The Mountain Institute
Encyclopedia
The Mountain Institute is an international non-profit organization
dedicated to conservation, community development, and cultural preservation in the Andes
, Appalachians, Himalayas
, and other mountain ranges of the world
. With an international headquarters in Washington, D.C., TMI operates its community-based programs through regional and field offices in numerous mountainous countries.
, where its work focused on experiential and leadership education for West Virginia
's youth
. This work was based at a 400 acres (1.6 km²) nature preserve on the slopes of West Virginia
's highest mountain, Spruce Knob
. TMI formally expanded into an international organization in 1987, when it assisted in the establishment of two new protected areas in Nepal
and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Regional TMI offices were established in Nepal
and Peru
a few years later.
Its mission broadened in 1993 to include economic development and support for traditional cultures, as well as the conservation of natural resources in the world's longest, oldest, and highest mountain range
s - the Andes
, Appalachia
ns, and Himalayas
. Additional program offices now exist in Beijing, China and Sikkim, India. New programs are underway in Tajikistan
, Kyrgyzstan
, and are being planned in Mongolia
and Tanzania
. TMI's original home, the Spruce Knob Mountain Learning Center, continues to operate as an education, conservation, and conference facility. An international
headquarters was established in Washington, D.C.
, in 2002, which provides technical, logistical, and financial support to our regional offices.
TMI has an international staff of more than 55 people, largely local residents who are from the countries and mountain regions in which we work and who speak the local languages. These include Spanish
, Quechua
, Nepali
, Hindi
, Tibetan
, Mandarin Chinese, Urdu
, Hindi
, Marathi
, French
, Pamiri languages, Russian
, Romani
(Gypsy), Balkan Dialects, Dari
, Persian
, and English
.
TMI implements programs directly with communities and work with and through a wide variety of development, government, program, academic, and technical partners. Its programs now reach more than a quarter of a million people a year, not including the visitors to those national parks we helped establish.
programs through regional and field offices on three continents. TMI’s programs are arranged geographically, with regional and country offices. The programs are field-based and include permanent and expanding initiatives in three major regions: North America, South America, and Asia (plans for a program in Africa are just getting underway).
TMI’s programs in Asia started in the mid-1980s with the “Heart of the Himalaya” initiative for the establishment of two new mountain protected areas: the Makalu-Barun National Park in Nepal, and the Qomolangma (Mt. Everest) Nature Preserve in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, (Tibet). Both were founded on the principles of participatory design
and management, and collaboration between park managers and local communities. These pioneering projects were some of the earliest demonstrations of community-based project design that has since become the basis for most of TMI’s programs.
TMI was established in 1972 in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, where its work focused on experiential and leadership education for West Virginia's youth. This work was based at a 400 acres (1.6 km²) nature preserve on the slopes of Spruce Knob, West Virginia's highest mountain. Over the years, programming in the Appalachia region has expanded its focus to include a wide range of cultural and environmental conservation programs. In addition to our work in the Appalachian range, TMI has also developed cultural conservation and education projects for several mountain sites in the Western US, as well as Mt. Kilauea in Hawaii.
The Mountain Institute’s Andean Program (Instituto de Montaña) was established in Peru
in 1996 during a time of rapid social change in the mountain communities of the northern Andes
. Traditional means of livelihood were in decline at the same time that large-scale mining
and hydroelectric projects and tourism
were rapidly growing, leading to conflicts between the private sector
and local people and degradation of mountain ecosystem
s. To address this issue, TMI developed a comprehensive community-based project in the Huascaran Biosphere Reserve to demonstrate through pilot projects the potential to diversify local livelihoods through community-based tourism and protection of biodiversity hotspots. Through small-scale biodiversity conservation
projects and the promotion of cooperative links with Huascaran National Park
, local extractive industries were motivated to support long-term conservation goals.
In 1997, TMI worked with partners to initiate a strategic ecological assessment of the Paramo
, or alpine grasslands, in Ecuador
. These ecosystems are a critically important source of water and a center of unique biodiversity
in the northern Andes
. This initiative evolved into the Andean Paramo Conservation Program, currently underway in four Andean countries. Community based tourism pilot projects initiated in the Huascaran Biosphere Reserve were scaled up through a program devoted to integrate the conservation
of natural and cultural heritage
at landscape scale along the Great Inca Road that connects Ecuador
, Peru
, Bolivia
and Chile
. Through its programs and projects in the Andes
, TMI promotes the development of long-term livelihoods for mountain people linked to the conservation of their mountain ecosystems. The program engages a host of different partners that include local community organizations, national NGOs and government agencies, donors, and the private sector to address the critical needs of communities and the environment in the northern Andes
.
External links =
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
dedicated to conservation, community development, and cultural preservation in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, Appalachians, Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, and other mountain ranges of the world
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
. With an international headquarters in Washington, D.C., TMI operates its community-based programs through regional and field offices in numerous mountainous countries.
History
The Mountain Institute (TMI) was established in 1972 in West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, where its work focused on experiential and leadership education for West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
's youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
. This work was based at a 400 acres (1.6 km²) nature preserve on the slopes of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
's highest mountain, Spruce Knob
Spruce Knob
Spruce Knob, at , is the highest point in the state of West Virginia and the summit of Spruce Mountain, the tallest mountain in the Alleghenies.-Overview:...
. TMI formally expanded into an international organization in 1987, when it assisted in the establishment of two new protected areas in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Regional TMI offices were established in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
a few years later.
