Spatial DistrubutionMountains cover 24 percent of the world's
surface and 12 percent of the world’s population in 120 countries. They are also hotspots of cultural diversity and cultural heritage. In the Hindu Kush Himalaya region alone, it is estimated that people speak over 1 000 different languages and dialects. One way to reduce the number of hungry people living in mountain areas - 80 percent live below the poverty line and an estimated 300 million are food insecure - is to empower them to protect mountain ecosystems and to promote stability in mountain In the Hindu Kush Himalaya, billions of people depend upon mountain food crop and medicinal and aromatic plant diversity for survival. |