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.

UNESCO World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves hosts workshop in Spain

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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme organized a workshop on mountain biosphere reserves on 18 and 19 April 2022 in Torla, Spain, in partnership and within the Ordesa-Viñamala Biosphere Reserve.

The objective of the workshop was to present the World Network of...

Using cultural monitoring to understand bison in Banff National Park

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The Stoney Nakoda First Nations are combining traditional knowledge with “Western” science to create a more holistic understanding of the bison reintroduction in Mînî Rhpa Mâkoche, also known as Banff National Park, in Canada.

In 2017, 16 bison were released in the northeast section of Banff National Park. This herd has...

GMBA releases new global mountain inventory

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The Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA), a long-standing member of the Mountain Partnership, has released a significantly updated and expanded version of its global mountain inventory, which now consists of 8616 mountain polygons.

Version 2.0 of the global mountain inventory introduces a hierarchical classification of the world’s mountain ranges, which...

Mountain Partnership key speakers at Italy’s Expo Dubai tourism forum

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The March 2022 issue of Peak to Peak highlights the Mountain Partnership's participation in Italy's tourism forum at Expo 2020 Dubai. It furthermore shares the link to download the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development 2022 logos. Top news stories cover two Mountain Partnership members who recently received international recognition...

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"Women move mountains" theme of International Mountain Day 2022

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The February 2022 issue of Peak to Peak announces the theme of this year's International Mountain Day: "Women move mountains". Top news stories cover a briefing note on mountains in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the European Cohesian Policy and how its impproving the daily lives of mountain citizens, and...

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Mountains in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

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A briefing note on mountains in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework has been prepared ahead of the resumed OEWG-3/SBSTTA-24/SBI-3 sessions in Geneva, to be held on 13-29 March 2022.

The briefing note was produced by the United Nations Environment Programme in close collaboration with the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention,...