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growth in recent years in individual countries. For example, from
2000 to 2010 tourism was the fastest growing sector of the
Peruvian economy (Larson and Poudyal, 2012). In the Caucasus,
tourism represents a major part of the Georgian economy and
a significant increase is forecast in its mountainous areas (World
Travel and Tourism Council, 2015).
Mountain tourism includes activities such as trekking and hiking,
climbing or skiing; and in some countries, visiting pilgrimage,
heritage and historical sites. Day trips to mountainous areas are
also common. In many cases, these activities are closely linked
to small and remote mountain communities. Consequently, the
volume and composition of waste being generated in these
communities is often determined by the activities and practices
of businesses in the tourist industry, as well as the behaviour of
tourists themselves (Manfredi et al., 2010; Allison, 2008; Kuniyal,
2005a; Byers, 2014). During the peak tourist season the amount
of waste is sometimes twice as much as the amount generated
during the rest of the year (Manfredi et al., 2010). For example, in
the Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone in the Nepalese
Himalayas, waste generation ranges from 4.6 tons per day during
the peak season to 2 tons per day at other times of the year. In
many small mountain communities waste is inextricably tied to
tourism; any serious waste management solution must therefore
involve the tourism industry (Manfredi et al., 2010).
Systems of waste management in small and
remote mountain communities
Small and remote mountain communities face very specific
challenges to waste management. Poverty is generally more
widespread in mountain regions than in lowland areas (FAO,
2007). Many mountain communities have multiple, pressing
concerns, such as economic development and food security, and
as a result waste management is not given as much importance
(Wilson, 2007). In mountain areas in developing countries, 39 per
cent of people are food insecure, compared to an average of 12.5
per cent in lowland areas (FAO, 2015).
There is little data on the management of waste in small and
remotemountain communities.The few studies available suggest
that formal institutional systems for SWM in remote mountainous
regions in developing countries are largely non-existent. A study
of waste disposal sites in use in 2012 in Nepalese municipalities
found that less than half of the waste in these areas was collected
(Shakya and Taladhar, 2014). One study which focused on waste
management across hill stations, trails and expedition sites in
the Indian Himalayas, found that the relevant authorities, (such
as local municipalities) had no adequate sites, infrastructure or
funds to dispose of the waste generated by visitors. The study
also found that most trekking and expedition areas were outside
municipal boundaries and waste management was entirely
Overflowing waste containers in Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand, India).
Photo
©
Aditi Ramola
Open dumping on a mountain side in Gangotri (Uttarkhand, India).
Photo
©
Aditi Ramola