Voices From the Mountain Series

Each collection in the Voices of the Mountain series contains a fascinating blend of anecdote, information, history, culture, knowledge, opinion and experience with all the contradictions this may imply. These are the individual voices of the ordinary people on whose actions development depends. And they are at the heart of one of the key challenges of the next decade - how to meet national development needs without further marginalising mountain peoples. As the pace of development accelerates in mountain regions, so the social and physical environment is changing. Yet the demand for mountain riches - timber, minerals, water, tourism facilities - is more often driven by urban, lowland populations and industry than by highland communities. Mountain people are the custodians of diverse sometimes unique environments, essential to the survival of the global ecosystem. Further erosion of their ability to care for those assets will be the worlds loss, not just theirs. Panos has been working with community-based environmental, cultural and development organisations in select highland areas, training local people to record interviews on a range of issues, in order to communicate their personal experiences and understanding of the challenges ahead. The result is a wealth of material - vivid, challenging, full of human detail and variety. Voices From the Mountain Series: Oral Testimonies from Cerro de Pasco, Peru. Oral Testimonies from southwest and northeast China. Oral Testimonies from Wollo, Ethiopia. Oral Testimonies from the Lesotho Highlands. Oral Testimonies from Mount Elgon, Kenya . Oral Testimonies from the Sudety mountains, Poland. Oral Testimonies from the Himalaya (India and Nepal); the Karakorum (Pakistan); and the Sierra Norte (Mexico). Collections are published in A5-sized booklets, maps, photos, index, glossary.