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Mountain adaptation solutions: turning challenges into opportunities

10.05.2022

From Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to the highlands of Armenia, the climate crisis is being increasingly felt in vulnerable mountain environments. Amplified warming at higher elevations, changing precipitation patterns and intensified natural hazards are adding substantially to development challenges.

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability confirms that climate change poses increasing challenges to the goods and services mountains offer, including their ability to store and purify fresh water, support crops and host visitors.

To mark the official launch of the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has published two new booklets, titled Mountains ADAPT. They feature 27 concrete solutions in mountainous areas to adapt to the climate crisis – 18 in East Africa and nine in the South Caucasus. The material was produced under the Adaptation at Altitude programme, which is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by UNEP and partners.

“The booklets showcase how mountain communities adapt to climate change with practical solutions,” says Doreen Robinson, head of UNEP’s Biodiversity and Land Branch. “We hope decision-makers globally will draw inspiration from these approaches in this crucial International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development.”

The solutions – many of which are nature-based – seek to diversify livelihoods and build new income opportunities. They work with nature, strengthen resilience, and contribute to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030.

Read the full story by UNEP here

Adaptation at Altitude is a collaborative programme that seeks to increase the resilience and adaptive capacity of mountain communities and ecosystems to climate change. It supports regional governance and interregional action learning and exchange.

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. A global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade.