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.
![]() MP's dialogue highlights sustainable food systems in mountainspeak to peakThe June 2021 issue of Peak to Peak highlights the outcomes of the Mountain Partnership's Independent Dialogue on mountains an sustainable food systems, organized to inform the first-ever UN Food Systems Summit. Members' Voices features a Mountain Partnership Products producer story on Mermelada de Arándano from Peru. Top news stories cover a... Download » |
![]() A wild Andean blueberry boosts livelihoods in PerunewsThe Callejón de Conchucos is a set of valleys located above 3 000 metres running along the eastern slope of the Cordillera Blanca in Ancash, Peru. Remote villages and archaeological sites abound here between breathtaking mountainous views. It is here, high in the Andes, that a wild variety of blueberry, Vaccinium...
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![]() Celebrating bees’ role in mountainsnewsThe importance of bees for maintaining the provision of ecosystem services, ensuring humankind’s well-being and promoting sustainable development – especially in mountains – was highlighted in a World Bee Day celebration organized by the Central Himalayan Institute for Nature and Applied Research (CHINAR) and VToujours on 20 May. In recent years,... Read more » |
![]() MP's dialogue highlights sustainable food systems in mountainsnewsThe diversity of mountain food systems and the role of mountain people as custodians of knowledge and agrobiodiversity were highlighted in an Independent Dialogue organized by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat to inform the first-ever UN Food Systems Summit. This milestone Summit, which will take place in New York in September... Read more » |
![]() Dare to bee: Understanding bees, well-being and sustainability - World Bee DayeventIn celebration of World Bee Day on 20 May 2021, the Central Himalayan Institute for Nature and Applied Research (CHINAR) in partnership with VToujours will host a webinar to explore the current state of bees' habitats. The virtual event will discuss solutions being implemented by different actors around the world for the... Read more » |
![]() Mountains and sustainable food systems: Drivers of sustainable developmenteventAs a contribution to the UN Food Systems Summit 2021, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat will host an independent dialogue on "Mountains and sustainable food systems: Drivers of sustainable development" on 18 May. The dialogue aims to show the specificity of mountain food systems as well as generate innovative and... Read more » |
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