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.
![]() Conference: Planet Under Pressure 2012 - 26-29 March 2012, London, UKnewsThe 2012 international Planet Under Pressure conference will take place from 26 to 29 March 2012 in London, UK. The conference aims to provide a comprehensive and scientific update on the pressure that planet Earth is now under. Global sustainability scientists, decision-makers in policy, development, business and the wider non-government... Read more » |
![]() Conference on Sustainable Land Use and Rural Development in Mountain Areas - Stuttgart, Germany, 16-18 April 2012newsA Conference on Sustainable Land Use and Rural Development in Mountain Areas will take place from 16 to 18 April 2012 at the Hohenheim University in Stuttgart, Germany. The conference is organized by the Uplands Program, with funds from the German Research Foundation. The conference will focus on a number... Read more » |
![]() New publication online - Integrated Natural Resource Management in the Highlands of Eastern AfricanewsThe book “Integrated Natural Resource Management in the Highlands of Eastern Africa” has been recently published and is available online for free download. This publication collects research, methodological innovation, and lessons learned in the African Highlands Initiative (AHI), an eco-regional research-for-development program operating in the eastern African highlands. The editors... Read more » |
![]() Landscape Blog launched on 30 January 2012newsAs part of the three-year collaborative Landscape for People, Food and Nature Initiative, the new Landscapes Blog has now been launched. The Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative, which officially commenced in November 2011, aims to scale up successful strategies for integrated landscape management that simultaneously support, improve food... Read more » |
![]() System of Rice Intensification (SRI) increases high-altitude rice yields in MadagascarnewsThe SRI method was developed in the 1980s by the French Jesuit priest Henri de Laulanié. Challenging traditional rice production, SRI farmers transplant young seedlings with greater spacing on soil that is moist but not flooded. Proponents of SRI claim this system uses 25-50 percent less water, requires 80-90 percent... Read more » |
![]() WWF's top 2012 endangered speciesnewsThe numbers of mountain gorillas, Sumatran orangutans, wild tigers and snow leopards are gradually declining - with hunting and habitat loss just some of the reasons that these animals are endangered. World Wildlife Fund has put together a top 10 list of endangered species to be on the look-out for... Read more » |
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