Its mission broadened in 1993 to include economic development and support for traditional cultures, as well as the conservation of natural resources in the world's longest, oldest, and highest mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
s - the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
ns, and Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. Additional program offices now exist in Beijing, China and Sikkim, India. New programs are underway in Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
, and are being planned in Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
and Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. TMI's original home, the Spruce Knob Mountain Learning Center, continues to operate as an education, conservation, and conference facility. An international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
headquarters was established in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in 2002, which provides technical, logistical, and financial support to our regional offices.
TMI has an international staff of more than 55 people, largely local residents who are from the countries and mountain regions in which we work and who speak the local languages. These include Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
, Nepali
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Tibetan
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
, Mandarin Chinese, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Pamiri languages, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Romani
Romani language
Romani or Romany, Gypsy or Gipsy is any of several languages of the Romani people. They are Indic, sometimes classified in the "Central" or "Northwestern" zone, and sometimes treated as a branch of their own....
(Gypsy), Balkan Dialects, Dari
Dari (Eastern Persian)
Dari or Fārsī-ye Darī in historical terms refers to the Persian court language of the Sassanids. In contemporary usage, the term refers to the dialects of modern Persian language spoken in Afghanistan, and hence known as Afghan Persian in some Western sources. It is the term officially recognized...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
TMI implements programs directly with communities and work with and through a wide variety of development, government, program, academic, and technical partners. Its programs now reach more than a quarter of a million people a year, not including the visitors to those national parks we helped establish.
Mission
Mountains sustain life on earth. In a world facing unprecedented change, The Mountain Institute is committed to protecting its mountains. Through empowering mountain communities and conserving mountain ecosystems, TMI ensures that mountains will continue to provide the essential resources - natural, cultural and inspirational—needed for mankind's survival on a healthy planet.Values
-The integration of economic development, environmental stewardship, and cultural sustainability
-The forging of long-term commitments to the people and regions TMI serves
-Teamwork and collaboration within TMI and with its partners
-Cultural sensitivity and fluency in the regions where TMI works
-Measurable accountability and concrete results in all of TMI's projects
Programs
In coordination with its headquarters in Washington DC, TMI operates an array of community-basedprograms through regional and field offices on three continents. TMI’s programs are arranged geographically, with regional and country offices. The programs are field-based and include permanent and expanding initiatives in three major regions: North America, South America, and Asia (plans for a program in Africa are just getting underway).
Asia
Locations include: Nepal, India, and ChinaTMI’s programs in Asia started in the mid-1980s with the “Heart of the Himalaya” initiative for the establishment of two new mountain protected areas: the Makalu-Barun National Park in Nepal, and the Qomolangma (Mt. Everest) Nature Preserve in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, (Tibet). Both were founded on the principles of participatory design
Participatory design
Participatory design is an approach to design attempting to actively involve all stakeholders in the design process in order to help ensure the product designed meets their needs and is usable. The term is used in a variety of fields e.g...
and management, and collaboration between park managers and local communities. These pioneering projects were some of the earliest demonstrations of community-based project design that has since become the basis for most of TMI’s programs.
North America
Locations include: Central Appalachians, the Appalachian Trail, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Yosemite National Park, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Santa Monica National Recreation Area, and three historic sites in HawaiiTMI was established in 1972 in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, where its work focused on experiential and leadership education for West Virginia's youth. This work was based at a 400 acres (1.6 km²) nature preserve on the slopes of Spruce Knob, West Virginia's highest mountain. Over the years, programming in the Appalachia region has expanded its focus to include a wide range of cultural and environmental conservation programs. In addition to our work in the Appalachian range, TMI has also developed cultural conservation and education projects for several mountain sites in the Western US, as well as Mt. Kilauea in Hawaii.
South America
Locations include: Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, and BoliviaThe Mountain Institute’s Andean Program (Instituto de Montaña) was established in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
in 1996 during a time of rapid social change in the mountain communities of the northern Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. Traditional means of livelihood were in decline at the same time that large-scale mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and hydroelectric projects and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
were rapidly growing, leading to conflicts between the private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
and local people and degradation of mountain ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s. To address this issue, TMI developed a comprehensive community-based project in the Huascaran Biosphere Reserve to demonstrate through pilot projects the potential to diversify local livelihoods through community-based tourism and protection of biodiversity hotspots. Through small-scale biodiversity conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
projects and the promotion of cooperative links with Huascaran National Park
Huascarán National Park
Huascarán National Park is a national park in the Cordillera Blanca, a range of the Andes, in Ancash of central Peru. It was also pronounced as Natural Heritage of Humanity and recognized as Reserve of Biosphere Core. The highest mountain in Peru is located in the park...
, local extractive industries were motivated to support long-term conservation goals.
In 1997, TMI worked with partners to initiate a strategic ecological assessment of the Paramo
Páramo
The term páramo can refer to a variety of ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as “all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline”. A more narrow term classifies the páramo according to its regional placement - specifically located in “the northern Andes...
, or alpine grasslands, in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. These ecosystems are a critically important source of water and a center of unique biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
in the northern Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. This initiative evolved into the Andean Paramo Conservation Program, currently underway in four Andean countries. Community based tourism pilot projects initiated in the Huascaran Biosphere Reserve were scaled up through a program devoted to integrate the conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
of natural and cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
at landscape scale along the Great Inca Road that connects Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. Through its programs and projects in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, TMI promotes the development of long-term livelihoods for mountain people linked to the conservation of their mountain ecosystems. The program engages a host of different partners that include local community organizations, national NGOs and government agencies, donors, and the private sector to address the critical needs of communities and the environment in the northern Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
.
External links =