy season and releasing during the dry season. You will notice that a number of our rivers have their sources in mountainous areas. For example, the Zambezi River has its source at the Kalene Hills.
Finally, Mountains provide sustainable energy.
Mountains contribute to up to 80 per cent, sometimes even 100 percent of downstream river flow, and thus are a key resource for green economic growth. Mountains provide a good start for sustainable energy sources such as hydropower. The Batoka Gorge is one of the examples of where hydropower is generated with the help of mountains. Sustainable energy brings benefits to human health, the mountain environment and global climate. Reduced dependence on firewood, for example, can lead to fewer respiratory diseases and less carbon in the atmosphere.
The services offered by mountains extend beyond the realm outlined in this article. Mountains have for time immemorial been a source of inspiration. It is no wonder that Robert W. Service said; “It’s not the mountain ahead that wears you out, it’s the grain of sand in your shoe that do.”
This edition of Wart Hog hereby ends on this note. For comments and contributions, contact WECSZ via wecsz@coppernet.zm or Wart Hog P.O Box 30255, Lusaka. Until next week, Goodbye!