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.
![]() World Social Forum 2024 Nepal highlights mountains and climate justicepeak to peakThe March 2024 issue of Peak to Peak reports on the World Social Forum 2024 Nepal. Top news stories cover a national training on mountain vulnerability assessment in Kyrgyzstan and a new podcast on mountains. Peak to Peak continues with a featured video, publications and upcoming events. Happy reading! |
![]() Mountain Research and Development Vol 44, No 1publicationMountain Research and Development Vol 44, No 1 is available online and open access. A study across the Andean region details how immigration is linked to an increase in exotic plant species, posing challenges for sustainable management of local ecosystems and biodiversity reservoirs. Research into the heterogeneity of Swiss alpine... Download » |
![]() Achieving sustainable food systems in mountainspeak to peakThe February 2024 issue of Peak to Peak highlights recent international events focused on mountains, including the conference "Enabling resilient and sustainable food systems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya" in Nepal and the European foresight workshop for resilient mountain areas in Belgium. Top news stories and features cover the declaration... Download » |
![]() Sixth GROW training concludes, innovation contest winner announcednewsYsa Calderón from Peru has won the 2023 GROW Agrobiodiversity in a Changing Climate innovation contest. Her project aims to protect biodiversity and addresses threats to pollinators such as climate change, pesticides and deforestation. The project emphasizes supporting women. The annual GROW course “Agrobiodiversity in a changing climate” closed on... Read more » |
![]() Mountains cited five times in key COP 28 final documentnewsFollowing the efforts of many Mountain Partnership government members, mountains were included in the global stocktake text. The document includes five mentions of mountains and an official request for dialogue on mountains and climate change at the 60th session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice in... Read more » |
![]() Sharing knowledge throughout the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: Good practices for the restoration of mountain ecosystemseventTo support and scale up efforts to restore degraded ecosystems worldwide, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2021–2030 as the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (UN Decade), co-led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). To help achieve... Read more » |
Mountain Partnership
| Our work
| Focus areas
| Follow Us Subscribe to Peak to Peak Newsletter
|