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.
![]() The mountain needs to remain a wild placenews“Mountains should be left wild. Only in this way we can guarantee the future of alpinism and mountains.” This was basically the conclusion of the round table Quo CLIMBis, which took place on Sunday, 6 May 2012 at Castle Firmian. On invitation of the Messner Mountain Museum, world renowned mountaineers... Read more » |
![]() European Mountain Plant Population Shows Delayed Response to Climate ChangenewsPlant species are expected to respond to a warming climate by moving their ranges pole-wards or up-wards in mountains. A European team of ecologists led by Stefan Dullinger from the Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology of the University of Vienna presents a new modelling tool to predict... Read more » |
![]() Workshop on monitoring the effects of climate change in protected mountain ecosystemsnewsThrough REDPARQUES and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and with support from GIZ, FAO organized a "Workshop on monitoring the effects of climate change on mountain protected ecosystems" together with the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the University for International Cooperation and the Development Bank in Latin America, The workshop... Read more » |
![]() Experience Sharing and Planning Workshop on Payment Mechanisms for Ecosystem Goods and Services Provided by Rangelands – Testing and Piloting: Call for PapersnewsThe Planning Workshop on Payment Mechanisms for Ecosystem Goods and Services Provided by Rangelands, will be held from 18 to 20 Jun 2012 at the Chengdu Institute of Biology (CIB) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in Sichuan, China. The workshop is organized by CIB, CAS and the... Read more » |
Climate Change and Biodiversity in the Tropical AndespublicationThe threats to the unique biodiversity of the Tropical Andes, from global climate change and human population growth lead to a new publication, “Climate Change and Biodiversity in the Tropical Andes”, edited by Sebastian K. Herzog, Rodney Martinez, Peter M. Jørgensen, Holm Tiessen. The volume, a product of the project... Download » |
![]() Fourth IDSAsr Seminar: The Water Energy and Food SecuritynewsThe fourth seminar of Guru Arjan Dev Institute of Development Studies Society (IDSAsr), will be held from 2 to 4 November 2012, at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India. Recognizing a clear need for new approaches addressing the inter-connections within the water, energy and food security nexus, the seminar will... Read more » |
Mountain Partnership
| Our work
| Focus areas
| Follow Us Subscribe to Peak to Peak Newsletter
|