In the newly published book, “Understanding Mountain Soils,” the FAO calls for attention to sustainable management of the soils, which are “home to a vast array of human activities ranging from quinoa cultivation in the Andes through European ski resorts to the collection of medicinal plants in Tajikistan’s ‘roof of the world’ Pamir range.” The soils are fragile and the people who raise livestock or crops on the mountains are often ignored by government planners, said professor Ermanno Zanini of the University of Turin.
The book uses case studies to describe the features of mountain soils and threats to the land and its people. In some areas, shade-grown coffee prevents soil erosion. Forests are retaking abandoned farmland in the European Alps, with an adverse effect on carbon sequestration. At the same time, ski resorts alter the mix of alpine vegetation. When cattle herders lost access to upland forests in India, poaching increased and invasive plants spread.