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.

Forum on mountain snow leopard opens

peak to peak

Issue 108 – Month 9 – Year 2017

The September issue of Peak to Peak announces the opening of the International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Forum, held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The newsletter continues with stories about how Mountain Partnership (MP) members can register for the upcoming Global Meeting, an...

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MP members hold event at snow leopard forum

news

The side event “Practitioner’s Lab on community-based conservation in the Central Tien Shan for the protection of snow leopards and their prey species” took place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on 24 August 2017 in the framework of the Global Snow Leopard Forum, which was hosted by the Government of Kyrgyzstan. The...

Mountain Partnership Products selling in Nepal

news

Over 2 000 kilograms of Jumla’s Mixed Beans, a product involved in the Mountain Partnership Products Initiative, have been sold at BhatBhateni supermarkets in Nepal. Jumla’s Mixed Beans are a traditional mixture of black, red, yellow and spotted beans from the Jumla District of Nepal in the Himalayan region. The...

New issue of eco.mont journal now available

news

The latest edition of “eco.mont – Journal of protected mountain areas research and management” is now available online and in print. The papers in the July 2017 issue draw readers’ interest to the floristic features of Mount Cavallo in Italy; introduce us to the white-clawed crayfish in Italy, and to...

Stepping up for mountains: Mountain Partnership Secretariat Annual Report 2016

publication

The Mountain Partnership Secretariat outlines its key achievements in promoting sustainable mountain development last year in its 2016 annual report. The publication documents the Secretariat’s work in the areas of advocacy, communication and knowledge management, promoting International Mountain Day, brokering joint action and leading capacity development initiatives. The 60-page publication...

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International Congress of Highlands and Mountain Ecosystems

event

On 12-14 July 2017, the International Congress of Highlands and Mountain Ecosystems, "Towards a regional vision of the Andes mountains", will be held in Bogotá, Colombia. The Congress will be conducted within the framework of Mountains' Week, which will consist of six days of events related to the technical, scientific...