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.

Our Journey 2017: Mountain Partnership Secretariat

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The Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) reflects on its key achievements in promoting sustainable mountain development last year in its 2017 annual report. “Our Journey 2017: Mountain Partnership Secretariat Annual Report”, the publication documents the Secretariat’s work in the areas of advocacy, communication and knowledge management, promoting International Mountain Day, brokering...

Trekking in the mountains of Pakistan

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Three Italian mountaineering instructors (Emiliano Olivero, Tommaso Castorina, and Omar Scarpellini) will leave for Pakistan on August 28 2018. This trip will be led by Carlo Alberto Pinelli, honorary president of Mountain Partnership member Mountain Wilderness International and member of the prestigious Italian Academic Alpine Club.

The destination is in the...

Mountain conservation in Nepal

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The role of conservation for Nepal’s prosperity both at the national and local level is addressed by the study “Conservation and prosperity in new federal Nepal: Opportunities and Challenges” by Shailendra Thakali, Brian Peniston, Govinda Basnet and Mahendra Shrestha. The study was conducted from February to April 2018 and commissioned...

IPROMO 2018: Bio economy in the mountains

peak to peak

Issue 117 – Month 7 – Year 2018

The July 2018 issue of Peak to Peak provides a brief overview of the International Programme on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas (IPROMO) that was held from 18 June to 2 July 2018 in Ormea and Pieve Tesino,...

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Mountain Futures 2018

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In March 2016, stakeholders from 35 countries established the Mountain Futures Initiative, as part of the inaugural Mountain Futures Conference in Kunming, China. The initiative seeks to foster local innovations for resilient livelihoods in mountain regions worldwide; it aims to identify, develop and scale up mountain-based solutions to global problems.

In...

Food and tourism in the Philippine Cordillera

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The Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) together with Slow Food travelled to the Philippines on 7–17 May 2018 to explore the potential of a new pilot on food and tourism in the Philippine Cordillera region, aimed at promoting linkages between high-value mountain products and ecotourism services. The pilot would...