Mountain biodiversity
Mountains loom large in some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes. Their unique topography, compressed climatic zones and isolation have created the conditions for a wide spectrum of life forms.
Half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots are concentrated in mountains and mountains support approximately one-quarter of terrestrial biological diversity. Mountains are home to rare species of plants and animals. These include increasingly rare animals such as gorillas, mountain lions, and the majestic tahr or strikingly beautiful plants such as orchids and lobelias.
A large portion of the world's most precious gene pools (for agriculture and medicine) are preserved in mountains. Crops that are important for food security, such as maize, potatoes, barley, sorghum, tomatoes and apples, have been diversified in mountains and an array of domestic animals - sheep, goats, yaks, llamas and alpacas - have originated or been diversified in mountains. Other crops, such as wheat, rye, rice, oats and grapes, have found new homes in the mountains and evolved into many varieties. Coffee and tea, with their roots in Ethiopia and the Himalayan region, are mountain crops as well. Medicinal plants are one of the most valuable resources from high altitudes. This rich biodiversity holds cultural, ecological and economic value. In the Andes, for example, farmers know of as many as 200 different varieties of Indigenous Peoples' potatoes and, in Nepal, they farm approximately 2 000 varieties of rice.
Climate change, poverty, commercial mining, logging and poaching all exact a heavy toll on mountain biodiversity. The sustainable management of mountain biodiversity has increasingly been recognized as a global priority. The Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a Programme of Work on Mountain Biological Diversity in 2004, which includes a set of actions and targets addressing characteristics and problems that are specific to mountain ecosystems.
IPROMO 2021 call for applications: Post COVID-19 recovery in mountain areaspeak to peakThe May 2021 issue of Peak to Peak announces the call for applications for the fourteenth annual IPROMO Summer School, this year to focus on "Post COVID-19 recovery in mountain areas." Members' Voices features a blog post from the Feminist Hiking Collective sharing reflections from the mountain women that participated in their global Earth Day... Download » |
Highlighting sustainable food systems in mountains for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021publicationAs a contribution to the discussion on sustainable food systems in mountains in the lead up to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, an info sheet has been developed by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and Theresa Tribaldos, Centre for Development and Environment. Mountain agriculture and food production sustain the livelihoods of... Download » |
Ecosystem Restoration Playbook: A practical guide to healing the planetpublicationPeople and the planet are only as healthy as the ecosystems we all depend on. Bringing degraded ecosystems back to life – for example by planting trees, cleaning up riverbanks or simply giving nature space to recover – increases their benefits to society and biodiversity. Without reviving ecosystems, we cannot... Download » |
Jaguars in Jujuy – a sign of healthy mountain ecosystemsnewsFor the last ten years, Fundación ProYungas – a member of the Mountain Partnership since 2005 – has been monitoring biodiversity in northern Argentina with camera traps. Monitoring occurs in the territories of companies participating in the Protected Productive Landscape programme. To date, the camera traps have recorded...
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Red, the colour of prosperity for indigenous Ulikan rice farmers in the PhilippinesnewsIt is 6.00 in the Pasil River Valley of Kalinga Province in the Philippine Cordillera. Lucious green mountains dotted with rice fields extend as far as the eye can see. Lita Caniw, 72, is headed to work at her six parcels of land in the Fummag Rice Terraces. Throughout her...
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Promoting Mountain Biodiversity Through Sustainable Value ChainspublicationThis article was written by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat for the Mountain Research and Development journal. The article outlines the ways in which mountain biodiversity matters for us all and details the actions of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to promote... Download » |
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