personal website : Roger Payne

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In addition to sports and leadership development work Roger Payne has a strong personal and professional interest in mountain development issues.  This has resulted in initiatives and projects with:

• Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP)

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

• World Conservation Union (IUCN)

• World Commission for Protected Areas (IUCN-WCPA)

These projects included:

• Village micro-hydroelectricity in the Karakoram

• Increasing the benefits to local communities from tourism for mountain recreation

• The impact of climate change in the Himalayas

• Promoting mountain peace parks and an end to the Siachen Glacier conflict

Some of these projects attracted favourable comments from opinion leading figures including: 

“The Swiss Summit was an excellent example of how to promote cooperation and peace and protect mountain environments...  I am also pleased to give my support to the Global Youth Summit - the UIAA’s international series of youth climbs...”  Adolf Ogi, UN Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace and former President of Switzerland

 “This project in itself is a true demonstration of values inherent to sport such as courage, friendship, respect, peace and universality.  We can only praise such a commendable project.”  Dr Jacques Rogge, IOC President

Summaries of these projects are below with some links to reports:

Village micro-hydroelectricity in the Karakoram

In 1992 – 93 Roger Payne led two expeditions to the Karakoram (Broad Peak and K2) that had a major commitment to rural development through the sponsorship of Eastern Electricity.  Working with the Aga Khan Rural Support Agency in Skardu, Pakistan, the expeditions and experts from Eastern Electricity helped promote awareness about the potential for village micro-hydro electricity projects.  

Two villages (Monjo and Hoto) on the approach to the Baltor Glacier requested micro hydro-electricity projects, and schemes were established in both villages through the collaborative efforts of the village committees, AKRSP, experts from Eastern Electricity and Nottingham University, and visits by the expedition. 

The installation of micro-hydroelectricity reduced the dependence on scarce firewood and costly kerosene, alleviated some of the health problems caused by smoky living conditions, and created new opportunities through the use of electricity for the benefit of the community (e.g. refrigeration of medicines, desiccation of food, etc.).

Increasing the benefits to local communities from tourism for mountain recreation

In 1993 Roger Payne helped organise and contributed to a 'Greater Ranges' conference on the theme of: environmental and social development impacts of mountain related tourism.  The conference was timed to coincide with the 40^th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest, was held at the Royal Geographical Society in London, and hosted by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC). 

The conference included working groups that made recommendations and led to the setting up of a BMC Mountain Tourism Working Group that was jointly chaired by Paul Nunn and Peter Mould (Payne was secretary to the group).  This group took forward the proposals from the conference and paved the way for new good practice guidelines to minimise any negative impacts and maximise the benefits of mountain tourism for rural communities.

In addition, following two personal climbing trips to Sikkim in 2004 and 2005, Payne was asked by the Government of Sikkim to write a special report on the opportunities in West Sikkim for mountain recreation and tourism to help achieve sustainable development.  This report was used by a special committee tasked with making proposals for improving the opportunities for local people to benefit from mountain tourism.
 

The impact of climate change in the Himalayas

In 2002 Roger Payne organised a joint expedition for the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to raise awareness about the impact of climate change in the Himalayas.  Payne was one of a group of six volunteers who made a film of a journey along the Khumbu Valley to record local perceptions about climate change and the risk of glacial lake outburst floods caused by melting glaciers.  

The team climbed Island Peak, which rises above one of the glacial lakes identified in research as being in a critical condition.  The reports from the expedition formed a major part of UNEP’s message for World Environment Day in 2002, and Slackjaw Films produced ‘Meltdown – crisis in the Himalaya’.  See Meltdown Report

Promoting mountain peace parks and an end to the Siachen Glacier conflict

In 2002 Roger Payne organised an initiative for the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) to raise awareness about protected status for important mountain ranges.  Payne was part of a group of seven volunteers climbing in the Swiss Alps to recognise the designation of the Aletch Glacier (the longest in the Alps) as a UNESCO natural World Heritage Site (the first in the Alps), and also the need to protect other mountain regions including the Siachen Glacier (the longest in the Himalayas) which has been polluted as a result of the border conflict between India and Pakistan. 

Two climbers came from Pakistan and two from India to climb as part of the ‘Swiss Summit’.  Also in the group was Scottish climber Jamie Andrew who is a quadruple amputee (the result of an incident in which his climbing partner Jamie Fisher died and Andrew suffered severe frostbite).  This was the first ever joint climbing mission with climbers from India and Pakistan, and the first time the flags of both nations were together on the summit of a mountain.  The public and political reaction to the initiative was positive, and made a valuable contribution to creating an atmosphere of confidence in which the President of Pakistan and Prime Minister of India could make significant joint commitments towards a peaceful resolution in Kashmir and on the Siachen Glacier.  In 2003 the team was presented with an award by the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism.  See Swiss Summit Report

click on thumbnails for larger view

UNEP flag on the summit of Island Peak for World Environment Day and the International Year of Mountains 2002

There was no lake in 1953, in 2002 the Imja Lake was over 2km long, 500m wide and 100m deep

Mac speaks to the camera with a glacial lake outburst flood scar on the hill behind and rural life in the foreground

The Slackjaw Film team of Richard Heap and Laurent Derioz on a rare sunny day

Early start on summit day with fresh snow and low clouds

The first ascent team in 1953 called it Island Peak because "it was surrunded by a sea of ice"

UNEP's Teen Planet magazine with a special focus on sport and environment issues

more reports and images to be added

 

 

welcome  I  background  I  climbing  I  development  I  guiding  I  photography  I  skiing  I  work

© Roger Payne 2005

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