New Atlas Shows Africa's Mountains Underpin the Continent's Development

The Atlas contains detailed mapping of how strategic interventions and innovations are improving the food security and livelihoods of mountain communities in different parts of Africa.

An estimated 97 per cent of Cape Town’s water supply relies on surface water from mountain catchment areas.

Cairo/Nairobi, 04 March 2015 - The huge development challenges facing Africa's mountain ecosystems have for the first time been presented in clear and visual messages in a new atlas compiled by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Africa Mountains Atlas uses hundreds of 'before and after' images, detailed new maps and other satellite data from 53 countries to show the problems facing Africa's mountain areas, such as landslides in Mount Elgon and Rwenzori, volcanic eruptions, and receding glaciers. It also includes examples of innovative and successful initiatives that are effectively harnessing the ecosystem services provided by the mountains.

Some of the most compelling images in the Atlas, which was launched today at the 15th Regular session of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) in Cairo, Egypt, include the dramatic reduction in mountain glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Ruwenzori, as well as the proximity of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Nyiragongo Mountain - one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

Research undertaken for the Atlas reveals approximately 27 per cent of Africa's mountainous areas to be susceptible to destructive earthquakes, defined as Level VIII or greater on the Modified Mercalli scale. The East African Rift system, which extends from the Afar triple junction 3,000 km south to Lake Malawi, is the largest active rift in the world.

The average population density in mountain areas is more than triple that in the lowlands. In Rwanda - one of Africa's most mountainous countries - the available arable land per family is 0.6 hectares (ha), with 25 percent of families possessing less than 0.2 ha.

In addition to mountain ecosystem challenges, the Atlas maps out new solutions and success stories from across the continent. It contains detailed mapping of how strategic interventions and innovations are improving the food security and livelihoods of mountain communities in different parts of Africa. The Atlas also highlights how traditional knowledge is being used to adapt to the impacts of climate change on Mount Kenya, on the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia, and on the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania, among others.

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